Medieval 170320195427
Medieval 170320195427
Medieval 170320195427
EUROPE
The eclipse in the
European civilization
between the fall of the
Roman Empire in the
West ( 4th and 5th
centuries) and the re-
emergence of activity in
the Early Middle
Ages (10th-12th
centuries), is known as
the DARK AGES.
Rottweil, Germany
12th century Zähringer New Town
ORIGINS OF MEDIEVAL ClTIES
The Medieval city developed out of a variety of nuclei. It is possible to distinguish the
following important original growth points or take-off points on which the development of the
medieval city is based:
Notre-Dame de Paris
A medieval Catholic
cathedral
Palatinate (Pfalz)
Court of
Chancery
The Historic Towns (usually old Roman
ones)
This new attitude was reflected in the form that towns took. They evolved to meet human
needs and their pattern changed to match increased social responsibility. Medieval cities
become both protectors and symbols of civic rights and liberties.
Population:
e.g. Köln (Cologne) 1248 25,000
population
Shape
The shape or outline of town plans was delineated by the wall which would best protect
the city. A wall had to have the shortest circumference possible and take advantage of
topographical features. Obviously, this often limited the use of geometric shapes; yet simple,
geometric plans were adopted whenever possible, especially in flat country.
Classification:
Medieval towns can be classified according to
function e.g.:
Farm Towns - especially in Scandinavia and
Britain
Fortress Towns - Toledo, Edinburgh, Tours,
Warwick
Church Towns - York, Chartres
Merchant Prince Towns - Florence, Siena Farm town in
Merchant Guild Towns - Hanseatic League England
towns
Principal Types of
Plans Linear plans
Spontaneous/Organic towns:
Towns which grew by slow stages out
of a village or group of villages under
the protection of a monastery, a
church, or a castle - these would
conform to topographical and
geographical peculiarities, and change
from generation to generation.
Simplest form of axial or linear plan with A controlled linear plan layout with two
side streets. principal axes.
Kienzhein near Kaisersberg, Germany. Mühldorf, Germany.
Form of Growth:
The principal axis
invariably ensured the
formation of a street
market settlement. This
preceded the later,
centralized market square.
e.g. in south-west Germany
12th most towns were
based on street market
plans; in the 13th century
market squares become
more common.
Medieval urban street patterns developed on a route
axis.
1 Rib pattern 2 Parallel
street pattern
3 Spindle or elliptical 4 Grid patterns
Normal mode of Growth:
(expansion)
Initial development of one linear street with market function - the main street.
2 or more street market systems could intersect at right angles forming a cross and,
ultimately, nearby a market place. Regular spaced pattern of interconnecting streets would
form rib or fishbone patterns.
St.Quentin, France showing first Plan of Nördlingen, Germany The growth of Aachen.
nucleus of settlement grouped around 1.Nucleus of Carolingian palace ,
the cathedral with market place church and baths,
outside it. around which cluster settlement. 2.Areas
walled by Frederick Barbarossa.
3.Areas walled in the 14th century
‘Natural’ or Historic plans:
‘Natural’ or historic plans are those spontaneous types which originated in antiquity, generally
Roman cities, and which were revived in medieval times.
1 . Church element
- church, cathedral, cloisters, monastery.
2 . Secular element
- castle or fortress
- especially dominant in England and Germany
3 . Civic element
- Walls and gates, town houses, town hall, guild hall, market place.
These three elements, in combination, form the total organisation of the medieval city
and its community. The first two elements church and feudal castle dominated
medieval townscape in its formative and adolescent stages; the mature stage, however,
saw the growing strength and development of the merchant community.
Greifswald, north-eastern Germany‘bastide’ or colonial town of c.
1250.
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