An interview with Egita Lūsēna, a specialist in the Archaeology and History Department of the National Cultural Heritage Board
Your office email address has a comprehensive name – mantojums.lv
It has been that way for a long time. In June of this year, however, the institution changed its name from the State Inspection for Heritage Protection to the National Cultural Heritage Board, which seems more understandable and acceptable to the public. Architecture, archaeology, industrial heritage, history, art – everything is under the Board's purview.
The heritage that you monitor for its 'life' and state has a tendency to disappear and a tendency to 'hide', taking into account the passage of time and, for example, the increase in Latvia's forest areas in the post-war period, as well as changes in people's places of residence. How do you deal with these natural afflictions?
A fair question! The landscape, as is well known, is very changeable. Once there was a village, a factory, a farm; as time passes, people leave these places, move elsewhere, the buildings are abandoned, fall into ruin, bushes grow, and later – look – a forest! People quickly get used to the new landscape, and memories are short, so it seems it has always been that way, yet fifty years ago everything looked completely different.
Between 2009 and 2011, the State Forest Service implemented a cross-border project in cooperation with Estonia entitled 'Unidentified Cultural Heritage Values in the Common Natural and Cultural Space'. In Latvia, the research took place in the former Valka, Valmiera, Alūksne and Limbaži districts. Many different people were involved in the project – teachers, librarians, students, historians, forestry workers, and local history enthusiasts. They identified not only previously known archaeological or architectural objects but also listened to stories, legends and memories. Many interesting things were revealed. A database was created. The objects were recorded with GPS coordinates and a database was established. For example, old road locations, farmstead sites, old factory sites, etc.
'Always' – what roughly would this period of time be in numbers?
That is hard to say, it depends on the person. For example, the Castle of Light (National Library) – not so many years ago there was an old building there that has already been forgotten. Now we are used to the library. This happens in many places.
How easy is it to be in the middle – to balance the economy, development, money and what was left by older generations, history and the values of other times?
People often think it is easier to build something new, to create something similar, rather than preserve the old, if we are talking about buildings. Pleasantly, there are more and more people who want to restore and preserve the old. But – of course – there is still a need to explain and clarify. Old Riga. We are used to it and we are getting used to the changes, but our guests, tourists from other lands, come to look at the old houses, the old buildings, the narrow streets, not some recently erected structure that might not be as pretty or attractive as one might wish. There – the wonder and surprise for foreign eyes is the old, preserved aspect.
We had major problems during the so-called 'fat years' when we experienced an economic explosion – most of all in Riga – and we had to withstand a certain amount of pressure and choose compromises that are still visible today. Currently, processes are moving differently. It is good if something is happening in an old manor or other building, so it is not abandoned. Both economic development and building preservation – these are both developments in the interests of society.
Your cooperation with the owners of buildings, forests and lands. What is it like?
Restoring a building, as I already mentioned, is more difficult, complex and expensive. I can repeat – it all depends on the person (the owner) – it is not always just about financial resources, but also about plans and intentions that influence actions and projects. A good example in the Jelgava area is Abgunste Manor, whose owners, without having excessive financial resources, are busy step by step. Near Liepāja – Tāši Manor, whose owner is interested in the building, its research, and its restoration. It is not always just about money!
Regarding forests – we have excellent cooperation with Latvijas valsts meži. Not so long ago, artificially created mounds were discovered in a forest section, which could have been ancient burial sites. The finders reported them to us immediately. We went out to check… There is another case – complete lack of understanding from a private forest owner in relation to Scandinavian burials near Grobiņa. We went, we talked, but in reply we heard – this is valuable only to you, not to me! The ancient burial grounds have been known for a long time and included in the list of state-protected monuments. A process is currently underway to include the Grobiņa archaeological ensemble, including this burial site, on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
It is important to understand – historical and cultural heritage is not just mine or yours, it is our common heritage from previous generations and must be preserved for future generations.
What do you do with the things and places under your supervision that are neglected – falling into ruin, becoming overgrown, decaying?
One – a cultural monument is under state protection, two – it does not always belong to the state but is in the ownership of a legal or private person who is responsible for what happens to it. I think the problems with the well-described ruins in Riga and elsewhere are well known, where discussions have been going on for years. Unfortunately, a private owner has their rights… Here, legal matters need to be resolved and again – it is up to the owner (the person) and the state or local government cannot enter the property and tidy it up or repair it even if they wish to and it is necessary.
Is it still the case in Latvia that a beautiful old building, a cultural monument, if the owner wishes, can legally and correctly collapse? What to do if a house is purposefully steered towards collapse, a fire, which is only a matter of time and organization?
Unfortunately, from time to time that happens! Yes, the building is a cultural monument, then at this point the norms set in the legislation are applied. I personally feel very sorry for these buildings, for example, the building in Pārdaugava that just burned down. Not all old buildings are under state protection, so we can only invite people to preserve, protect, and care for cultural and historical heritage. The Pārdaugava building is not under state protection, but it is located in the protection zone of the Riga historical centre. Unfortunately, in rural areas, there are also many abandoned farmsteads that are gradually collapsing, the landscape is changing and… The state does not have the resources (of all kinds) to preserve or tidy up every place. Society must also get involved in this process.
How do you organize the exploration work? Even if scrublands and meadows hide ancient burial grounds, the forest – a hillfort… There is no one left to tell about it.
In the Board's archive are files on all cultural monuments under state protection – descriptions, photographs, maps, etc. There are also separate parish files where objects are recorded from different time periods, as someone has sent in, told about or remembered something. These objects are not in the list of state-protected cultural monuments, but they are places of cultural and historical significance. From the 1960s to the 1980s, extensive survey expeditions were organized. For example, during the construction of both Daugava HPPs (Pļaviņas and Rīga), objects that would end up underwater were identified and studied. Currently, these are more individual projects that require funding. At the moment, there are fewer such expeditions.
This year, the biggest task – also related to construction work planning – is in connection with Rail Baltica. Cultural and historical values within the route boundaries from the Estonian border to Lithuania were identified. Work with the new Rail Baltica railway route has been going on at the Board since about 2016.year, but the practical territory identification work took place this year. The designers of the route have been very loyal towards already known cultural heritage monuments – no monument will be lost. It is located in monument protection zones or close to them, but none will be directly affected. At least for now. Of course, the landscape will change most significantly – the railway line, power line, stations, etc. Again, we will have to get used to the new landscape and after a while it will seem that it has always been that way.
You mentioned scanning the territory with LIDAR. Did you notice anything new and unknown in the images?
One cannot say that we have the time to study it all carefully! Lately, ancient fortification sites have been discovered… For example, while looking at a specific monument, on this map 300 metres away we see another object, previously unknown. Of course, everything must be checked in the field. There are also funny cases – namely – regular-shaped mounds, hills are visible in the image every now and then, but in reality, these are piles of branches left after logging, which stand out perfectly on flat terrain. Professional equipment can also be slightly misleading.
LIDAR maps show 16th-17th century charcoal burning sites in the Ropaži area. These data are known both from older descriptions – charcoal was supplied to Riga from the forests of that side, and C14 dating has also been carried out. It is good that we can now determine more precise locations for both cultural monuments and new objects.
My colleagues deal with that. History, art and culture must be preserved in the Great Cemetery.
A photograph of Egita Lūsēna was used in the article. The pine tree can be found in the Strenči area, by the Rīga – Valka highway. A poem was carved into its trunk in the early 20th century: