Wleń/Lähn District in the Sudetes Foothills, Poland: A Case Study of Cultural Landscape Evolution of an East Central European Settlement Microregion From the Tenth to the Eighteenth Centuries

International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Jul 2016

The aim of the study is to reconstruct the evolution of the cultural landscape of a settlement microregion located in Central-Eastern Europe, in the Sudetes Foothills. The microregion selected for the research, Wleń, is a good example to study and describe phenomena that are also typical of other similar administrative and economic territories in this cultural zone during the medieval period and the modern era. Archaeological evidence, written and cartographic sources, Airborne Laser Scanning, Geographical Information System and geomagnetic research were used to reconstruct the development and forms of particular elements of the settlement and the economic structure.

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Wleń/Lähn District in the Sudetes Foothills, Poland: A Case Study of Cultural Landscape Evolution of an East Central European Settlement Microregion From the Tenth to the Eighteenth Centuries

Wleń/Lähn District in the Sudetes Foothills, Poland: A Case Study of Cultural Landscape Evolution of an East Central European Settlement Microregion From the Tenth to the Eighteenth Centuries Małgorzata Chorowska 0 1 Paweł Duma 0 1 Mirosław Furmanek 0 1 Maria Legut-Pintal 0 1 Anna Łuczak 0 1 Jerzy Piekalski 0 1 Mirosław Furmanek 0 1 0 Institute of Archaeology, University of Wroclaw , Wroclaw , Poland 1 Wroclaw University of Technology , Wroclaw , Poland The aim of the study is to reconstruct the evolution of the cultural landscape of a settlement microregion located in Central-Eastern Europe, in the Sudetes Foothills. The microregion selected for the research, Wleń, is a good example to study and describe phenomena that are also typical of other similar administrative and economic territories in this cultural zone during the medieval period and the modern era. Archaeological evidence, written and cartographic sources, Airborne Laser Scanning, Geographical Information System and geomagnetic research were used to reconstruct the development and forms of particular elements of the settlement and the economic structure. Introduction The Wleń microregion developed as a result of complex settlement, economic and social processes that took place on the border of various cultural zones and were connected with the changing political structures of Poland, the Czech state and Germany. It is located in East Central Europe, in the upland southern part of Silesia (Fig. 1). This particular settlement complex was chosen as a case study because of the significant role that it played in the Middle Ages. It used to function as a local central town, however, neighboring bigger towns gradually took over its position. Nevertheless, Wleń has retained its unusual character, conditioned by the rich history. It is a model example of a coherent settlement microregion in this part of Europe and the current state of research allows for an attempt to prepare a comprehensive study. The aim of this paper is to analyze the course and conditions of historical evolution of the Wleń microregion in the pre-industrial era. Particular elements of the studied complex appeared in different periods of time and conditions, reflecting contemporary settlement and economic tendencies as well as legal situation. Development of the settlement structure began in the tenth century when a stronghold with an adjacent settlement on Góra Zamkowa in Wleń, on the left bank of the Bóbr River, was founded. It was mentioned in the bulla of Pope Adrian IV issued in 1155 as one of the centers that mark the southern border of the diocese of Wrocław (KDS 1951–64, vol. 1, no. 35). It is assumed to have been the central place of one of the stronghold districts—the oldest local form of administrative division of the early Polish state. The stronghold was radically rebuilt and transformed into a stone castle in the early thirteenth century at the latest. During the time of Ostsiedlung (or German colonization), when Henry I the Bearded was Duke of Silesia, the town of Wleń was founded by the river at the foot of Góra Zamkowa. A network of villages in its close neighborhood also appeared. In the late Middle Ages the former stronghold district was transformed into an administrative unit referred to as Weichbild or Districtus, terms that were typical of German medieval legal system. The structure became a basis for modern Wleń (German Lähn) county that has its own historical and cultural identity (Knoblich 1863; Patschowsky 1925). Knowledge about the structure of the settlement complex and its transformations was until now based on the results of historical and archaeological research performed using traditional methods. Attention was focused on the medieval castle, especially its highest, most elite part where Romanesque buildings were discovered ( Buśko et al. 1990 , 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996; Chorowska et al. 2009, s. 235–256; Jaworski et al. 2012; Marek and Piekalski 2005; Piekalski and Wysocka 2000, 2001). Early dating of the new type of fortified residence, unfamiliar in the contemporary Polish State yet typical of the feudal Europe, provoked an intense debate on the beginning of castles in Poland (Boguszewicz 1998, 2001, 2010, pp. 61, 164-166; Buśko 1998; Buśko and Michniewicz 2006; Chorowska 2003, pp. 52-55, 2008, pp. 68-74; Chorowska et al. 2009; Czechowicz 1998; Kajzer et al. 2003, pp. 13-34, 541-543; Michniewicz et al. 2007; Mruczek 2005; Rozpędowski 1999) . Other elements of the structure remained unnoticed in the discussion, possibly due to methodological constraints. Presently, widely available non-invasive survey techniques, based on the possibilities of Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS), as well as interdisciplinary cooperation brought new opportunities. They allowed to break the impasse and examine Wleń district from a different perspective. Nevertheless, earlier achievements are not in principle questione (...truncated)


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Małgorzata Chorowska, Paweł Duma, Mirosław Furmanek, Maria Legut-Pintal, Anna Łuczak, Jerzy Piekalski. Wleń/Lähn District in the Sudetes Foothills, Poland: A Case Study of Cultural Landscape Evolution of an East Central European Settlement Microregion From the Tenth to the Eighteenth Centuries, International Journal of Historical Archaeology, 2017, pp. 66-106, Volume 21, Issue 1, DOI: 10.1007/s10761-016-0351-8