Landschaft und Gesellschaft - geprägt durch Wasser. unser Leben

<< Background >>The facilities of all four project partners are located ‘on the water’: sea, river, canal. The aim of our work was to analyse the balance between nature and society - who shapes whom? It was also important for us to work with all partners to identify factors that have a negative impact on the climate: We analysed whether the situation is comparable between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, between larger and smaller rivers. It is about binding values in civil society, the commitment to an environment worth living in and the quality of life, so that settling on the water remains attractive for future generations. We do not want to stand by and watch the littering, overfishing and over-fertilisation of our waters, but rather acquire knowledge and gather facts on how such a downward trend can be halted and, if necessary, reversed. With this in mind, we are initiating a teaching-learning process, as natural resources and the habitat close to the city are becoming increasingly important. In this way, ‘research and innovation’ and ‘green skills’ are promoted, as we want to initiate a process of perception, understanding and change in our facilities. To this end, it is also important to collect historical facts so that we know our root<< Objectives >>We want to emphasise the interdependence of water / nature People / society. This was achieved by comparing the use of water for settlement and the development of the economy and society. In this way, all partners have learned similar and different things from each other, but we have also seen that the cities maintain the cultural heritage in very different ways and continue to use it. The concept of sustainability is not well developed everywhere.There has been a sensitisation to the threat to water, but also to the threat to society. Both are closely linked to exploitation, profit motives, carelessness and ultimately climate change. Clarifying cause and effect was an important concern for us, which was also communicated intensively in two summer workshops for young people. Finally, the city of Paderborn's application was important for the EKS. The Pader, as the shortest river in Germany, is to receive this award and we want to support this initiative through European project work and at the same time use it for our research: https://www.pader-europe.eu.We would like to support the development of learning centres of European water culture. << Implementation >>All partners have worked intensively on the above objectives. Research was carried out into the origins of water management and its continuation to the present day. The urban development possibilities ‘on the water’ and the various transformations of old mills or canals were analysed. The results can be found on the homepage: lage.westfaelisches-forum.de. There is also an interview with a mill owner who is utilising the entire ensemble for energy and economic purposes and an interview on the use of the water temperature from the ‘warm Pader’. During the project period, the partner in Liepaja organised two summer camps for young people that focused exclusively on the topic of water and also took place by the water (Baltic Sea). During the conferences in the Europe Weeks ‘23 and ’24, we organised workshops on the topic of water and guided walks along the Pader. In Galway, a discussion took place with the mayor and representatives of the entire project group on how Galway could better develop its cultural heritage from the ‘water area’ for tourism and in Mechelen / Leuven, the project group visited various sustainably re-purposed properties and visited a river-canal trail<< Results >>The project homepage! Two one-week workshops with young people from Latvia and Germany are a concrete result. Various presentations at the European conferences (May in Paderborn) are notable contributions: 2022: Lecture on the state of the Baltic Sea (Gints Rocans, Liepaja)2023: Lecture by an extreme swimmer on our role as guests in the seas (André Wiersig, DE)2024: Lecture on ecological and economic problems in the Baltic Sea area in Liepaja (students of the University of Liepaja)Lectures / workshops as part of the international conferences at the University of Liepaja in September: 2023: PIC - Positive - Innovative - Constructive => Presentation on the protection of the Baltic Sea, tourism and the transformation of the fishing industry. Workshop: Strandyoga2024: Cross-Team Collaboration => Presentation on the Capital of Culture 2027 and the City of Wind and Water. Workshop: Sounds and movements of water.During the project phase, various themed walks along the Pader with D. Honervogt, deputy mayor and chairman of the ‘Friends of the Pader’.A working paper on the better utilisation of the old mill and weirs in Galway.Offer of a training course 2025 in LV and DE (04/25 and 09/25).Support for the EKS application in Pader