Domedagsverket: metodik för kulturhistorisk inventering av naturstensmurade jordkällare

Abstract

Root cellars have historically been of great importance to farmers but have received little attention within the field of conservation. Little is known about the thousands of root cellars that are scattered across the Swedish landscape. Constructing a natural stone root cellar is a largely forgotten practice. The purpose of this study is to contribute to knowledge development regarding natural stone–built root cellars, by developing an inventory framework. The aim is to further enable the identification, description and comparison of root cellars, particularly in regards to cultural-historical evaluation and conservation. Literature is used to create an inventory form, which is applied and revised during a field study. 26 root cellars are documented in East Västra Götaland, Sweden. The root cellars are presented comparatively. The results show gaps in current knowledge of root cellars, as well as a need for further research on root cellar construction and maintenance. The result of the study is a methodology basis for the documentation of root cellars, both as an inventory form as well as a framework for recording natural stone root cellars. The long term goal is to help ensure that more root cellars are recognized and preserved.