In Finland, the term ‘cultural environment’ refers to sites whose
distinguishing characteristics are expressive of cultural development
and the interaction between nature and culture. The cultural environment
embodies the relationship between man and the environment, both past
and present. The cultural environment can also be described as
consisting of cultural landscapes, archaeological monuments,
architectural environments and traditional rural biotopes. Examples of
cultural environments include old fields, roads, bridges, industrial
buildings, prehistoric settlements with cemeteries and hunting sites,
underwater monuments such as wrecks, important battle sites, town
centres and suburban residential areas, as well as farmyards in rural
areas.
Aims for the protection of the cultural environment are
determined in a valuation process which also takes into consideration
existing land use objectives. Valuation can only be properly carried out
based on a thorough inventory. A cultural environment can sometimes be
ugly, or a symbol of something we would rather not remember. Beauty is
relative, however, and should not be invoked as a justification for the
value of the cultural environment. As the saying goes, “beauty is in the
eye of the beholder”.
