MUSEUM MEETS SCIENCE: UNESCO World Heritage Upper Harz Water Management System – Landscape Change and Energy Use in the Harz in the context of the Anthropocene Discourse

The dialogue between science and cultural institutions is becoming increasingly important in addressing environmental issues, such as landscape degradation, climate change, and energy use. In this context, the transdisciplinary LEHA-project "UNESCO World Heritage Upper Harz Water Management System: Landscape Change and Energy Use in the Harz in the Anthropocene – A Journey of Water from the Past into the Future" was carried out in collaboration between the Samson-Mining- Museum and the University of Göttingen.

In the Early Modern Period, the Upper Harz water management system represented the most significant energy supply system for mining world-wide. This research project aimed to present the energy system through selected exhibition objects in a media station, offering a novel interpretation in the light of the Anthropocene discourse. Focusing on the Sankt Andreasberg Mining District, the study explored the anthropogenic transformations of the landscape caused by mining activities. An interdisciplinary approach was employed, combining historical archives, 3D structure-from-motion photography, fieldwork, and a didactic framework rooted in the Sustainable Development Goals.

The project highlights both the sophisticated functionality and the historical development of this water-powered energy system, exploring its spatial and temporal dimensions above and below ground. At the same time, it situates the energy system within the broader context of Earth’s natural landscape evolution and the anthropogenic transformation considering social, cultural, political, and economic dimensions. It examines the local-to-global interconnections that link past environmental transformations with future sustainability challenges at an authentic place, the Samson Mine, where regenerative energy is still produced today.