Nature as heritage: the Swedish case

In 1909 the Swedish parliament passed two laws regarding natural landmarks and National Parks. This may be seen as a discovery of ‘Nature as Heritage’. But there are earlier examples. From the 17th century, antiquarians had paid attention to certain natural landmarks and in the 19th century it was common to see nature as something that fostered the spirit of the people (das Volk). Around 1900 an increasing role was played by nationalistic motives. The National Parks were supposed to preserve and display the essential quality of Swedish nature. Biology and geology, the theory of evolution and the glaciation theory played a major role in emphasising these new national symbols. But as examples for Sweden indicate, it is difficult to make a heritage of a landscape. In this essay two separate discourses, namely antiquarian and environmental, are discussed.