Decision 44 COM 8B.40

Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes, (Germany, the Netherlands)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/21/44.COM/8B and WHC/21/44.COM/INF.8B1,
2. Inscribes Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes, Germany and the Netherlands, on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv);
3. Adopts the following Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:

   Brief synthesis

   Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes ran for 400 km along the Lower Rhine, along the north-eastern boundary of the Roman frontier province of Germania Inferior (Lower Germany), from the Rhenish Massif south of Bonn (Germany) to the North Sea coast (the Netherlands). For more than 450 years from the late 1st century BC, it protected the Roman Empire against Germanic tribes. The first military bases were built in the last decades BC for the conquest of Germanic territories across the Rhine. Once this ambition had failed the left river bank was converted into a fortified frontier. Military installations of varying types and sizes and associated civil structures and infrastructures were built on the edge of the river. The frontier shared the phased disintegration of the Western Roman Empire until the mid-5th century. The remains of the Frontier illustrate the important impacts of the Roman military presence on the landscape and society of the periphery of the Empire.

   The serial property of 102 component parts in 44 clusters illustrates the innovative responses of Roman military engineers to the challenges posed by the dynamic landscape of a lowland river, as witnessed by the positioning and design of the military installations and by water management works. Large early bases and small later strongholds are represented, reflecting strategic adaptation and development of military engineering. These first military bases represent the very beginning of the linear perimeter defence of the Roman Empire, which would develop into a coherent frontier system extending over three continents in the 2nd century AD. The wetland conditions have led to an outstanding preservation of timber and other organic remains, providing unparalleled insights into military construction, shipbuilding, logistics and supply of the Empire.

   Criterion (ii): The extant remains of Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes constitute significant elements of the Roman Frontiers present in Europe. With its legionary fortresses, forts, fortlets, watchtowers, linked infrastructure and civilian architecture, it exhibits an important cultural interchange at the height of the Roman Empire, through the development of Roman military architecture, extending the technical knowledge of construction and management to the very edges of the Empire. It reflects the imposition of a complex frontier system on the societies of the north-western part of the Roman Empire, introducing military installations and related civilian settlements, linked through an extensive supporting network. The frontier did not constitute an impregnable barrier, but controlled and allowed the movement of peoples including civilians and merchants, and profound changes and developments in settlement patterns, architecture, landscape design and spatial organisation.

   Criterion (iii): As part of the Roman Empire’s system of defence, the Lower German Limes bears an exceptional testimony to the maximum extension of the power of the Roman Empire through the consolidation of its north-western frontiers. The Frontier constitutes a physical manifestation of Roman imperial policy, and the spread of Roman culture and its traditions – military, engineering, architecture, religion, management and politics. The large number of human settlements associated with the defences contribute to an understanding of how soldiers and their families lived in this part of the Roman Empire.

   Criterion (iv): Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes was the earliest linear frontier of the Roman Empire, created as an answer to Rome’s inability to control its northern neighbours by means of diplomacy. Its military installations illustrate the development of the large operational bases of a field army to the smaller installations required by an extended frontier line. Situated in an area which has always been a wetland, with outstanding preservation conditions, Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes exhibits water management strategies and constructions employed by the military command of the Roman Empire. The component parts contain organic materials and artefacts bearing information of exceptional value to understandings of frontier life and on vanished traditions such as river boat building.

   Integrity

   The component parts of the serial property have been selected to represent the linearity and attributes of the Frontier, demonstrating the early development of the perimeter defence. They include the range of military installations and associated structures of a frontier system, explaining its functioning and development. The general state of conservation is good to very good. Most archaeological materials and structures are buried and are not exposed to significant threats. The component part boundaries and buffer zones are generally appropriate, although a number of minor revisions to the boundaries and buffer zones are recommended.

   Authenticity

   The archaeological sites that comprise the Frontiers of the Roman Empire – The Lower German Limes have a high level of authenticity. Virtually all the remains were buried during or soon after the Roman period and have been protected from later developments. The authenticity of form and design of nearly all elements is unaffected by changes after the Roman period. Stone walls, timber and organic remains have been preserved to a high level. The location and setting of the elements of the frontier have in most cases changed considerably by changes to the Rhine and changes in land use, including urbanisation. At four sites the present setting is reminiscent of the Roman landscape. Reconstructions occur at five sites and at others, interpretive visualisations have been established.

   Protection and management requirements

   The transnational serial property is legally protected by national and state laws on heritage protection of Germany (federal states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate) and the Netherlands. Management is coordinated by a joint Dutch-German Management Group, which is overseen by an Intergovernmental Committee. The joint Management Group sets out the main lines of the management and supervises the implementation of the national management plans and the periodic reporting, based on a Joint Declaration. The management organisation will cooperate with counterparts of the existing and future inscribed segments of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire. A framework for this international cooperation is provided by the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Cluster set up in 2018 to support international collaboration in those fields relevant to the overall management and development of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire in Europe as World Heritage.

   The Management Plan is strategic and high-level, and sets out the elements required for a common framework for the transnational serial property. Much of the needed detail will be developed at a later stage, including the development of individual site management plans. Recommendations for strengthening the management include the development of frameworks for research, interpretation and sustainable tourism, and establishment of Heritage Impact Assessment processes (for the component parts in Germany). Development of policy guidance on reconstructions and visualisations should be advanced through the transnational cooperation mechanisms established for the Frontiers of the Roman Empire.

4. Recommends that the States Parties give consideration to the following:
   1. Completing the processes for legal designation of all component parts,
   2. Providing a timeframe for agreed minor revisions to the boundaries and buffer zones and any needed revisions to legal designations and municipal policy provisions,
   3. Further developing the Management Plan to:
      
      1. present the two national parts in a common format to assist clarity and integration,
      2. confirm the process and schedule for the timely development of site management plans for each of the component parts,
      3. provide active measures to mitigate the impact of agriculture on the component parts (and their buffer zones) located in areas subject to agricultural land uses (e.g. Kalkar-Bornsches Feld),
      4. conduct detailed deposit/cellar surveys for all component parts in urban areas to provide baseline data about the extent of surviving archaeological remains,
   4. Developing a formal inter-agency management agreement between the Municipal Association of the Rhineland (in North Rhine-Westphalia) Service for Archaeological Heritage and the State Forestry Agency that includes an overarching plan and approach for managing all the component parts located within forests,
   5. Developing a joint sustainable tourism strategy as part of the management system,
   6. Establishing consistent baseline information for each component part and establishing a basis for consolidated information about the documentation and curation of cultural materials excavated from the sites (including repositories) to be accessed and shared as part of the management system,
   7. Continuing to research and articulate a comprehensive and contextual appraisal of the character of the river corridor landscape, including changes to it during and after the Roman period, and the known locations of settlements in the wider setting,
   8. Supporting continued research and interpretation that gives greater prominence to the historical peoples of the Lower Rhine regions, and articulating the interactions and exchanges between these peoples and Roman culture along the frontier,
   9. Developing the overarching research strategy (2021-2024) for the Lower Limes as a whole, providing a framework for national strategies and partnerships,
   10. Ensuring that active monitoring of water levels and water quality occurs for all component parts / clusters with waterlogged archaeological deposits, and that rigorous monitoring of the state of conservation of all organic materials is undertaken on a regular basis,
   11. Prioritising further development of the detailed interpretation framework to:
       1. present the linearity and the environmental context of the Lower German Limes, and the interconnectedness of the individual sites,
       2. review the proposals for component part Dormagen within the context of the Lower German Limes framework for interpretation and presentation,
       3. explore opportunities for the interpretation of component parts located in nature conservation areas and landscape protection areas, including engagement with younger-generation volunteers who have a strong interest in nature conservation,
   12. Developing Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) processes for the component parts located in Germany in line with the ICOMOS HIA guidance document,
   13. Subjecting the proposed business park development associated with the component parts at Valkenburg-De Woerd to a full HIA in relation to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property,
   14. Establishing a process to develop an over-arching policy framework and guidance for reconstructions and visualisations through the transnational mechanisms of cooperation for existing and future segments of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire inscribed on the World Heritage List.