By David Gottfried

Workshop of the University of Augsburg working group ‘Thinking with Wetlands’

Environmental Science Center (WZU), Room | Room 102 | 9–10 October 2025

From 9 to 10 October 2025, the ‘Thinking with Wetlands’ working group held its first international workshop entitled ‘Testing the Ground | Auf instabilem Grund’. Participants included members of the working group at the University of Augsburg, their project partners from universities in Germany, France, Italy and Australia, and the State Office for the Environment. The aim was to discuss the projects of the working group and its partners, identify interfaces and historical points of tension, question concepts and methodologies, and construct and discard broad outlines. The program was structured around presentations, comments and discussions.

Simone Müller (University of Augsburg) gave the introduction to the workshop. The external partners were introduced to the basic concepts of the Augsburg working group's research. The project spokesperson also presented common issues, research perspectives and questions that remain open.
Ulrich Niggemann (University of Augsburg, Institute of European Cultural History) gave the first lecture, which focused on the drainage of the extensive fens in eastern England, an area of marshland and lowland moorland, in the 17th century. He clearly explained the research perspectives of this topic, which at first glance appears to have already been well researched, and which primarily encompasses migration history and the investigation of the long-term effects of drainage.
Following on from this in two chronological parts, Lothar Schilling (University of Augsburg) and David Gottfried (University of Augsburg) presented the drainage of the Donaumoos in the 18th century. Influenced by Enlightenment ideas, the large-scale drainage of the moor and the settlement of foreign people in the area initially led to widespread poverty and conflict due to the lack of fertility. Archival materials in the Augsburg State Archives, which have hardly been studied to date, offer opportunities for new insights.
Ralph Neumeier from the State Office for the Environment, located just a few steps from the conference venue, was also a guest and reported on his practical findings in flood prevention in the Donauried. Here, the preservation of an extensive alternative area in the event of flooding prevented property damage in the surrounding communities.

After a coffee break, Jens Soentgen (University of Augsburg, Environmental Science Center) addressed the project spanning all sub-projects, which examines how people from the 17th century to the present day have talked about wetlands and how these natural spaces are alluded to in metaphors. Donald Trump's well-known statement (‘Drain the Swamp’) is only the surface of a ‘swamp’ of such statements. Kira Meyer (University of Kiel) joined digitally and enriched the project presentation with her critical commentary.
This was followed by Jana Osterkamp's (University of Augsburg, Bukowina-Institut) presentation on the revaluation of moors and their derivative products in Bohemian spas. Peat and mud extracted from wetlands were marketed in the 19th century as remedies in mud baths or mud packs, which represented a significant departure from the image of wetlands as places of horror.
Ludolf Pelizaeus (Université de Picardie Jules Verne) concluded the first day of the workshop. In his contribution, he highlighted how, as a result of canal construction in northern France, the old riverbeds from which water had been diverted became artificial wetlands. With the help of a series of photographs, he also showed how present these extensive construction projects still are today in the cityscape of Amiens and the surrounding area.

The second day of the workshop began with Barbara Gülls (University of Augsburg) giving a lecture on the biologist Käthe Seidel. This pioneer in research created artificial wetlands that functioned as sewage treatment plants. Emily O'Gorman (Marquarie University) joined us from Australia and enriched the lecture with her insightful commentary.
‘Swamp air’ and the discovery of methane gas was the topic of the second lecture by Jens Soentgen. The Italian researcher Alessandro Volta, who is better known for his discoveries in the field of electricity, had discovered a gas with a characteristic odour and flammable properties in the ‘swamps’ of Lake Maggiore at the beginning of the 19th century. The project promises to provide insights into the history of chemistry at the transition to modernity.
Pietro Omodeo (Ca' Foscari University of Venice) enriched the workshop by describing his current research project, which deals with the Venice lagoon and its appropriation in the past. This example clearly showed that socio-economically weaker social classes are usually the first to be affected by the degradation of the natural foundations of human life. Ecological crises thus usually lead to social crises.
Simone Müller presented initial findings on Otto Kraus, who is generally considered to be Bavaria's first conservationist. He campaigned for environmental protection in Bavaria in the 1950s and succeeded in having many wetlands designated as nature reserves. Contradictory activities during the Nazi era and often cryptic correspondence with authorities promise to make innovative research possible.
The final contribution was made by Jana Osterkamp with an introduction to the wetlands in Bukovina, their development and appropriation in the past. The region is particularly attractive as a research area due to its ethnic and linguistic diversity. Jakob Vogel (SciencesPo Centre for History) emphasized the complicated and opaque administrative structure as a potential area for research.

A culminating discussion highlighted the similarities between the projects and the considerable methodological potential of the cross-epochal overall project. On the other hand, open questions were raised and issues such as the use of certain terminology were discussed.

The workshop concluded with a joint excursion to a nearby wetland. In Haspelmoor, we met Toni Drexler and Alfred Beheim from Lebensraum Haspelmoor e.V., who reported on their association's work. They also showed us their information board and the artwork ‘meMOORial’. We then followed the circular trail through the moor before returning to Augsburg.
The first workshop of the ‘Thinking with Wetlands’ working group promoted both exchange with external project partners and closer links between the individual projects. The workshop thus revealed immense cross-project methodological potential. The opportunities, but also the challenges, of the project's cross-epochal approach were particularly highlighted. Overall, the workshop was a promising start to in-depth discussions on ‘wetlands’ and further events organized by the working group.