This welcome and comprehensive volume developed out of a conference held in Dublin in 2005 to explore topography and power in medieval towns, primarily through the information provided by the European Historic Towns Project. In train since the 1950s, by 2014 the project was responsible for over 500 publications concerning individual towns from 18 different European countries (listed in Appendix A of the book). The publication seeks to follow on from the conference by exploring the influence and impact of seigneurial power on the foundation and early planning of towns, but it also raises and explores issues surrounding methodological approaches to the various historic atlas series themselves.
The editorial introduction helpfully highlights the various scholarly approaches adopted, not least in German and English language publications, while the initial useful overview provided by Simms explores the origins and potential of the Historic Towns Project, referring to the annual seminars which, since 2009, have been organized by the Royal Irish Academy and which have sought comparative analysis between differing atlas traditions. Works produced as a result of these seminars accept that atlases have often been too focused on morphological features at the expense of socio-economic aspects of towns. There is a growing awareness of process in urban development and of how the atlases can contribute to greater understanding of life within the spaces provided by the urban environment. The second chapter of Part I of the publication is by Deneche and develops the theme by exploring comparative approaches in depth. Parts II and III then present a variety of case-studies, Part IV is an interesting section on symbolic meaning within town plans and Part V provides an assessment of interpretative approaches.
Within the case-studies, that by Bocchi on Italian towns highlights a number of problematic issues. Italy lacks an overarching co-ordinating body for its Historic Towns Atlas series, with individual projects being reliant upon ‘public bodies, banks and private individuals in each town or city’, leading inevitably to frequent concentration on smaller, more manageable, projects rather than those exploring major cities. Nevertheless, she is able to address the conference topic of the topography of power, not only examining palaces, castles and cathedrals but also markets and public buildings. In France, Lavaud describes a similar concentration on small and medium-sized towns, now complemented by the first larger urban survey on Bordeaux (in 2009). This is designed for transfer to GIS, the primary purpose of the enterprise being not ‘a total history’ but rather a tool for ‘preservation of the built environment’. While laudable as an aim, one does wonder whether this is a rather narrow focus of endeavour; the atlases ought to have a functionality which extends beyond visible physical monuments.
Stracke and Tippach provide a useful summary of the work in Germany, a country where by 2013 some 241 atlases had been published. New publications, such as that for Brunswick, have a range of supplementary maps and other information such as air photographs together with a broader chronological span and online access. The revised German project entitled Deutscher Historischer Städtatlas is clearly trying to engage both more fully with technological opportunities and with more diverse approaches to the potential of the atlas series.
The methodological German chapter is followed by a good overview of urban development in the Holy Roman Empire within the context of seigneurial power by Johanek although he rather underplays the archaeological evidence now available for towns such as Lübeck (and summarized by Untermann later in the volume). The rich potential of archaeological approaches is illustrated by Opll on Austrian towns who commendably explores a variety of methodological developments including bautechnische Archäologie or ‘building technique archaeology’ and by Stercken who reviews approaches to the study of urban planning. His chapter is followed by an interesting historical essay on Litoměřice/Leitmeritz in Bohemia by Žemlička which, curiously, makes only the most cursory reference to the historic atlas published for that town.
A welcome section within the volume is that devoted to the ‘fringes of Europe’, possibly an unfortunate appellation for countries such as Poland and Hungary. Nevertheless it is good to see chapters devoted to these countries (by Czaja for the former and Szende and Végh for the latter) as well as Romania (Niedermaier), Croatia (Slukan Altić), Ireland (Clarke) and Scandinavia (Hietala), covering topics such as royal and economic power, town planning and colonization. England, apparently not on the ‘fringe’ although recent political developments certainly imply as much, is represented by Slater who provides a magisterial overview assessment of urban marketplaces.
Alternative approaches to, and uses of, urban mapping are provided by the chapters on the Low Countries (Vannieuwenhuyze and Rutte), cultural symbolism (Lilley) and symbolic landscapes in Winchester (Keene). All three are fascinating because of the way that they stimulate thought – the first in terms of developing comparative studies (and the difficulties encountered in the process), the second attempting to investigate the societal thinking behind urban transformation and the third seeking meaning and intent, regnal and ecclesiastical, in both layout and use of the urban landscape.
The theme of comparative methodologies is commendably pursued in the penultimate two chapters where urban foundation and formation are explored by an archaeologist (Untermann) and an art historian (Paul). As noted above, Untermann's paper uses Lübeck as one of his examples, illustrating well how archaeological research there has significantly enhanced understanding of the early development of the town. His paper also stimulates cautionary consideration of the use of atlases; in Chemnitz, for instance, excavation has shown that, beneath the thirteenth-century street pattern, earlier settlement had a different layout.
Somewhat quirkily but nevertheless appropriately, the volume is rounded off by an assessment of the town of Trim in Ireland and how its medieval landscape was adapted in the nineteenth century, notably as a result of government initiatives. Hennessy's essay provides a useful reminder of the value of historic urban atlases to a modern society where accessible, clear information about urban development can make a positive contribution to urban change in the future. This book is a welcome introduction to the richness of urban settlement across Europe and the role of effective historic mapping in managing the urban future.
