The Netherlands and Germany are cooperating in the ‘Funnel Cup Culture’ project, an archaeological monument conservation project. The cooperation is coordinated by the province of Overijssel.
Cooperation partners
Overijssel Province, Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, Gelderland Province and the University of Groningen participate as substantive and financial partners in the project. Associated partners are Province of Drenthe, Ostfriesische Landschaft, Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Regionalreferat Oldenburg, Het Oversticht and Province of Groningen.
Purpose of the project
This project marks an important milestone in the cooperation between the Netherlands and Germany in the field of archaeological preservation. The aim is to preserve and share our common cultural heritage. There are three main pillars within this project: knowledge sharing, knowledge dissemination and identifying and removing strategic, policy and legal barriers to cross-border cooperation.
1. Knowledge sharing
The aforementioned cooperation partners are joining forces to integrate knowledge about the Funnel Cup Culture on both sides of the border into a shared scientific basis. The Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe is in the lead for this. As a common structure, a database will be built. The database will bring together data from sites and finds on both sides of the border, giving both scientists and the public access to valuable information. After the project, the database will also be made available to other regions.
2. Dissemination of knowledge
The knowledge about the Funnel Cup Culture will be made accessible to a wide audience by means of a book, a travelling exhibition and an event. Young people will be involved in developing this. All project partners will contribute to this knowledge dissemination, with the province of Overijssel in the lead. The activities will be brought to the attention of the public through various channels.
3. Strategic and legal frameworks
Under the leadership of the Province of Gelderland, strategic, policy and legal barriers to cross-border cooperation will be identified and, if possible, removed. Using the Funnel Cup culture Funnel Cup Culture as an example. A practical handbook for cross-border cooperation will be developed.
Funnel Cup Culture
The Funnel Cup Culture stretched between 4000 and 2700 BC from the Netherlands to western Ukraine. This culture owes its name to the pottery style of the time, namely Funnel cups. Archaeologically, there is no border between the Netherlands and Germany when it comes to this culture, but modern borders can impose restrictions on archaeological cooperation.
