IN-PERSON London Heritages. Section A

Abstract

Dams and hydropower plants are large visible structures in the landscape. They change the conditions of the river, and they affect the identity of the region and the people in many ways. In recent years, the impact of dam construction on the cultural environment and settlements has been studied in Finland. Hydropower presents several challenges. Although it has significantly impacted daily life, for example transportation and fishing, to the locals’ sociocultural heritage, changes are gradually being accepted. Over time, dams and hydroelectric plants have developed their own cultural environments. Especially in Finland, hydropower plants built during the reconstruction period are part of the industrial cultural heritage. This study examines the impact of hydropower on identity and the cultural environment as a comparative study on a river whose harnessing plans were abandoned even before WWII. In North Scandinavia, in the border between Finland and Sweden, is a river Tornionjoki. Tornionjoki is Europe’s longest unharnessed river. The village of Kukkola is located on both sides of the river and a rapid Kukkolankoski is in the middle of this village. Even today, both sides of the village share the common interest in cherishing the local over 600-year-old method of fishing. The right to catch fish with dipnet is inherited by the land. Finland and Sweden have established a project to get recognition to Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO for the traditional way of catching fish. The shared cultural heritage is a strong identity factor that has also blurred the borders between the states.