Culture in the Mill: Lecture by Armin and Erich Bäuerle "Reflections on the River Corrections of the Oder, Elbe, and Rhine with Special Consideration of Johann Gottfried Tulla"

Dr. Erich Bäuerle reflects on the measures taken by King Frederick the Great of Prussia in the Oderbruch and their consequences. He reports on the causes and effects of natural forces on land and people, as well as the measures taken to tame them. Armin Bäuerle presents the work on the correction of the Rhine. The Rhine correction can be regarded as one of the outstanding engineering achievements of the 19th century in southwestern Germany, a century project between Baden and France. The focus is on the contribution of Johann Gottlieb Tulla, the brilliant geodesist. He was the driving force behind the successful undertaking of straightening the meandering river. In the third part, Dr. Erich Bäuerle describes the highly relevant measures in the Elbe and its catchment area. The straightening, diking, and damming measures carried out since the mid-19th century, which have led to an almost continuous series of weirs in the Czech part of the Elbe, have had significant impacts on the river's ecology.