The monumental landscape of Dithmarschen
Excursion of the ERC XScape workshop to the Stone Age Park Dithmarschen in Albersdorf.
A six-day workshop focusing on the social visibility of landscapes and monuments in prehistory was organized by the ERC XScape from 16th to 21st March at the University of Kiel. As part of the workshop, an excursion to the Stone Age Park Dithmarschen in Albersdorf took place on 18th March, where the participants were able to experience the monumental landscape of the Neolithic in the area.
Dr. Rüdiger Kelm, Director of the Stone Age Park, guided the group through the park grounds as well as the permanent exhibition and explained the distinctive features of the area in its past.
The visit of the park was followed by a bus tour to seek out important monuments of the region like the polygonal dolmen ‘Brutkamp’ as well as the causeway enclosure ‘Dieksknöll’ and to discuss their visibility in the cultural landscape of the early to middle Neolithic period.
The program also included a visit of the passage grave of Bunsoh, that features a cup-marked stone as a capstone of the tomb. The presence of the mayor Rainer Plähn as well as two representatives of the municipality of Bunsoh gave room to discuss the preservation as well as visualization of monuments in today’s world and the challenges associated with that mission. The cup-marked stone of Bunsoh, which is made of sandstone, has been subject of several debates concerning preservation or replication of cultural heritage, as it suffers greatly from weather conditions.
More information see https://www.uni-kiel.de/en/cluster-roots/details/news/2026-03-30-monumental-landscape-of-dithmarschen
XSCAPE-PI Prof. Dr. Johannes Müller (left) discussing the connection between monuments and landscape with participants with the polygonal dolmen ‘Brutkamp’ as a specific example.
Dr. Rüdiger Kelm (right) along with the major and two representatives of the municipality of Bunsoh (not pictured) discussed the current challenges in the preservation of prehistoric monuments in the landscape.
The participants of the excursion in the exhibition hall of the Stone Age Park Dithmarschen