Title: Dr.

First Name: Danguole

Last Name: Mockiene

Affiliation: Independent

Address: Architektų 28-57

City: Vilnius

Zip code: LT-04120

Country: Lithuania

Telephone: 37052440436

Fax:-

Email:[email protected]

Topic: Globalization and cultural identity issues

Title:

Lithuanian historical cartography and cultural heritage. The web-site.

Before the start of globalization, there existed local culturally sustaining connections between geographical place and cultural experience. These connections constituted community’s ‘cultural identity’. This identity was something people simply ‘had’ as an inheritance, a path of continuity with the past. Identity, like language, was not just a description of cultural belonging; it was a sort of collective treasure of local communities. But it was also discovered to be something fragile that needed protecting and preserving, that could be lost.

The globalization has been judged as involving a general process of loss of cultural diversity.

In this paper the Lithuanian historical cartography is regarded as an issue of

cultural heritage and cultural identity. The history of names of local places is the specific point of this work.

These names reflect historical changes in Lithuania during long period and represents different cultural influences. The illustrations are mainly ancient and contemporary (for comparison) maps.

Important historic heritage of Lithuanian arts and architecture are wooden churches.

The wooden churches were designed and decorated by local people and show the talents of the

corresponding times. Therefore pictures of wooden churches are included, too.

The main part of the web-site is unpublished manuscript about the changes of geographical names of 158 Lithuanian towns, small towns, and villages from 13 to 20 century. The results are presented in the form of 158 tables with geographical names from

the original document and different maps.

The web-site is in two parts. Part one shows changes of names of towns and villages. Different towns and villages are presented by separate pages. In the part two some biographical data of Lithuanian cartographers is given.

The web-site is presented as a collection of illustrations: tables, digital maps, photographys with some explanations. The aim of the collection is to show geographical position of towns

including neighbors, historical data and interesting objects of culture and environment. That is done by different digital maps. The maps include hydrology, elevation (contour lines), national parks, restricted areas, roads, and boundaries.

Wooden churches, historical and cultural themes, scientists, public figures and artists, who were born or lived in this region, are presented as photographies accompanied by corresponding text.

The main web-site:

http://pilis.if.ktu.lt/~jmockus/dm.html

Mirrors:

http://soften.ktu.lt/~mockus/dm.html
and
http://mockus.us/optimum/dm.html