What do I need heritage culture for?

Heritage culture is the traces of the activities of previous generations in the landscape. It is part of our culture, a small piece of our national heritage. The commonest heritage cultural sites are the sites of farm buildings, stone fences, old forest tracks and place names. The typology of heritage culture is incomparably more varied – all you have to do is notice.

To recover cultural markers that have sunk into oblivion for our attention, RMK has undertaken an extensive inventory of heritage culture. The objective is to map all of Estonia’s heritage culture, regardless of the form of its land and ownership. We are concentrating first and foremost on cultural markers occurring in the natural environment, with cities and towns beyond our focus.

End of the 2010, RMK had mapped over 28 689 heritage cultural sites in the forests of Harju, Järva, Lääne, Põlva and Rapla, Tartu, Ida-Viru, Lääne-Viru, Valga, Võru Counties. This year, we will tackle Pärnu, Viljandi, Saare and Hiiu Counties.

To prevent heritage cultural sites from being destroyed due to cutting or just negligence, the awareness of land owners and actors in the landscape or owner care is important. Only that way will we be able to preserve and protect with dignity the memory of our people, transmitted from generation to generation.