No victors in the battle between commerce and community

Terry Sarten writes that in the town of Villingen, in the south of Germany, history is everywhere. Photo / Supplied

Here in the town of Villingen in the south of Germany, history is everywhere ...

There is around a thousand years' worth of it in the remains of the town wall, the cobblestone streets and beautiful old buildings.

I am staying with a friend who grew up here. Rainer is a photographer and film producer and it is one of his pictures of Villingen that illustrates this week's column. I am here to visit him, attend the premiere of one of his films and play some gigs.

Thirty-five years ago, in my early 20s, I performed here. I have written a lot of songs since then and it will be interesting to see how audiences respond to me and my trusty resonator guitar.

History is full of battles. It is evident as I travel around the region that another battle has begun between the opposing forces of commerce and history.

Walking the streets of the old town quarter it is easy to slip into a time warp and imagine how people have lived and worked here. The narrow streets were never built for cars. The scale of the buildings retains perspective, with the towers and church dominating the profile.

Four towers once stood at each side of the walled town centre but now there are only three - legend has it that one was stolen one dark night by a giant.

Outside the historic centre another kind of theft is taking place. There, the massed battalions of big shopping centres are gradually undermining the area's sense of place and community.

Huge nondescript buildings, with everything under one roof and plenty of parking, they appeal to convenience; they compete with retailers in the old town; and there is a risk that they will stifle the life out of the historic quarter, leaving it as a "museum piece" rather than a living community.

It is the modern-day equivalent of a siege.

The outer circle of malls and big shopping centres may over time force the small retailers that use the old buildings to surrender their businesses to the march of modern commercial imperatives.

My friend Rainer makes films that celebrate the history and charm of historic towns. Using a combination of visuals and live performers on stage, communities tell their own stories with the focus on people and places that make them different.

As Europe, under the influence of the European Union, increasingly blurs the cultural differences between countries, the desire to resist and hang on to regional identity grows stronger.

The battle between commerce and history is happening all across Europe at a national level as governments grapple with changing markets, demographics and economic problems. On a smaller scale, towns such as Villingen are attempting to retain their identity and their beautiful architectural heritage, created over centuries, against the relentless rush of modern commerce.

Whanganui has much to learn from the experience of towns such as Villingen.

The recent recognition of the place of the river in our history and moves to maintain buildings are all essential in defining our identity and sense of belonging.

The interests of commerce and community do not have to be opponents but can be partners in ensuring we take the past with us into the future.

As Joni Mitchell sings in the song Big Yellow Taxi: "You don't know what you've got till it's gone."

Terry Sarten is a musician and writer currently on tour in Europe - feedback: tgs@inspire.net.nz or www.telsarten.com