Unit 4: The cultural scene of the urban area - development, change, regional city types

The expansion of the Roman Empire changed the structure of settlement in Central Europe. Because of the strong resistance of Germanic tribes, the Romans were kept from further movements to the north. Until today the Hermanns Monument in the Teutoburger forest [1] is a reminder of a decisive battle which took place in the year 9 A.D.

To protect themselves against the Germanic tribes, the Romans constructed a wall of defence, the so called Limes [2]. This wall of defence extended from the lower Rhine region, along the Main to the Danube. Under the rule of the Romans the cities developed in an extremley positive manner. Examples of this are the cities Trier [3], Cologne, Mainz [4] and Regensburg, where historical architecture reminds us of former times.

During the middle of the 3rd century, Germanic tribes started to cross the Limes. A tremendous decline of the Roman culture in Central Europe followed. Only a few of the Roman- and prehistorical city complexes resisted in the period of the migration of the nations (4th-6th century), most of which were Episcopal sees, one example being the city of Cologne [5].

With the emergence of the Franconian Empire at the end of the 5th century, territorial and political relations changed. The subdivision of the Franconian Empire into counties, dukedoms, bishoprics and other political unities was a fundamental condition for the development of cities in the middle ages. This was also the time when military roads and trade routes were established. They eventually covered nearly all of Europe and were the important routes for the development of the cities. Under the protection of the dukes and counts, the first settlements of trade and manufacture evolved along these routes.

In the northern part of Germany those initial settlements were transformed into trade-ruled cities, the so called „wiken“, at the end of the 9th century. The various and valuable goods like salt and amber increased the importance of the cities. This type of city arose not only on the coast but also in the interior of Germany. There are different translations for the word „wik“. In the northern coastal region of Germany „wik“ is translated as „coast“ or „bay“, which could be found in city names like Wyk auf Föhr or Schleswig. In the interior, the word „wik“ is derived from the Middle High German word „weig“ which is translated as „route“. One example of this is Brunswick [6] (Hofmeister 1993: p. 31f.). Often, there was a castle which belonged to the city. This was a characteristic element of the city but it was strictly separate in its function.

The separation of city and castle was reduced in the High Middle Ages because of an increase in population and the need for expansion. At this time there was a change in city structure; the marketplace became the most important element of the city, the new focal point in the irregular ground plan of the growing cities (e.g. Hameln [7], Nördlingen [8]).

The most important period of city foundation was the High Middle Ages. The founders were worldly as well as secular rulers. The founding of the first imperial cities such as Gelnhausen and Goslar [9] occured in the 10th century. Later on the functions of the higher nobility, the secular rulers and also the lower nobility became more relevant.

The distinguishing features of the city foundations remained close to those of the Early Middle Ages. In most cases, trade routes and rivers were the starting point for the foundation of a city. Because of a strong increase in population, many cities grew so rapidly that most of them had to expand. This dynamic process resulted in city enlargement and the creation of suburbs and twin cities. One sign of this process is still visible today in the designation of city sections such as „old town“, „new town“ and „suburb“ on, for example, city maps.

The most recognizable element of the medieval city is its irregular ground plan, but there are some exceptions in the eastern part of Central Europe (i.e. Poland, the former GDR). During the colonization of this part of Europe many new cities were built up with strict regular ground plans, as can be seen in Freiberg/Saxony [10].

There was a major reduction in city development in the middle of the 14th century. Because of epedemics like the plague [11], rural crises, wars, etc. the population in Central Europe decreased from 1350 to 1500 by about 40% (Abel 1971:p. 302). This decrease in population was directly responsible for a decrease in the number of villages and cities because, in particular, small villages and cities were deserted.

In the 16th century city development experienced a new beginning. The increasing population and the discovery of America by Columbus (1492) changed the medieval world view and a new epoch started. The manner of thinking became more rational, the political structure changed and, most importantly in this epoch, the Reformation occured.

The city development of the 16th-18th century is ruled by the ideals of the Renaissance. The ground plans of Absolutistic cities (influenced by the aforementioned rational thinking) relied on the geometrical distribution of the streets. The ruler’s residence became the new focal point of the city and all roads were built in its direction. The dukedom cities were typically characterized by the latest architectual trends which developed during the beginning of what is historically considered the „modern times“. With the exception of the extravagant palaces, the garrisons and fortresses built in the so-called Vauban bastion ground plan (e.g. Hamburg 1650) [12] were likewise typical characteristics of the Absolutistics (e.g. Mannheim [13]).

The classic example of a dukedom city in Germany is Karlsruhe [14], which has a star-shaped ground plan modelled on the castle of Versailles in France. The design of the park around the castle also resembles that of Versailles. The entire ground plan of Karlsruhe was influenced by this so-called 'rational thinking'. The streets were laid out geometrically and each block was separated from the next by large-scale streets and squares.

Another type of Absolutistic city was the so-called mining city, which grew up especially in mining areas in the 15th and 16th century. These cities represent the mercantile economy of Absolutism. A fine example of this type of city is Clausthal Zellerfeld [15], which is the result of the convergence of two older mining cities.

Another important type of city from this period was the refugee-city. Such cities were built up in Protestant dukedoms from the 16th to 18th century. The religious refugees, mostly from France (called Hugenotts), were systematical settled by the dukes. They had to leave their home countries after the abolition of the edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685. These people were recruited because of their abilities in trade and manufacturing in an effort to stimulate the German economy. The main concentrations of refugee settlements in Germany were located in Hesse (e.g. Neu-Isenburg [16]) and in the dukedom Brandenburg (Heinberg 1989: p. 68).

City development in the Middle Ages and early „modern times“ resulted in the creation of various types of regional cities. According to Heineberg, the variations correspond to the availability of building material, architectural style at the time, topographical factors, etc. (Heineberg 1989: p. 71):

• Franconian cities - decorative half-timbered buildings
• Bavarian and Alp cities - massive stone buildings
• Southwest German city groups
• Central German cities (Hesse, Thuringia, Saxony)
• West lower German cities (Lower Rhine region, Westphalia, Lower Saxony) – unplastered Lüneburg brick buildings, brickfilled framework of the Osnabrück region, Weser renaissance [17]
• German coastal cities
• Cities in the eastern Elbe region [18] and Schlesien

At the beginning of the Industrial Age in the middle of the 19th century, a new period of city development began. The newly-founded companies of heavy industry required a large number of workmen who could not be recruited from among the city inhabitants. The increasing migration from rural areas to the cities caused a rapidly growing housing shortage. The number of inhabitants of most of the industrialized cities in Germany tripled between 1870 and 1890. As a result the infrastructure of the cities had to be developed: road, sewage system, water supply and housing construction was necessary. One result of this development was the origin of appartment blocks. In Germany this type of building is called „Mietskaserne“ – „rent-barracks“ – which were intended to house as many people as possible. This idea brought about inhumane housing conditions (e.g. Berlin [20]). Other typical kinds of housing during this period were housing estates, which belonged to the companies where the inhabitants worked. They were paid for and built by the industrialists next to the industrial buildings. Two examples are the „Margarethenhöhe“ in Essen and the „Siemensstadt“ in Berlin [21]. This period of city development was the beginning of the „modern city“ and an end of the influence of the Middle Ages.

Questions that may be asked: How could the ruin of the Roman city structure and culture in Germany be explained? One example is Trier [22]. Explain why the High Middle Ages was the most important period of city foundation in Germany? What are the main reasons for the different kinds of fortifications of cities in Central Europe during the Middle Ages and the early „modern times“? What are the differences in the regional city types? Try to apply the single periods of city development to the history of Berlin! Use link History Berlin [23]. Interactive Quiz

[1] http://www.hermannsdenkmal.de/125Jahre.html
[2] http://home.t-online.de/home/Bernd.Hummel/limes.htm
[3] http://www.trier.de/tourismus/english/sights/porta.htm
[4] http://www.mainz.de/WGAPublisher/online/html/default/mkuz-5nkgn9.en.0
[5] http://www.koeln.de/en/
[6] http://www.braunschweig.de/english/city/history.html
[7] http://www.hameln.de/_images/64-stadtplan.gif
[8] http://www.noerdlingen.de/englisch/start_sehenswertes.htm
[9] http://www.goslarinfo.de/stadtrundgang/
[10] http://www.freiberg.de/acaws/svfiii_fva_c.nsf/docname/Webseite_138D222FA472DF9BC1256B25002E3A34?OpenDocument
[11] http://www.mrdowling.com/703-plague.html
[12] http://www.lauritzen-hamburg.de/fotosekke/hamburgkarte_1650.jpg
[13] http://www.zum.de/Faecher/G/BW/Landeskunde/rhein/ma/ma_stad.htm
[14] http://www.karlsruhe.de/Historie/Stadtrundgang/rustart.en.htm
[15] http://www.inggeo.tu-clausthal.de/clausthal/bis-1750.html
[16] http://www.neu-isenburg.de/showobject.phtml?&object=tx|113.60.1
[17] http://www.lemgo.de/hexenbuergermeisterhaus.htm
[18] http://www.neubrandenburg.de/de/portraittext.html
[19] http://www.lauritzen-hamburg.de/fotosekke/hamburgkarte_1830.jpg
[20] http://www.politikwiki.de/index.php/Mietskaserne
[21] http://www.siemens-stadt.de/gesamt0.htm
[22] http://www.trier.de/tourismus/english/history.htm
[23] http://www.berlinonline.de/berlin-chronik/.html/index.html

Bibliography