Cultural border
Cultural boundary describes a (partly imaginary) dividing line between different cultural areas that was established at a certain point in time. Within a culture, there is a certain togetherness of the population living there. The names of these cultural boundaries, some of which already exist, make it clear that different aspects come together, so that there really is a uniform culture. With regard to the historical extent, the dispersal areas are differentiated as limited cultural areas .
In high mountain regions in particular, cultural boundaries often appear in the form of cultural divisions . Insurmountable high mountain passes or glaciated terrain form natural barriers, so that the development of cultures on both sides of such a divide proceeds differently over hundreds of years. Such differences are most evident in language development (see also language border ). Often only a few kilometers apart as the crow flies, different dialects developed that are no longer understood by one another.
Language boundaries
In Switzerland there is the Röstigraben , which separates the different mentalities of the German and French-speaking population. The differences are also reflected in the different results in votes and elections . In addition, there is the Brünig-Napf-Reuss-Linie in Switzerland , which, in addition to the dialect, “separates” other differences: card games, livestock farming and others.
In Germany , similar situations exist in different regions, for example the transition between Upper German dialects in southern Germany and the West and East Central German dialects spread north of it . These transition zones correspond to the Speyer line . Colloquially, the term “ white sausage equator ” or “ main line ” is often used . Another linguistic cultural border can be found between central and northern Germany along the Benrather and Uerdinger lines .
The cultural border between the parts of Flanders and Wallonia in Belgium , which is still shaped by the Flemish-Walloon conflict , is very striking .
religion
Eastern Europe is criss-crossed by a religious cultural border that separates the western Catholic - Protestant part from the area of the Orthodox Church ( Eastern Europe ). This sector deposits a more cultural border from the Ottoman superimposed part: The expansion of the former Ottoman Empire still exist enclaves in the Balkans ( Albania and Bosnia ). In Central and Western Europe, there is also a cultural boundary between the Catholic and Protestant areas, but this is less pronounced.
Agriculture, food, beverages
A cultural border runs right across Europe, separating wine-growing areas from the northern regions where no wine is grown. In Germany, the northernmost wine-growing regions are the Ahr Valley , Middle Rhine , Rheingau and Franconia . Saale-Unstrut and the Saxon Elbe valley are exclaves here .
Use of parcels
In the cadastre , the cultural boundary or type of use boundary describes the delimitation of different types of use from measured parcels . The actual uses are recorded nationwide in Germany and shown in the real estate cadastre.
literature
- Thomas K. Schippers: The Fractal Nature of Borders and its Methodological Consequences for European Ethnologists. In: Acta Ethnologica Danubiana. Volume 2–3, Forum Minority Research Institute, Lilium Aurum, Dunajská Streda 2000–2001, pp. 173–179, here p. 175 (English; PDF file; 435 kB, 10 pages ( Memento from December 3, 2013 on the Internet Archives ) in niton.sk ).