Nieheimer Flechthecke
During my research, I went on an excursion to Nieheim in NRW to visit one of the last existing woven hedges in Germany.
The technique has been known since 1650. Once the hedge was characteristic for the landscape, but today, due to the intensification of agriculture, land consolidation and the introduction of the barbed wire fence, only a few remaining sections can be found.
Being Part of the intangible cultural heritage since 2018, the planting and maintenance of the Nieheimer Flechthecken is carried out by the Nieheimer Heimatverein on a voluntary basis and passed on to younger generations.
The woven hedge was used as a living fence for livestock. Animals like cows and horses were enclosed to prevent them from grazing on surrounding farmland and to protect them from wild animals. The hedge provided a solution to a fundamental problem: wood was a valuable resource. The woven hedge was a low-cost alternative to a wooden fence and at the same time a source of wood. The cuttings from the maintenance of the hedge were also used to make handles for tools and walking sticks.
The hazel, which makes up most of the hedge, grows up to five meters and provides shade for the animals. The additional leaf fodder offered by the woven hedges is known to have helped save livestock from starvation in years of drought.
Another important component of the hedge is the willow. Its shoots are also used as fasteners. In this photo you can see a willow tree that is deliberately left in the hedge for this purpose.
Hedge weaving remains a non-economic method of enclosure under current circumstances. The maintenance is too expensive and time-consuming for farmers.
I envisioned the technique as a cultural asset that can either become a hobby for garden owners or be practiced in a group. A potential area of use would be one's own garden or a semi-public place in a community or school. Following the example of the Nieheimer Heimatverein, hedge weaving can be practiced well in a group. Creating a woven hedge can be a collaborative project that creates a sense of community and lasts through generations.
What is required by a person or group of people to be able to implement this technique?
In Georg Müller's book „Europäische Feldeinfriedungen" (European field enclosures) I found a variety of different hedge weaving techniques. I transferred a selection of examples into small 1 to 10 models and tested versions for a framework for the woven hedge.