The evaluation of mining heritage and landscapes has been a topic of worldwide importance during the previous decades. Only a few sites are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, but there are a great many of those that are considered to be restored as recreation and sports areas, connecting industrial and natural features and giving new usages for a site by exploiting ecological and creative landscape design methods. In Estonia, the subject has become important during the previous ten years -refreshing and multifaceted solutions are needed to give a new life to mining landscapes. The aim of this article is to review the restoration history of oil shale mining sites (oil shale being the most important local mineral resource), to exemplify the two most representative developments in Europe, the Nord-Pas de Calais coal mining region in Northern France and the International Building Exhibition Fürst-Pückler-Land in Lower Lusatia, Germany, to introduce existing restoration methods and developments of oil shale mining areas and elucidate future needs and goals.
The aim of this paper is to examine the role of the public perception of oil shale mining and industrial heritage in regional revival. Oil shale mining and chemical operations have left an imprint on both the people and the landscape of Ida-Viru County, NE Estonia. Along with increasing or decreasing production volumes of oil shale mining, heritage has been overlooked, left to naturally deteriorate or to be destroyed or recultivated. Heritage-awareness revival projects for similar natural resource postindustrial situations have proved to be successful in culture, sports and recreational tourism. The current view on oil shale mining heritage is investigated through focus group interviews and a questionnaire. Unemployment, language barriers and social problems are considered to be the most important issues, and the responsibility for solving these problems is primarily deemed to be the role of the national government. At the same time, in general, people are willing to participate in processes and regard coordinated planning as crucial to holistic development. Post-industrial areas should be utilized to support the development.
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