2nd hydrological conference “Cultural Heritage in the Face of Climate Change”

The National Heritage Board of Poland and the Department of Landscape Architecture (Faculty of Architecture, Krakow University of Technology) invite you to the 2nd edition of the hydrological conference, devoted to the issues of threats related to climate change and water relations for archaeological sites and greenery. The “Cultural Heritage and Climate Change” conference will be held on November 14-15, 2022 in Krakow.

The aim of the debate is to present the existing threats observed in recent years – negative phenomena resulting from climate change. T

he phenomena occurring in different regions of Europe are of different nature, in Poland it is primarily hydrological drought and general water shortage. Therefore, the topic of hydrological changes occurring either as a result of climatic phenomena or ongoing investments requires, first of all, a reliable and critical diagnosis.

In addition to global changes, we also deal with local changes, the scale, intensity and effects of which are the result of human activity in a specific area. Changes in the level of the groundwater table, disappearance of watercourses, reduction of rainfall, but also the occurrence of extreme weather events, such as torrential rains, violent storms, are examples of phenomena that are the result of climate change, but the effect of their impact can be both amplified and weakened by other, more or less conscious actions. Urban heat islands, lack of micro-retention, sealing surfaces, investment overload in some areas reinforce the negative effects.

The conference will be interdisciplinary and divided into two parts. On the first day, it will cover the issues of protection of archaeological monuments, including, above all, resources that are found in the aquatic environment. The stable humidity conditions lasting for hundreds or even thousands of years allowed for the survival of numerous artifacts and wooden structures, which are now critically endangered due to changes in the groundwater level. Many of them, in particular archaeological sites located in coastal zones of inland waters or strata of historical cities, are exposed to irreversible damage as a result of lowering or fluctuating water levels caused by both climate change and investment activity.

Prior registration is required to participate in the conference. The conference will also be available online. More information is available here.