Medieval Architecture and City Planning

Medieval Architecture and City Planning

Romanesque Architecture

• Characterized by:
  • Massive walls, rounded arches, and barrel vaults
  • Use of stone, brick, and rubble construction
  • Decorative elements: pilasters, arcades, and ornate carvings
• Features:
  • Thick walls and small windows for defense
  • Nave and aisles, with a central apse
  • Often features a large tower or bell tower
• Examples: Speyer Cathedral, Durham Cathedral, and Pisa Cathedral

Medieval Fortifications

• Purpose: protection from invasion and siege warfare
• Types:
  • Curtain walls: surrounding city walls
  • Battlements: notched parapets for archers
  • Moats: water-filled ditches surrounding the fortification
  • Towers: for defense and lookout
• Features:
  • Gatehouses: heavily fortified entrance points
  • Portcullises: heavy, vertically-closing gates
  • Murder holes: openings for defenders to attack invaders

Castle Design

• Purpose: residences for nobility, military strongholds, and symbols of power
• Features:
  • Keep: central, fortified tower
  • Bailey: open area for training and mustering troops
  • Moat: water-filled ditch surrounding the castle
  • Curtain walls: surrounding walls with towers and battlements
• Types:
  • Concentric castles: multiple layers of defense
  • Shell keep castles: strong, circular walls

Urban Planning in Medieval Europe

• Characteristics:
  • Narrow, winding streets and alleys
  • High population density
  • Unplanned growth, with buildings constructed as needed
• Features:
  • Marketplaces: central gathering points for trade and commerce
  • Guildhalls: meeting places for trade organizations
  • City walls: surrounding fortifications for protection
  • Cathedrals and churches: central religious and cultural hubs

Gothic Architecture

• Characteristics:
  • Use of pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses
  • Soaring verticality, with tall, narrow windows and spires
  • Ornate decoration, including carvings and stained glass
• Features:
  • Nave and aisles, with a central apse
  • Use of lighter materials, such as stone and glass
  • Emphasis on natural light and airy, open spaces
• Examples: Notre Dame de Paris, Cologne Cathedral, and Chartres Cathedral