Water Use and its Management in the Imperial City of Augsburg - Water-Supply-System, Rivers and Memories of Water -

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12546
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 03040:History of Europe and America-related
• Research Institution: Fukuoka University
• Principal Investigator: WATANABE Yuichi 福岡大学, 人文学部, 講師 (30804314)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 環境史 / 都市史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Based on discussions of urban environmental history that have been gaining attention in recent years, this study attempted to examine the interrelationship between the city and its natural environment from a case study of imperial city of Augsburg, focusing on "water," an essential commodity for urban life. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the planned survey to Germany had to be abandoned and, as a result, the study period had to be postponed by one year. However, our initial objectives were generally reached, partly because Augsburg's water supply system and water economy were registered as a "UNESCO World Heritage Site" in the summer of 2019, and a number of commemorative catalogs and academic papers were published.

Free Research Field

西洋史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

ユネスコの理念とは異なる歴史学的な意義を踏まえ、アウクスブルクの水利システムの歴史を整理した論文を『西洋史学』の特集「環境史の課題」に発表した。また、九州西洋史学会にてシンポジウム「ヨーロッパ史における水の資源化とその管理・統制」を企画し、「帝国都市アウクスブルクにおける水の利用とその管理」と題した研究報告を行った。さらに、中近世ヨーロッパ都市における水の管理・利用は、下水処理なども含め、都市の公衆衛生や生活環境とも深くかかわっていたことを解明し、中近世都市を何度も繰り返し襲ったペスト被害やその対策についても考察の対象を広めることができたのは、本科研プロジェクトの成果の一つともいえるだろう。