Poznámky k problematice interiéru nezděných staveb středověkého Brna (konfrontace archeologických poznatků a mikromorfologické analýzy podlahových úrovní vybraných staveb)

The study summarises the basic findings regarding non-masonry buildings in medieval Brno and the prospects for further knowledge. A modern methodological approach in the form of micromorphology in an archaeological context, particularly regarding the interiors of these buildings, was used to add more information. From more than 200 micromorphological samples taken in Brno since 2008, a total of 16 from five sites in the historical centre of the city were selected for this partial study. Temporally, this concerns the period between the early 13th and the mid-14th centuries. The basic outcome of the study is the analysis, interpretation and division of the samples into typological groups. Based on typical features, sunken parts of the structures used for a relatively long time could be divided from the above-ground structures even though in some cases the “floor sandwich” had been partly removed due to ongoing maintenance. Finally, the results were confronted with a macroscopic observation by an archaeologist and with ethnographic knowledge. It was possible to identify the more detailed microstratigraphy of the floor sandwiches than by macroscopic observations in most cases and therefore specify the interpretation of the origin of the floor sandwich.

Analysis of historical cartography and data presentation for an educational purpose: The case of the historical centre of Vimercate

Founded by Romans, Vimercate had an important geographical position in Lombardy. Layers of history are visible throughout the town, yet there is the inconsistency of historical data and neglect of the historical centre in the past decades. Only recently researchers and professors from Politecnico di Milano pointed out the importance of studying layers of history in the built environment. In the past years, Vimercate was used as an example for students from masters and bachelor courses in preservation studios. This is where the idea for the master’s thesis was developed which focuses on the collection, digitalisation and investigation of primary historical cartography and then other historical documents. Historical cartography can offer extensive knowledge about the past of this town and it is one of the main sources of information. For the creation of the project was selected free and open-source software QGIS where the selected historical maps were vectorised, compared and investigated. A new understanding of the development of the city was studied and some discoveries appeared. Effective application of the thesis project started in the courses of Architectural preservation studio at Politecnico di Milano. This was followed by the interest of citizens in the project who were actively participated in the creation of the same. Other stakeholders showed interest in involving in future developments. The thesis found its application in didactic activities of students and pupils.

Drawing and architectural analysis of San Ildefonso’s Baths in Seville (1542)

This paper deals with the first hypotheses of elevations and of the architectural analysis of San Ildefonso’s Baths on the basis of unpublished data offered by the Book of written descriptive records (apeos) of 1542 in the Chapter on Seville Cathedral. Our own transformation methodology has been applied to this hitherto largely unknown book in order to attain and encompass graphic representation from the literary description. After giving a brief history of the Baths, the objective is to ascertain its location, by drawing hypothetical floor plans and elevations and analysing its typology, dimensions, spaces, and building elements. This research has shown that it was one of the most important bathing complexes in the historical centre of Seville, at least in the 13th Century, although it later became obsolete and was demolished in the 18th Century.

Amersfoort’s city walls

The development of Amersfoort’s two city walls can be divided into five periods. The first city wall was built in the first period 1259-1379. Although Amersfoort had been granted a charter in 1259, construction of the wall did not commence until after a serious assault by troops from the duchy of Gelre (Geulders) in 1274. The defensive wall was made stronger on that side, probably in expectation of more attacks from that direction. Between 1380 and 1500 Gelre troops attacked Amersfoort on multiple occasions and offensive firepower increased. Interestingly, Amersfoort opted to build a second city wall rather than reinforcing the existing one, considerably increasing the size of the city in the process. However, the project proved difficult to finance, defend and maintain, most likely due to the stagnating economy. Instead of being demolished after the second wall was in place, the first wall was reinforced with abutting houses, thereby becoming a kind of rampart within a rampart. The new fortifications turned out to be ineffective and in 1501 the city council decided to demolish the first city wall. This freed up space for a second generation of wall houses, mostly built from reused stone and with their front elevation on the trajectory of the first wall, with the exception of the houses along Krankeledenstraat and the southern section of Breestraat. In this same period, up until 1644, there was an attempt to strengthen Amersfoort’s defences. Several fortification plans were drawn up, none of which was implemented in its entirety, most probably due to a lack of financial resources. The ramparts that were realized are concentrated in the south-west since in this period the possibility of a new Spanish incursion was greater than any threat from Gelre. In the third period, 1645-1828, the council’s approval of additional openings in the city wall marked the beginning of a gradual deterioration of the defensive works. They had always been a big budget item, yet they had not been particularly effective. Accordingly, the council decided to convert the fortifications into lucrative functions. The Davidsbolwerk, for example, was turned into a cemetery. The most extensive demolition probably started in 1778 when it was also decided to dismantle various outer and inner gates in the second city wall. By 1829 the fortifications had entirely lost their defensive function and the city council proposed converting the outer line into a green pathway encircling the city, which would have resulted in the disappearance of all remaining traces of the wall. However, this was averted in 1844 by a national ban on the demolition of fortifications and they were subsequently integrated with the walking route. City planners continued to submit applications for demolition but encountered fierce resistance from heritage organizations. In addition, many remnants avoided demolition because most urban expansion occurred outside the historical centre. This resulted in a concomitant shift in the economic focus so that the fortifications no longer needed to be sacrificed to industrial development. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, with appreciation for the heritage value of fortifications growing, money became available for their restoration and Amersfoort’s historical centre was declared a conservation area.

Walk the Wall Athens: An Experiential Walk in the City

Athens is a historic capital widely known for its legacy left to Western civilization and its publicly recognized and well-studied monuments of world heritage. But what do we really know about the Athenian antiquities that have been integrated into the city’s modern canvas? In how many ways can the urban landscape of Athens be re-introduced to the modern traveler? Walk the Wall Athens is a bilingual mobile application that allows the user to wander, literally and metaphorically, through the streets of Athens in order to explore the traces of the Themistoclean city wall and to recover this important monument from oblivion. Just as the ancient city wall surrounds Athens as a historical chain that crosses all the neighbourhoods of the modern city’s historical centre, the route provided by the interactive map of the application introduces the visitor to the layout of the modern Athenian metropolis. Through a walk on the remains of the ancient fortification, the application Walk the Wall Athens attempts to spark the interest and excite the curiosity of the Athenian traveller of the 21st century, introducing him to a journey of 2,500 years of history.

ONTOLOGY-BASED DATA MAPPING TO SUPPORT PLANNING IN HISTORICAL URBAN CENTRES

Because of the need for new sustainable future alternatives, the re-inhabitation of rural areas, hinterlands, small historical urban centres and villages has become a unique real opportunity. Therefore, it is necessary to define and adopt new sustainable urban planning and building permits to follow this path. These processes involve both various actors and disciplines and a variety of spatial and semantic data. For this reason, the present research aims at providing a methodology to build the necessary spatial documentation of historical centres and villages by adopting an ontology-based workflow. Existing ontologies and conceptualisations have been considered together with classes and rules from city historical core regulations. A case study has been selected considering its available spatial datasets and national data models. The bottom-up approach here adopted aims at validating and enriching a reference ontology previously developed in the domain of historical centre by adding new concepts and relations from selected regulation plans and other existing ontologies and data models. Finally, the obtained ontology is also populated with instances of concepts and relations.

Ethics at work: Diverse economies and place-making in the historical centre of Taranto, Italy

The paper examines five economic activities in the historical centre of Taranto, Italy and discusses how they impact upon the urban pattern. It is argued that meanings people ascribe to their work go beyond economic rationality, carrying identity, pleasure and ethical values. In fact, in the observed context, work becomes a tool for bottom-up urban regeneration, thus building urban identity and contributing to an imagining of the future city. Based on empirical case study analyses of economic activities in the sphere of culture and creativity, this paper investigates the different meanings of work and explores how the observed working practices represent actions of place-making and resistance to hegemonic forces that jeopardise the local community in the neighbourhood.