The conference “Green Belt” aims to highlight the Green Belt as a unique natural and cultural area and to support its nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The conference brings together stakeholders from the fields of academia, (memorial) culture, nature conservation, politics, business, and tourism to foster dialogue and strengthen public and political support for this initiative.
Prof. Elizabeth Sikiaridi will discuss Hybrid Space Lab’s project on the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea.
Lecture & Discussion by Prof. Elizabeth Sikiaridi @ Conference Green Belt, Erfurt, Germany, 10 – 11 June 2026
Background
For over 40 years, Germany was divided by the inner-German border. Over the course of its existence, the heavily guarded border strip became a refuge for more than 1,200 rare and endangered plant and animal species. The border region evolved into a sanctuary for numerous threatened species and into a migration corridor and network of habitats of European significance—the Green Belt. In the former restricted zone of the GDR and the border area of the Federal Republic, a vibrant landscape of memory and remembrance has emerged, where the peaceful overcoming of a totalitarian border—as well as suffering, displacement, lack of freedom, death, and the division itself—is commemorated with great dedication and in diverse ways.
To secure this extraordinary natural and cultural area for the long term and to recognize its national and international significance, the Green Belt is to become a World Heritage Site. An important milestone was reached with its inclusion on the German Tentative List as a World Natural Heritage Site in December 2023. A possible further development of the nomination into a mixed site (natural and cultural heritage) is currently being examined.
Conference
Program
13.00 Welcome by the organizers
Dr. Peter Wurschi, Thuringian State Commissioner for the reappraisal of the SED dictatorship
Video greeting from the Federal Minister for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety
Carsten Schneider
Remarks from the Thuringian Ministry of the Environment, Energy, Nature Conservation, and Forestry
Karin Arndt, State Secretary
13.30 Keynote Speech
Ecology of Memory – Nature Conservation in Wounded Landscapes
Dr. Sonja K. Pieck, Human Geographer, Clark A. Griffith Professor of Environmental Studies at Bates College, Lewiston, Maine, USA
14.15–15:30 Panel Discussion
The Green Belt – A Beacon of Remembrance Ecology!?
Dr. Sonja K. Pieck
Uwe Katzenberger, Thuringian Ministry for the Environment, Energy, Nature Conservation, and Forestry
Dr. Liana Geidezis, BUND National Competence Center for the Green Belt
Dr. Felix Ludwig,Marienborn Memorial to the Division of Germany
Moderator: Carlotta Schulz, Thuringia Nature Conservation Foundation
14.15- 17:30 Panel Discussion
The Green Belt in Europe: Cross-Border Nature Conservation and Remembrance
South Korea: Prof. Elizabeth Sikiaridi, Korean Demilitarized Zone Project
Czech Republic: Eva Volfová, Ametyst Environmental Education Organization
Austria: Florian Danzinger, Austrian Federal Environment Agency
Germany: Dr. Jörg Haspel, ICOMOS Germany
Moderator: Melanie Kreutz, BUND National Green Belt Competence Center
The European Green Belt stretches over 12,500 kilometers from the Norwegian-Russian border north of the Arctic Circle to the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea. A European initiative has emerged from numerous long-standing regional activities aimed at protecting and developing the Green Belt. Governmental and non-governmental organizations have formulated a shared vision for preserving and restoring this transboundary natural heritage while connecting the shared cultural landscapes. The culture of remembrance is also increasingly coming into focus at the European level.
Can involving the European level help increase the chances of securing World Heritage status? And how could a European World Heritage Green Belt be implemented? At the start of the discussion, the panelists will give brief presentations on the social significance of the Green Belt in South Korea, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany in relation to a potential World Heritage nomination.
9:00-10:30 Panel Discussion
Culture of Remembrance in Practice: The Green Belt as a Place for Democratic Education
Prof. Dr. Hubert Weiger, BUND Representative for the Green Belt
Sarah Schröder, State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archaeology of Saxony-Anhalt
Stefan Sander, Thuringia Nature Conservation Foundation
Dr. Christian Stöber, Schifflersgrund Border Museum
Moderator: Dr. Peter Wurschi
11:15-12:45 Panel Discussion
World Heritage is a State Matter! The Green Belt as a Powerful Symbol of German Division and Reunification
Thuringia: David Möller, Thuringian State Chancellery
Hesse: Michael Ruhl, Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment, Viticulture, Forestry, Hunting, and Regional Affairs
Saxony-Anhalt: Dr. Ekkehard Wallbaum, Ministry of Science, Energy, Climate Protection, and the Environment
Lower Saxony: Alexandra Stück, Ministry of the Environment, Energy, and Climate Protection
Bavaria: Wolfram Güthler, State Ministry for the Environment and Consumer Protection
Bavaria: Dr. Oliver Bär, District Administrator of Hof District
Moderator: Christoph Schwarzkopf, ICOMOS Germany
12:45 Closing remarks by the organizers
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