EAA2021: Abstract
Abstract is part of session #495:
Title & Content
Title:
November Blues and Spring Feelings – The LVR-Archaeological Park at Xanten (Germany) in the time of CoVid19
Content:
Since 1973, the LVR-Archaeological Park at Xanten (APX), Germany, protects, researches and presents the remains of the former Roman city Colonia Ulpia Traiana (CUT). Being one of Germany‘s largest archaeological sites, the park and the on-site museum attract more than 350.000 visitors annually – in usual years. In 2020, due to the CoVid19-Pandemic, there was the spring-lockdown from March 15th to May 5th and after a period of careful and gradual re-opening in summer a second lockdown from November 2nd until to date (February 2021), cutting the visitor figures in half.
The APX is a museum of the Rhineland Regional Council - an inter-communal public authority – and as such subsidised by tax money. Thus, the APX is not threatened by immediate closure and, besides some minor problems, it will do fine in financial terms. However, there is a severe loss of social interaction and of long established ties with the local self-employed guides, organisations, universities, schools and reenactors, in short, with all the people who brought the park to life each summer. All these stakeholders did and do have their own problems with the CoVid19-pandemic. Due to a wide range of reasons, they may not resume their part in the future life of the APX or, at least, not in the same intensity or manner.
This forces the staff of the APX to rethink its plans and activities. Once the circle is broken, it contains the threat and the opportunity to reshape the programme and the way of presentation which will require both, imagination and stamina. This paper explores the experiences to date and the future plans at the APX.
The APX is a museum of the Rhineland Regional Council - an inter-communal public authority – and as such subsidised by tax money. Thus, the APX is not threatened by immediate closure and, besides some minor problems, it will do fine in financial terms. However, there is a severe loss of social interaction and of long established ties with the local self-employed guides, organisations, universities, schools and reenactors, in short, with all the people who brought the park to life each summer. All these stakeholders did and do have their own problems with the CoVid19-pandemic. Due to a wide range of reasons, they may not resume their part in the future life of the APX or, at least, not in the same intensity or manner.
This forces the staff of the APX to rethink its plans and activities. Once the circle is broken, it contains the threat and the opportunity to reshape the programme and the way of presentation which will require both, imagination and stamina. This paper explores the experiences to date and the future plans at the APX.
Keywords:
CoVid19-Pandemic, social interaction, interpretation, presentation, change
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authors
Main authors:
Peter Kienzle1
Co-author:
Affiliations:
1 LVR-Archaeological Park at Xanten (Germany)