Medieval fortifications of Czech towns
Małgorzata Chorowska
doi:10.37190/arc210111
Abstract
The review contains the discussion on the monumental catalog of medieval fortifications of cities and towns in the present-day Czech Republic by Vladislav RazÃm. The catalog has been published in parts by Národnà Památkový Ústav in Prague since 2019. So far, parts two and three were published, which are devoted respectively to: part 2, in two volumes – to cities from the historic territory of Bohemia and Moravia, and part 3 – to the Czech part of Silesia. The first part – interpretative, will be a synthesis of the issues of urban medieval defensive architecture. Noteworthy are both the volume of the work, which includes a total of 260 catalog entries, as well as the capacity and length of the texts of individual entries, richly illustrated with the material from historical and architectural research – inventory, iconographic, and photographic. What is most important is the methodology of the research conducted, which was consistently applied in all of the developed defense objects, guaranteeing an in-depth recognition of their origins, architectural changes, functions, and spatial context. Summing up, it can be said that the literature on medieval Czech defense architecture has been enriched with an exceptionally valuable position.