Dike building conflicts. An environmental and knowledge history of coastal protection infrastructures in North Friesland, 1902–1991.

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Christian Kehrt
• Subject Area: History of Science
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 548188316

Using the example of the embankments of the Cecilien-, Sönke-Nissen- and Beltringharder Koog, the project examines how human and non-human factors transformed the coastal land-scape of North Friesland in the 20th century. The selection of these embankments as part of the Reußenköge is of particular relevance, as they are among the largest connected land reclamation operations of the 20th century. Their history not only provides insights into the historical transformation processes of the North Sea coast, but also contributes to an understanding of the complex interactions between human actors, environmental factors and technological developments. The project, which focuses on the history of the environment, technology and knowledge, concentrates on three fundamental questions: How did human coastal protection and non-human factors such as tides, sedimentation and weather conditions change the coastal landscape of North Friesland in the 20th century? Which different groups of actors and experts were significantly involved in this knowledge-based transformation process of the North Frisian coast, and how did their agency and knowledge bases change over time? The coastline created off the Reußenkögen between 1902 and 1991 was the result of conflictual negotiation processes between various actors involved in coastal protection and land reclamation, according to the basic assumption of the doctoral project. In particular, non-state actors such as construction companies, marsh farmers and environmentalists had a decisive and hitherto unexamined influence on dike construction. The micro-historical study of the three embankments thus offers the opportunity to take a closer look at the role of different groups of actors and experts over a longer period of time and, in particular, to examine the significance of their knowledge bases for coastal protection. An envirotechnical analysis is conducted on the basis of the available source material, most of which comes from the Landesarchiv Schleswig-Holstein and the Kreisarchiv Nordfriesland. In order to be able to examine the influence of human and non-human factors on the transformation of the coastal landscape off the Reußenkögen in micro-historical terms, the project proceeds in three steps. Firstly, the shape of the coastline in the years 1905, 1926 and 1987, when the work on the three embankments was completed, is reconstructed in the form of three maps. Secondly, this is followed by an analysis of the sources on the groups of actors, knowledge bases and environmental factors that are associated with the transformations of the coastal landscape. Finally, the influence of the knowledge bases and the interactions between human and environmental factors is examined for the three embankment projects.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants