Current trends of perception, evaluation and meaning of “nature”: a study of general and special perception of nature using the example of the historic park landscape “Wörlitzer Aktuelle”.

The examination of sensation and meaning of the term "nature" bases essentially on the assumption of a "subject-nature". This idea describes a nature which can give something to the people from itself and its meaning is absolutely subjective. Based on these reflections a questionnaire was developed, that aimed to comprehend the intangible denotation of nature. In search of a suitable location for the interviews, the historical landscape "Wörlitzer Anlagen" nearby the city of Dessau was chosen in order to acquire nature perception in general and the sensation of anthropogenic landscaped nature in special. In the context of the work, the current trends of percepting nature were ascertained first: In the appreciation of the interviewed park visitors the nature acts primary as personal recovery place in which the experience of rest and recreation is possible. Special elements of a nature interpretation which was stamped by Romanticism (that attempted to abolish the ambivalence of nature) became manifested in the understandig of nature as shown the examples of the components "wood" and "trees". The associative assignment of the term "nature" is extensively detached from economic associations and reflects in some way the basic fear of loosing or destroying the nature as essential basis of life. In addition to this imagination appears an idealised perception of nature which ennobles the nature to the antagonism of the technical-industrial sphere and which stylises the nature to the ideal of life. Intense aesthetic tr ends like in the Romanticism or the Renaissance emerge just subsidiary at the present nature appreciation and fears in terms of nature are among the interviewed persons hardly integrated into the relation to nature. The special case of anthropogenic landscaped nature at the example of a historic park is largely connected with similar connotations as the nature "itself". Personal recreation and relaxation plays for the interviewees in the "artifical" Wörlitz nature the same important role as in a natural landsape. If the nature is marketed, as in the pres ent case, then specific needs address to a nature which is understood as an object. Altogether one can ascertain the trend to avail oneself of nature for the own regeneration needs. In the context of the conducted study, times of rigorous utilisation or glorifying transfiguration of nature are replaced with a nature appreciation of maximum personal benefit.