Bastion fortifications in Wiązów and Żórawina as an example of less known Silesian implementations by Hans Schneider von Lindau

2021

4(68)

DOI: 10.37190/arc210412

Rafał Śledzik-Kamiński*

Bastion fortifications in Wiązów and Żórawina

as an example of less known Silesian implementations

by Hans Schneider von Lindau

Introduction

Hans Schneider von Lindau was a fortication builder

in the 16

and 17

centuries. Today, he is noted for his

works in large cities such as Gdańsk, Wrocław, Brzeg,

and Nysa. However, he also conducted works in smaller

centers. The aim of the article is to present the gure of

this fortica tion builder and his bastion works in two

smaller towns, namely Wiązów and Żórawina in Lower

Silesia. The author also intends to answer the question

whether they were modern defensive layouts in line with

the latest fortication trends and bastions built by him in

larger cities. This is especially important in the case of the

fortications in Żórawina, which in source literature to

date have been linked with the construction activities of

Valentin von Säbisch the younger (1577–1657) or Alb recht

von Säbisch (1610–1688).

The gure of Hans Schneider von Lindau was not un-

known to researchers of defensive architecture, but most

often they focused on typological assigning of a specic

work to him and determining the chronology of its con-

struction. A study by Alwin Schultz on the city architects

of Wrocław is important for the topic under consideration.

This author in his work described the life and professional

activities of, inter alia, Hans Schneider von Lindau [1, pp.

115–137]. Also Maria Ludwika Lewicka-Cempa in her

text outlined his professional path and his career as a for-

tication builder [2, pp. 29–53].

When it comes to the fortications of Wiązów, Kurt

Engelbert [3, pp. 72–85] and Kurt Bimler [4, pp. 117–123]

described the development and appearance of the town’s

fortications and on the basis of archival sources they also

found that the author of the early modern bastion fortica-

tions of the town was Hans Schneider von Lindau.

The rst scientist to undertake research on Żórawi-

na was Alfred Gellhorn – he reconstructed the island’s

buildings, marking the church, the manor house and the

preserved bastion fortications [5, pp. 39, 73, Fig. 26].

Bimler dened the chronology of the fortications for the

century, suggesting that the reason for their erection

was a desire to be secured during the Thirty Years’ War

[6, pp. 61–63]. Jerzy Rozpędowski recognized Valentin

von Säbisch the younger as the author of the fortications

in Żórawina. Moreover, he assigned them to the Dutch

bastion fortication school [7, pp. 43–46], [8, pp. 62,

95]. According to Józef Pilch, the author of the fortica-

tions was Albrecht von Säbisch and the time of erecting

the fortications fell in the 1

half of the 17

century [9,

pp. 478, 479]. On the basis of the research carried out,

Lewicka-Cempa recognized Hans Schneider von Lindau

as the author of the bastion fortications in Żórawina and

claimed that the renovation of the church, the construction

of the manor, as well as the construction of the forti-

cations were carried out at the same time as part of the

transformation of the building into a fortied manor with

bastion fortications [2, p. 38]. In the source material,

Piotr Oszczanowski found a poem by Balthasar Exner

from 1606, which described the then existing earth forti-

cations along with a church, a manor house and an arsenal

[10, pp. 79–87].

Hans Schneider von Lindau

Hans Schneider von Lindau, also known as Jan Schnei-

der of Lindau or Hans of Lindau, was born to a middle-

* ORCID: 0000-0001-5474-0248. Doctoral School of Wrocław

Uni versity of Science and Technology, e-mail: rafal.sledzik-kaminski@

pwr.edu.pl

122 Rafał Śledzik-Kamiński

The north-eastern section of the Wrocław River Odra

bank was devoid of fortications. Hans Schneider von

Lindau stayed in Gdańsk and supervised the fortication

works there, whereas the implementation of his projects in

Wrocław was undertaken by Friedrich Gross who was the

city architect. In 1588, the buildings near the Holy Spirit

Church were pulled down and in this place Sand Bastion

was built, in the old Italian type with a high buttress and an

earth parapet of the embankment. Behind the orillons of

the bastion, casemated three-level anking gun emplace-

ment were located. The earthen parapet of Sand Bastion

was connected with the parapet of Ceglarski Bastion [14,

p. 126]. Also in 1588, the works on Bernardyński Bastion

began and they were completed in 1590, to the south of

Ceglarski Bastion. The bastion had a high buttress with

casemated anks protected by rectangular orillons [13,

p. 211].

On March 27, 1591, Schneider von Lindau signed

a contract with the Wrocław City Council. It oered him

a salary higher than the one he received in Gdańsk and the

council did not oppose his scientic trips around Europe

[2, p. 35], [12, p. 541]. The high salary and the urgent

need to extend the Wrocław city fortications prompted

the city council to limit the activities of Hans Schneider

von Lindau to investments made for the city only. Still in

1590, residential buildings were demolished for the con-

struction of a new rampart gate, i.e., Piaskowa. In 1592,

the works on its construction started and in 1593 the works

on the casemate part were completed. In 1594 a wood-

en bridge (the so-called Sand Bridge) was built over the

river, whereas in 1595 a stone façade was embedded in the

outer face of the gate.

Also in 1593, the works on Sakwowy Bastion were

started, an earthen and masonry work with highly devel-

oped and casemated ank gun emplacements which were

protected by long orillons. This bastion was a twin struc-

ture of Ceglarski Bastion. The relics of two bastions, i.e.,

Ceglarski and Sakwowy have survived to the present day.

In the place of Job’s Roundel Bastion, the construction

of a semi-bastion started in 1594. The constructing and

proling of the embankments were nished at Piaskowy

Bastion, where even The Holy Spirit Church was demol-

ished because it prevented the work from being carried

out. The ramparts of Sakwowy Bastion were completed in

1598 and the rampart Sakwowa gate was also built, which

was secured in terms of artillery by the right orillon of the

bastion. The northern and eastern sections of the town’s

defensive perimeter were nally secured in around 1600

[2, p. 36], [14, pp. 126, 127].

Hans Schneider von Lindau prolonged his contracts

with the city council of Wrocław. Initially, he focused on

the extension of Wrocław’s fortications, however, other

nobles in Silesia were also interested in his services. As

early as in 1584, General Starost of Silesia, bishop An-

dreas von Jerin addressed him, but then the fortication

builder had to refuse him. He remained in the service of

Gdańsk, whereas for Wrocław he consulted the projects

of fortications only. When he signed the contract with

Wrocław, he initially had to focus on urban projects. How-

ever, as the construction of the Wrocław fortications pro-

class family in the free town of Lindau situated on Lake

Constance in southern Bavaria on October 9, 1544 [11,

p. 33]. His rst documented work was the construction

of the English House in Gdańsk in the years 1568–1570,

where, as a construction manager, he collaborated with

Hans Kramer (died 1577), the then building master of

the Gdańsk city council. Their close professional rela-

tionships were sealed with the marriage of Schneider and

Kramer’s daughter [12, pp. 534, 535].

Hans Schneider von Lindau worked both in Pomera-

nia and in Silesia. In his Pomeranian period of activity,

in the years 1570–1580, he worked as a master builder of

the town council in Elbląg. In 1580, he was employed as

a city architect in Gdańsk and reconstructed the city for-

tications after the damage caused during the siege of the

city by Stefan Batory. It was him who in 1582 designed

new fortications of Wisłoujście Fortress in the type of

the carré fort (four-sided) after the war of 1577. The for-

tications were built on a rectangular plan because the

previously existing fortications (a lighthouse with de-

fensive objects) were included in the defensive perimeter.

The curtain acquired an angular form in this section. Four

bastions were built on the corners of the fort. The south-

ern bastion was the rst to be constructed (1586), then in

1587 the eastern bastion under which warehouses were

built under the curtain of the embankment. The northern

and western bastions received more massive faces. In the

northern bastion, cross vaults on pillars were built inside

it, which was more advantageous for its fortress and stor-

age purposes. Originally, the entrance opening to the fort

(situated on the land side) was to be protected by the bas-

tion’s orillon. Changes in the design, however, deprived

it of this protection, but it was still within the range of its

anking batteries [2, pp. 39–41].

On March 18, 1584, the Wrocław City Council asked

Hans Schneider von Lindau, who was in the service of

Gdańsk, to take the position of the city architect. Being

bound by the contract, he could not agree to this proposal,

nevertheless, he accepted the commission to design spe-

cic defense objects.

The rst work in Wrocław, whose nal stages of con-

struction might have been consulted with Hans Schneider

von Lindau, was the Imperial Bastion (next to the impe-

rial castle), which was built in the years 1577–1584 [13,

pp. 211, 212]. Ceglarski Roundel Bastion, which was situ-

ated within the fortications of Wrocław, was demolished

on February 12, 1585, and in its place Ceglarski Bastion

May 9, 1586, the cornerstone for the construction of Ce-

glarski Bastion was laid. Already in 1587, the bastion was

completed. It was a corner earthwork layout with a stone

pre-rampart and two-level casemates. Behind the orillons

of the bastion there were gun emplacements [2, p. 33, 34].

The conrmed presence of Hans Schneider von Lindau

in Wrocław dates back to 1587, when General Starost of

Silesia, bishop Andreas von Jerin in his letter of July 22,

1587, asked Wrocław councilor Simon von Hanniwaldt

to contact him as regards the possibility of temporary em-

ployment of the fortication builder who erected new The

River Oder bastion fortications on [14, p. 125].

 BastionfortificationsinWiązówandŻórawina 123

gressed and the city’s security level increased, he was able

to start working for other principals.

In 1587, the owner of Żórawina, Simon von Hanni-

waldt, on the recommendation of bishop Andreas von Jer-

in, contacted Hans Schneider von Lindau. His task was to

obtain the services of a fortication builder for the bish-

op during building the fortication of his two cities, i.e.

Nysa and Otmuchów. Finally, in 1594, he undertook the

modernization of the fortications of two bishop’s towns,

i.e., Nysa and Wiązów [3, p. 81], [4, p. 120]. The death of

bishop Andreas von Jerin in 1596 interrupted the works at

the bastions in Nysa. At the same time, his death resulted in

the employment of Hans Schneider von Lindau by Simon

von Hanniwaldt during the reconstruction of the Żórawina

com plex in the years 1597–1602 [2, p. 38], [10, pp. 74–76].

In Brzeg, where he stayed twice in the years 1596 and

1598 at the invitation of Joachim Fryderyk, Duke of Leg-

nica and Brzeg (29/09/1550–25/09/1602), Hans Schnei der

von Lindau modernized the Castle Bastion on the River

Oder. He gave it a new plan – as a result of the remodeling,

the object gained a form similar to Ceglarski Bastion in

Wrocław [14, pp. 131, 132].

In Oleśnica, in the years 1602–1603, he supervised the

construction of a rampart gate in the form of a barbican

and the earthen fortications of the castle from the fore-

ground, where two bastions and a curtain were built [15,

p. 69].

In 1605, he visited the castle in Chrzelice twice and de -

signed bastion fortications. They were not implemented,

perhaps because Hans Schneider von Lindau died on No-

vember 22, 1606 in Wrocław and their execution would

have been deprived of his professional supervision [16,

p. 212].

Wiązów

– example of a carré type fort

Wiązów is situated halfway between (about 40 km from

both centers) Nysa and Wrocław, by the River Oława and

smaller watercourses – Babica, Łękawka and Mły nów -

ka. From the Middle Ages it was the bishop’s property,

being a safe stopping place on the communication route

between the bishop’s Nysa and Wrocław, the capital of

the region [17, p. 623]. Bimler dened the original lay-

outs protecting Wiązów with the term “maceria” (which

means ruins) – they had the form of a fence additionally

reinforced with a moat. In 1580, their condition was unsat-

isfactory and they did not fulll their defensive functions.

In 1590, Bishop Andreas von Jerin (1541–1596) initiated

their general reconstruction. He entrusted the work of re-

construction to Schneider von Lindau. On April 25, 1594,

the bishop received the message that the outline of the for-

tications had been marked out and the work was done

by Melchior Festenberger who worked according to the

guidelines of Schneider von Lindau. The early modern

earthen curtains partially repeated the medieval course of

the fortications (elliptical), whereas four bastions were

located in the corners and were open from the city side.

The ramparts and bastions were equipped with parapets.

In the place of the old moat and the medieval embank-

ment, similar to the shape of an ellipse, a layout with four

bastions at the corners was established on a rectangular

plan (Fig. 1). Longer curtains of the embankment were

about 300 m long, whereas the shorter ones were about

150 m. The whole complex was additionally surrounded

by a wet moat. New city gates were built at the city exits

leading to Wrocław, Brzeg, and Nysa. Wooden platforms

led to them and the gates themselves were equipped with

bascule bridges. The rst to be completed was Nyska

Gate which was presented in the drawing by Friedrich

Bernhard Werner. It was made of stone, embedded in the

embankment, and covered with red roof tiles. Already

Bimler noticed that it was enlarged (possibly signicantly

over-scaled) by the author of the drawing and protruded

signicantly beyond the parapet line. The drawing does

not show the remaining towers, hence his assumption that

the two remaining gates had a less extensive architectural

program, perhaps only the gate passage itself, which was

covered with a ceiling or a vault with a room for guards on

the gates [3, p. 81], [4, pp. 119–121].

In Wiązów, in the areas by the River Młynówka and

Spacerowa Street (south-western part of the town), there

Fig. 1. Fortifications in Wiązów

(German: Wansen)

in the map section from 1750

(source: BUWr, Oddział Zbiorów

Kartograficznych, 59-IV.B)

Il. 1. Fortyfikacje Wiązowa

(niem. Wansen)

na wycinku mapy z 1750 r.

(źródło: BUWr, Oddział Zbiorów

Kartograficznych, 59-IV.B)

124 Rafał Śledzik-Kamiński

are relics of earthen town fortications, i.e., a bastion with

curtains and the remains of a moat. The preserved em-

bankment curtains in a trapezoidal cross-section, 9–10 m

wide at the base, were about 84 m long (by Młynówka)

and 35 m (in Spacerowa Street). The height in relation to

the ground level was about 1 to 1.5 m and about 2.5 m,

counting from the preserved relics of the moat. The pre-

served bastion’s left face was about 44 m long and the

right face was about 26 m long. The left ank which

connected the curtain with the face was about 8 m long,

whereas the right ank was about 18 m long (Fig. 2).

Żórawina

– an example of a fortified residential complex

with bastion fortifications

Żórawina is situated about 15 km from Wrocław on

Wrocław Plain in the conuence of Żórawka and Żalina.

The village has a medieval origin

and in the early modern

period it was owned by the von Prockendorf family. The

death of Matthias von Prockendorf in 1579 allowed the

Bishop of Wrocław to take over the town [10, pp. 32, 33].

Bishop Martin von Gerstmann (1527–1585) hand-

ed over Żórawina to Simon Hanniwaldt von Eckers-

dor (1529–1599) in 1584. During the reign of Bishop

Kaspar von Logau (1524–1574), Simon von Hanniwaldt

worked for the Silesian Chamber as its secretary and

later as a chancellor. For his service to the church, he

was awarded a lifetime award to the village of Czerni-

ca near Wrocław (in 1572). The death of Bishop Kasper

von Logau (in 1574) did not interrupt his career in the

church administration. Martin von Gerstmann, who was

elected bishop in 1574, entrusted him with the oce of

chancellor. In 1575 Simon Hanniwaldt von Eckersdor

received another church ef – Pilczyce. From 1576, he

A history of Żórawina, ownership changes in the village, as well

as the architectural layout of the Holy Trinity Church were described in

detail in the monograph [10].

was also an advisor to princes as well as states of Low-

er and Upper Silesia. Andreas von Jerin, a new bishop

of Wrocław from 1586, also entrusted him with the of-

ce of counselor. On the bishop’s recommendation who

wanted to modernize the fortications of Nysa and Ot-

muchów (in 1587), Simon von Hanniwaldt got familiar

with the new Wrocław fortications and with their author

Hans Schneider von Lindau [10, pp. 56–58]. Already Si-

mon von Hanniwaldt saw Żórawina as the center of the

family estates, but it was his successor Adam von Han-

niwaldt (1567–1621) who took decisive steps to achieve

this goal. From 1591, he was an advisor to bishop Andreas

von Jerin and from

1597, a counselor to Duke of Oleśnica

and Ziębice, Charles II of Podbiera dowicz (15/04/1545–

28/01/1617). He also held an elder land oce and a lay

judge of the vassal court in Weichbild and Wrocław Princi-

pality. He was also a diplomat for the services of Maximi-

lian II Habsburg

(31.01.1527–12.101576) and Maciej

Habs burg

(24.02.1557–20.03.1619). He also carried out

diplo matic missions for Emperor Rudolf II Habsburg

(18/07/1552–20/01/1612) who made him an advisor to the

Silesian Chamber. On September 22, 1608, he obtained

a patent from Rudolf II in Prague, which changed the ex-

isting church ef of Żórawina into a free castle ef and the

village received town privileges [5, pp. 64, 65].

The rst investments which were connected with the

change in the status of the village were made in the years

1600–1602, when the renovation of the church began.

The works on furnishing the temple were carried out until

1604. It was also then that the fortications surrounding

King of Bohemia from September 20, 1562 to October 12, 1576,

King of Germany from November 28, 1562 to October 12, 1576, King of

Hungary and Croatia from September 8, 1563 to October 12, 1576, Holy

Roman Emperor from June 13, 1564 to October 12, 1576, Archduke of

Austria from July 25, 1564 to October 12, 1576.

King of Hungary and Croatia from 1608 to March 20, 1619,

Archduke of Austria from 1608 to March 20, 1619, King of Bohemia

from 1611 to March 20, 1619, Holy Roman Emperor from June 13, 1612

to March 20, 1619.

Fig. 2. Wiązów, reconstruction

of the preserved bastion

with curtains (elaborated by

R. Śledzik-Kamiński)

Il. 2. Wiązów, rekonstrukcja

zachowanego bastionu

z kurtynami

(oprac. R. Śledzik-Kamiński)

 BastionfortificationsinWiązówandŻórawina 125

this complex were extended in the years 1597–1602 [2,

p. 38]. Nowadays in Żórawina, earth fortications in the

form of embankments with three semi-bastions (the fourth

one was pulled down in the 19

century) and a moat have

been preserved around the Holy Trinity Church which

was rebuilt into a mannerist one (Fig. 3).

The rst researcher to recognize internal buildings

within the embankments was Gellhorn. He made an at-

tempt at reconstructing the island’s development, where,

apart from the church, he marked the relics of the manor

and the preserved fortications [5, pp. 39, 73, Fig. 26].

Bimler dened the initial chronology of the preserved

fortications for the 17

century, which suggests that the

reason for their formation was the desire to be secured

during the Thirty Years’ War that was going on at that time

[6, p. 62]. Rozpędowski described the layout in Żórawina

as a structure with a regular rectangular plan which was

surrounded by a trapezoidal earth embankment and rein-

forced with bastions in the corners as well as surrounded

by a deep watered moat [7, pp. 44–46]. The ramp, which

was located at the southern curtain, next to the brick ram-

part gate with a drawbridge, led to the embankment. The

corner bastions were given the form of semi-bastions

(they had one bastion face and one bastion ank which

connected the ank with the curtain, whereas the line of

the bastion’s head was also the curtain’s wing). On the

south-eastern semi-bastion, relics of the parapet have been

preserved, which suggests that it existed along the entire

length of the defensive perimeter.

Under the earthen embankments, there are relics of the

southern gate with a clearance of 2.8 × 2.5 m, limited by

counterfort and buttresses, which might have been cov-

ered with a ceiling or vault (Fig. 4). A wooden bridge,

partly a drawbridge, led to it.

The length of the curtains was 37 and 86 m, the face of

the bastion was 30 m long, the ank of the bastion was 4 m,

the width of the curtain at the ank (at the narrowest point)

was 6 m, the angle of the bastion was 60°, respectively. The

height of the embankments was 1.7 m (from the ground

level) and 5.5 m from the bottom of the moat [8, p. 95].

As already mentioned, by noticing analogical forti-

cation designs in Żmigród and Uraz, where the use of semi-

bastions was also planned, Rozpędowski considered Va-

lentin von Säbisch the younger to be the author of the

Żóra wina fortications in the Dutch type. At the same

time, he criticized the ndings of Gellhorn who had de-

ned the origin of the manor house on the island, demol-

ished in 1880, at the turn of the 17

century, in this way

leaving the ndings and more detailed determination of

the chronology to future researchers [7, pp. 43–46], [8,

p. 62]. The authorship of Valentin von Säbisch the young-

er was accepted by most specialists as certain, or almost

certain, and the date of their construction was also estab-

lished for year 1630 [18, p. 59], [19, p. 1110].

Józef Pilch recognized the son of Valentin Albrecht von

Säbisch as the author of the fortications, specifying the

Fig. 3. Żórawina, reconstruction

of bastion fortifications

(elaborated by R. Śledzik-

Kamiński)

Il. 3. Żórawina, rekonstrukcja

fortyfikacji bastionowych

(oprac. R. Śledzik-Kamiński)

Fig. 4. Manor house in Żórawina. Southern fortress gate.

Relics of the building and the outer bank of the moat

(photo by Z. Nowakowski, 1981,

source: Dolnośląska Biblioteka Cyfrowa, DUN1/15999)

Il. 4. Dwór w Żórawinie. Południowa brama forteczna.

Relikty budynku i zewnętrznego brzegu fosy

(fot. Z. Nowakowski, 1981,

źródło: Dolnośląska Biblioteka Cyfrowa, DUN1/15999)

126 Rafał Śledzik-Kamiński

time of formation of the fortications, i.e., the 1

half of

the 17

century [9, pp. 478, 479].

Oszczanowski in his monograph on The Holy Trinity

Church cited two verse descriptions of the temple and its

immediate surroundings. In the rst, from 1606, the au-

thor of which was Balthasar Exner, we nd the following

verses [translated from the Polish translation]: […] that

thethroneofthetemplewouldnotberobbed, / Andeither

[not to be robbed] the Heroines of the temple, / Wonderful

images of heroines, [Adam von Hanniwaldt] surrounded

thebuildingswitharampart. / Theembankmentwaslled

withditches,andtheditcheswerelledwithwater. / From

thefaceyoucanseethenewbulwark [arsenal] armedwith

thehandofMars. / Thankstothis,beingfreeofanyene-

my,youcanattendtosacredthings. / Who,however,can

entirelycounttheweaponsofthatMars? / Walkerorrider,

go on foot, / Youhavebulletsagainstenemymissilesat

hand […] [10, p. 75]. In the second one, from 1610, Georg

Reutter included his description of the island’s buildings

with earth embankments surrounding the newly remod-

eled church as well as a manor house known as a castle

and an arsenal [10, p. 75].

Thanks to these two poems, it was possible to clarify the

chronology and spatial development of the island, where

already in the 1

decade of the 17

century, apart from

the renovated church, there were earth fortications with

a moat, a manor house (called a castle) and an arsenal.

Both Lewicka-Cempa and Oszczanowski, on the basis

of their research, recognized Hans Schneider von Lindau

as the author of the bastion fortications in Żórawina. Not

only was he responsible for the design of the mannerist re-

modeling of the church, but also for putting up the bastion

fortications that surrounded it [2, p. 38], [10, pp. 79–87].

At the time when the fortications in Żórawina were

built, Hans Schneider von Lindau was an active fortica-

tion builder in Silesia. He must have known Simon and

Adam von Hanniwaldt personally because of the clerical

functions they performed. Bimler claimed that due to the

high remuneration which the city decided to pay him, his

services were reserved only for Wrocław [14, pp. 126,

127]. While this could have been the case at the beginning

of his work in Silesia, at the end of the 16

century most

of the Wrocław fortications had already been designed

and their construction was underway. Anyway, the pos-

sibility of using the services of the Wrocław fortication

builder by General Starost of Silesia – Bishop Andreas

von Jerin – was by all means benecial to the interests of

Wrocław. A line of communication opened up between the

city and the most important royal ocial in Silesia. The

possibility of using Schneider’s services by members of

the von Hanniwaldt family, who occupied high positions

in the clerical hierarchy, was no longer unusual if we take

into account their interrelationships and contacts.

Summary

Reconstructing the list of countries and places where

Hans Schneider von Lindau gained his professional expe-

rience is dicult today. However, the measures of length

which were used by him when designing fortications

give some clues as to the places of his studies. The Vien-

nese foot

, which he used, was most likely an adjustment

to the measures used in Silesia, which were known and

applied by his local co-workers. However, the cubit which

he also used and in metric values equaled 53 cm, was

characteristic of the city of Reggio in northern Italy [11,

p. 96]. It can therefore be assumed that he was educated

in Reggio or its immediate vicinity, or possibly in Hunga-

ry, where the fortications of the New-Italian school were

constructed by northern Italian fortication builders [11,

p. 120].

In the fortications he erected, he used three forms of

bastions. Bernardyński Bastion from Wrocław and the

bastion which was situated to the south of Mikołajska

Gate in Nysa are bastions of the New Italian type with

old Italian elements. They had rectangular orillons and

the parapet of the upper embankment which surrounded

the faces. It was also possible to establish additional re

positions behind the orillons.

Ceglarski Bastion and Sakwowy Bastion in Wrocław

were earthen layouts with a stone parapet of the pre-ram-

part. Additionally, in order to increase the repower, they

might have been equipped with a cavalier. They were

modeled on the assumptions of the treaty, the author of

which was Daniel Specklin (Speckle).

The third type of bastion was connected with Wisło-

ujście Fortress and the Nysa fortications, a bastion with

stone and brick face and with earthen parapet, with long

lowered orillons which were used by Hans Schneider von

Lindau for smaller architectural objects. Its origins should

be sought in Szatmár Fortress in Transylvania [11, p. 68].

On the basis of the material from which the forti-

cations in Wiązów and Żórawina were built – soil, turf,

fascine – they could be classied as the Dutch type. How-

ever, knowing their author, the period in which he lived

and worked, as well as his professional experience and

the time of their construction, it would be necessary to

change their typological aliation to the mixed Old and

New Italian type. In Hungary, already from the beginning

of the 16

century, there were many Italian engineers and

fortication builders who constructed bastion fortica-

tions which were supposed to survive and stop attacks of

the Ottoman Empire. Due to the lack of time necessary to

erect stone fortications and a necessary material (stone,

brick), the Italian-type bastion fortications began to be

built of wood and earth. Builders erected log grates which

were lled with wet earth and then compacted, where-

as the external walls were reinforced with fascine [20,

pp. 23–29].

The bastion fortications which were constructed around

Wiązów and Żórawina constitute an example of the Ital-

ian-type bastion fortication and in Silesia they were built

with the use of Hungarian techniques. Hans Schneider

von Lindau used fort carré (four-sided) as the basis for his

projects. He had already successfully used this solution

in Wisłoujście Fortress. He adapted it to local conditions

The Viennese foot – 31.61023 cm, was used in Silesia and in

Hun gary in parallel with the Silesian foot – 28.8 cm.

 BastionfortificationsinWiązówandŻórawina 127

and needs, thanks to which it was possible to build mod-

ern bastion fortications around Wiązów in a short time.

As a result, they increased its defensive values. While re-

modeling the church in Żórawina, he also planned new

bastion fortications, which, supplemented with a court

and an arsenal, transformed this complex into a renais-

sance noble residence, fully fortied. The bastion forti-

cations which were designed by Hans Schneider von Lin-

dau did not dier from the European models at the turn

of the 17

century [21, p. 21 et seq.]. The outbreak of

the Thirty Years’ War in the 17

century subjected them

to a re test. Wrocław Fortress was not threatened by

direct attack thanks to its extensive bastion fortications

which were managed by over 2,000 city soldiers, where-

as in 1642 Brzeg successfully repelled the Swedish siege,

which lasted four weeks. Of course, one can argue that

both Wiązów [3, p. 282] and Żórawina [10, p. 36] were

con quered during this conict, which may indicate that

the strengthening of these two centers was inadequate. It

should be emphasized, however, that this was not due to

the weakness of the fortications, but due to an insu-

cient number of soldiers. In order for the fortications to

eectively fulll their military function, there should be

200 soldiers and 3–4 cannons per one bastion (taking into

account the rotation, where some of the re team fought,

some rested, and some were on standby to support their

ghting colleagues) [22, pp. 87–95]. An insucient num-

ber of soldiers necessary to man the fortications and to

ght in the eld was, however, a constant problem of the

imperial army [23, pp. 173–177].

The bastion fortications around Wiązów and Żórawi-

na also served non-utilitarian purposes. Winning a famous

fortication builder, i.e. Hans Schneider von Lindau, -

nancing the construction of fortications, their preserva-

tion and maintenance, was a demonstration of the social

position, prestige, wealth, as well as political aspirations

of the founder.

Translatedby

BogusławSetkowicz

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128 Rafał Śledzik-Kamiński

Abstract

Bastion fortications in Wiązów and Żórawina

as an example of less known Silesian implementations by Hans Schneider von Lindau

The article is devoted to early modern fortication builder Hans Schneider von Lindau. The aim of the work was to present a professional career

of this fortication builder and his bastion fortications thanks to the studies of source literature as well as archival iconographic and cartographic

materials. The fortications in two smaller centers, i.e., Wiązów and Żórawina, were researched. In Żórawina, it was possible to determine the

hitherto uncertain authorship and to pinpoint the construction time of fortications, namely for the years 1597–1602. In general, the author of the

article claims that the fortications designed by Hans Schneider von Lindau in smaller centers were as modern as the bastion fortications he erected

in larger towns.

Key words: bastion, bastion fortications, early modern period, Hans Schneider von Lindau, Wiązów, Żórawina

Streszczenie

Fortykacje bastionowe w Wiązowie i Żórawinie

jako przykład mniej znanych śląskich realizacji Hansa Schneidera von Lindau

Artykuł jest poświęcony nowożytnemu fortykatorowi Hansowi Schneiderowi von Lindau. Celem pracy było przybliżenie – dzięki studiom nad

literaturą przedmiotu, archiwalnymi materiałami ikonogracznymi i kartogracznymi – zawodowej kariery tego budowniczego oraz wykonanych

przez niego umocnień bastionowych. Badaniom poddano umocnienia w dwóch mniejszych ośrodkach: Wiązowie i Żórawinie. W Żórawinie możliwe

było ustalenie niepewnego dotychczas autorstwa i uściślenie czasu budowy fortykacji na lata 1597–1602. Uogólniając, autor artykułu pokusił się

o stwierdzenie, że projektowane przez Hansa Schneidera von Lindau fortykacje w mniejszych ośrodkach były równie nowoczesne jak umocnienia

bastionowe wznoszone przez niego w większych miastach.

Słowa kluczowe: bastion, fortykacje bastionowe, okres nowożytny, Hans Schneider von Lindau, Wiązów, Żórawina

Bastion fortifications in Wiązów and Żórawina as an example of less known Silesian implementations by Hans Schneider von Lindau

Rafał Śledzik-Kamiński

doi:10.37190/arc210412

Abstract