„The BEAUTY of LYNCHETS”

Traditional agricultural terraces in

vernacular landscapes and
contemporary landforms as
representation of high aesthetical
value

Anna Eplényi, assistant lecturer: anna.eplenyi@uni-corvinus.hu

Corvinus University Budapest, Dep. for Landscape and Garden History, MSc. LA
Gergely Kardeván-Lapis, assistant lecturer: lapis_gergely@yahoo.co.uk
Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Institute for Literature, MA Aesthete, Literary

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 Your associations…

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 Goals and aims

Vernacular Landart
Land use
A Landform
Lynchets Turf sculpture

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 Terrassed landscapes…

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 Landforms in small scale

Bridgeman

5 Kim Wilkie Ass.

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 STRIP LYNCHETS

Transylvania, Romania
Terraces created by ploughing with
special turn-row-plough > to turn
the soil downhill
Dated earlier then 1850,
Overpopulation,
Strips banks separate the owners
Print the landownership into the LA 10 km

Cover the main fields, hillside of the

villages, main land-use type
This LA-patterns „defines” and
characterize a ethnical,
ethnographical Region
Strong scenic-influence (Kalotaszeg)

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 Landshapes…fabric

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 LYCHET classification

… by their forms, slope-angles and

historical land-use

1. Declivous lynchets
2. Normal lynchets
3. Gradual lynchet-system
4. Steep lynchets
5. Creased lynchets by erosion

Out of ploughing (1920~40)

and out of mowing (1960-70)
> only used for pasture/ sheep-
grazing now

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 Landscape Aesthetical evaluation
from S. Riccabona – E. Frohmann

1. Character – originality
2. Spatial dimension
3. Diversity – variety
4. Harmoniousness
5. Naturalness
6. Symbolic value

Phenomenological,
Empirical study

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 1. Character – originality

What creates it’s uniqueness?

Located to the site – we cannot move
it! – UNQUOTABLE!
Unique land use-relict element
Larger area > hard to walk/range over
Rather picturesque then sculptural!
Distance adds sacred dimension

Stronger plasticity /Statuesqueness

A circular sculpture with snail-round
forms, few/strong relief-features
The form disappears in the surface

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 2. Spatial dimension

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 2. Spatial dimension
Changeable – flexible spaces: smaller
and larger spaces join / separate
each other - synthesis
Impermanent, unsettled waving
forms
Traditional landform and strong
spatial and time- depth join each
other > Kronotopos experience
(Bahtyin)
Bare landforms + naked surface (less
vegetation) + sky constellations
creates ancient archetypes
The contour-forms let insight into the
deep geological structure

Smaller in size - easier to observe and

experience through moving/
touching >> sharp edges
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 Diversity – variety

The terraces differ in size//width//height

Spontaneous forms in rhythmical order -
no replication, always sg. new
Smooth// sharp edges
Edges disappear slowly //suddenly
High variety of light:
Different daytimes > dark cross-shadows
Shadow follows the circular land-spheres
>> cause gradual snow-melting >>
various microclimatic >> different
vegetation, habitats >> biodiversity of
grassland > Various green colours

Lower level of ecological diversity (just

the detail/ideas of the form)

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 Harmoniousness

Balance in between two objects/end

The good combination of two
landscape element > which join
each other in correspondence

Lynchets accommodate to the

original geomorphologic terrain
Hills are in balance with the valleys –
like waving see-surfs

The art-form is the terrain itself!

Hill/peak is balance with
water/flatland

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 Naturalness

Shrubbery, scrub and brushwood came

back in the last 80-100 years because
the lack of intensive land-use

Biodiversity and habitat-types increased

>> more natural and organic
experience, succession
>> scrub increased the „edge effect”
Doesn’t occur everywhere – just on some
hillside > doesn’t settle on/ dominate
on the landscape
Spontaneous, pleasant

Lack of vegetation strengthen the artistic

power and clear idea
Man made to imitate to be natural for
deliberate aesthetic reason

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 Symbolic values

What archetypes it calls in ourselves?

Associations, unconscious thoughts…
What additional meaning it has to us?
All hills+lynchets differ in form, so they
can be identified easily

…Make me think about past, relaxing,

freedom, makes me dream,
melancholic, meditative, time,
astonishment for the hand work – was
done here, .. it reminds of … sheep-
shrubbery, like staves, like reading the
lines of a book, wrinkles of an old lady,
Gives transcendent meaning

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THESIS_3: The lynchets not only have historical importance in traditional land-use, but with their
organic forms and fitting to the landscape-morphology they are crucial pattern-characteristics in
the scenery. Their occurrence is typical for Kalotaszeg, therefore this pattern is appropriate to
create border around it. With their variegation (morphology, size, forms, lights) and more-and-
more scrubby natural appearance it bear with special aesthetic value.

The terraces cover the rolling landscape as a veil with their waving, linear-clusters and high diversity of edge-
effects. Their deeper study unravels further details about landscape-historical aspects. (For example: the
strong correlation of land strips with ownership.) According to the micro morphology of the area 4 types can
be separated: declivous, even, sleep, and broken. All of which were demonstrated with images and model-
sketches in my paper. The pattern marks the borders of Kalotaszeg, and they are typical in high-density area
in the eastern part of Upper-Part, and Nádas-valley. The lower alpine zone they occur on the declivous hilltops
rather then on very steep hillsides. They are also rare in the Lower-Part, where the drainage basin is sensitive
for erosion.
Consequently in my the landscape aesthetical study it became clear that the fascinating and grandiose effort,
through time and space, created a local dynamic in this terrain-formation which would be hard, if not
impossible, to occur in the same style anywhere else. It’s complexity and coherence derive from its rhythm
and various light- and form effects. Its natural harmony originates from the fact that the goal wasn’t to create
“beauty”, although it created artistic magnificence. Because its complexity in landscape history, landscape
20 scenery and aesthetic I conclude lynchets should be a landscape heritage for future protection.
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