This website is an inventory of 20th century conflict heritage sites in parts of the European Union. It has been created as part of a trans-national EU funded research project – Landscapes of War – that has sought to explore, protect and promote the physical traces of recent conflict. Institutions and agencies from Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Germany and France, have worked together on the project to improve public understanding of twentieth-century military heritage of the European Union through events and publicity, and the collection and dissemination of cultural data. In line with the aims and objectives of the project, it is hoped that this website will improve public awareness of the rich and varied remains of 20th century warfare that we find around us. New content will be regularly added to the site and it is our hope that it will provide a valuable resource for anyone interested in exploring the legacy of modern conflict in Europe.

Contents include:

• Landscapes of occupation: a case study from the Channel Islands
• The archaeology of the Battle of the Atlantic
• Strange meetings: archaeology on the Western Front
• Topography of terror or cultural heritage? The monuments of Franco’s Spain
• Memorialising war: the narratives of two European cities, Coventry and Dresden
• The enigma of place: reading the values of Bletchley Park
• Interpretation as a means of preservation policy or: Whose heritage is the Berlin Wall?

About the book:

In the course of Europe’s twentieth century, freedoms were won at the cost of terrible sacrifice. The physical remains of war, conflict and ideological struggle lie everywhere around us. The question of what to do with this common past, in which we all share an interest, lies at the centre of this important book.

From a variety of professional backgrounds, the contributors consider a wide range of conflict-heritage sites in the context of international and national histories and regional and local historical narratives. Questions of who ‘owns’ the past, the ambiguities over how people identify with the local community or nation state, and whether or how to make moral judgements, are central. The book illustrates the challenges of documenting and describing what are often extensive, contested and sometimes enigmatic and ambiguous buildings and monuments. The priorities of conservation, and how we ensure that documents, artefacts, sites and buildings can be given adequate and appropriate protection and care, are also addressed.

This book will be of interest to a wide range of professional practitioners, academics and policy-makers, as well as the general reader, and will open the way to a deeper understanding of the significance of Europe’s conflict heritage.

Formation is a bespoke software house with accreditation as a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner for Custom Development Solutions, Mobility Solutions and ISV/Software Solutions. Since 1992, the company has been providing software, digital media, digital management systems and consulting services for customers including OCR, GM, Santander, L’Oreal, Marshall Amplification, FedEx, Tesco, Daimler Chrysler, Pearl Group and others, across the Agriculture, Automotive, Construction, Education, Entertainment, Finance, Leisure, Legal, Logistics, Manufacturing, Pharmaceutical and Retail sectors.

The Region of Calabria is interested in the evaluation and curation of the most important war sites of its territory. Challenging nationalist presentations, the regional project “Sui luoghi del relitto” seeks to recover important underwater Second World War conflict sites, thus reclaiming historic memory and promoting understanding and awareness.

For several years, the Cultural Administration of the Hanseatic City of Rostock has been concerned with reviewing the town’s history from the first half of the twentieth century. The European context is a special focus in this work. The City of Rostock was a showcase for the armament industry during the Third Reich; being an important centre for aircraft construction. As a result, the City was badly bombed and largely destroyed during the Second World War.

Bluimage Productions is a video production company specialising in scuba video shooting and underwater documentaries. Together with CONISMA, Bluimage have contributed to Landscapes of War through research into Second World War shipwrecks off Calabria. Bluimage have produced a documentary based on this research and focused on the Mediterranean convoys.

The National Inter-University Consortium for Marine Sciences, CONISMA, with headquarters in Rome, is a Consortium consisting of 30 Italian Universities. The Consortium plans and carries out training and research programmes in all the sectors of Marine Sciences. Its research vessel R/V Universitatis has been used in the project to detect war wreckage off the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Coast of Calabria.

The Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces has compiled an inventory of military and civil heritage of the Spanish Civil War. The aim of the project has been to promote local sustainable development and cultural tourism, and improve historical knowledge.

Consell Velencià de Cultura, the Valencian Government advisory institution for cultural affairs, promotes an inventory project of the Spanish Civil War cultural heritage in the Region of Valencia, which will contribute towards ensuring its conservation and improving knowledge of this heritage by Valencian society. The Landscapes of War initiative enables us to share and compare diverse conflict heritage restoration and use practices from a European perspective.

Over the past decade English Heritage has made significant progress in recording and protecting England’s twentieth-century military sites. The Landscapes of War project has provided an opportunity to place that information in a European context, and to discuss with European partners what the future for these important and evocative sites should hold.

Coventry University lies at the heart of this historic city - opposite the Cathedrals that are world-famous symbols of the destruction caused by war and forgiveness after conflict. The project has brought together experts from across the University in twentieth-century history, peace and reconciliation, tourism management, and media and communication.

CCL is a non-governmental organisation, which develops actions both at national and international levels in the field of documentary heritage preservation and management; collections of books, manuscripts, archives, photographs and graphic works. Its services include training, expertise, documentation and cooperation. In relation with local authorities, CCL operates a specialised documentation service which may be consulted via the Internet.