DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.41589#0020
served everywhere the town investments by German-speaking population but covered
closely only Lower Silesia and northwestern Bohemia. Not only did the use of
traditional log structures generally decrease, but when these structures occurred, they
were more and more often inssuenced by the new techniques, including even those
coming from timber-framing.
In this way, the traditional Slav crafts receded in the face of Western craftmanship
coming, directly or indirectly, from German townfolk and peasants. In the course of
time, the enchroachment of the new carpentry reached the ethnic borders of the Eastern
Slavs who, with their conservative peasant culture, always identified themselves with the
anti-Latin, i.e., anti-Gothic tradition of the Orthodox Church, and remained steadfast in
continuing archaic methods of building (Milob^dzki 1980). What is more, in the
sixteenth century, called upon to colonize Carpathian valleys, together with the
Vallachians, they brought, back to the West their primitive construction, reinforcing the
pre-historic tradition.
5. The regions os Late Gothic and its ’’Indian Summer”. In the Age of ’’Waning of
the Middle Ages”, in Central Europe, the regional differentiation in respect to the
diffusion and artistic level of the Gothic (or rather the Late Gothic) architecture, became
more polarized. In the less urbanized regions, the impact of the urban craftmanship on
rural settlements still seems to have been relatively limited. In the ”Dark Period”, when
the Hussite wars separated several regions from the leading centres of Gothic art,
a regression may be somewhere seen even in the more monumental investments. For
instance, in the isolated regional construction of Little Poland, the stone-and brick
forms of Cracow architectural tradition were then reduced (Milob^dzki 1986) which on
the other hand, could direct the interest of many investors towards wooden building,
stimulate its development and even the enrichment of forms following the style of
masonry work (Fig. 84).
It is only the wide spread in large numbers, in town and village, of log churches in
Late Gothic forms, that may be considered the first sign of the cultural advancement
and unification of a given region. As compared with stave, halftimber, and archaic log
buildings, they were of marked elegance, appropriate to the importance of the church
building, thus justifying the expense involved. In Little Poland the earliest examples of
such log churches date to at least the mid-fifteenth century (Kornecki) which does not
contradict the above statement. In Upper Silesia however, which at that time was
a cultural and economic periphery, they began to replace the primitive constructions as
late as after 1500.
At the same time, in the most urbanized and Germanized regions, the indigenous
culture, independently of its roots, was rather, totally absorbed into the universal
culture of Central Europe. Despite ethnic and class differentiation among its bearers,
this mono-culture in both its spiritual and material branches, was supra-national,
supra-estate and of high similarity in the castle, monastery, town and village. Taking
into consideration its spiritual background as well as its products, one was to describe it
as the Late Gothic culture (Mencl 1980).
With minor exceptions, the building coverage was there already in stone. On the
basis of the new dissemination, after Hussite wars, of Svabian/Bavarian art, there came
about everywhere a hitherto unknown wide spread of monumental architecture. Average
construction was generally of limited scale, but perfect in its expressive Late Gothic
shapes. The overall dynamic exchange of architectural vocabulary occurred above all in
sophisticated networks of vaulting stars and in decorative modi — the following in quick
succession: various patterns of intricate moulding. Saxon crystallic froms, and neo-
-Romanesque, Astwerk, etc., then classical Renaissance ornamentation.
Throughout the first half of the sixteenth century, already everywhere, architecture
experienced a great blossoming. Similarly as all over Europe, Late Gothic shapes and
decoration, the latter more and more inspired by Italianate motives, prevailed the
18
closely only Lower Silesia and northwestern Bohemia. Not only did the use of
traditional log structures generally decrease, but when these structures occurred, they
were more and more often inssuenced by the new techniques, including even those
coming from timber-framing.
In this way, the traditional Slav crafts receded in the face of Western craftmanship
coming, directly or indirectly, from German townfolk and peasants. In the course of
time, the enchroachment of the new carpentry reached the ethnic borders of the Eastern
Slavs who, with their conservative peasant culture, always identified themselves with the
anti-Latin, i.e., anti-Gothic tradition of the Orthodox Church, and remained steadfast in
continuing archaic methods of building (Milob^dzki 1980). What is more, in the
sixteenth century, called upon to colonize Carpathian valleys, together with the
Vallachians, they brought, back to the West their primitive construction, reinforcing the
pre-historic tradition.
5. The regions os Late Gothic and its ’’Indian Summer”. In the Age of ’’Waning of
the Middle Ages”, in Central Europe, the regional differentiation in respect to the
diffusion and artistic level of the Gothic (or rather the Late Gothic) architecture, became
more polarized. In the less urbanized regions, the impact of the urban craftmanship on
rural settlements still seems to have been relatively limited. In the ”Dark Period”, when
the Hussite wars separated several regions from the leading centres of Gothic art,
a regression may be somewhere seen even in the more monumental investments. For
instance, in the isolated regional construction of Little Poland, the stone-and brick
forms of Cracow architectural tradition were then reduced (Milob^dzki 1986) which on
the other hand, could direct the interest of many investors towards wooden building,
stimulate its development and even the enrichment of forms following the style of
masonry work (Fig. 84).
It is only the wide spread in large numbers, in town and village, of log churches in
Late Gothic forms, that may be considered the first sign of the cultural advancement
and unification of a given region. As compared with stave, halftimber, and archaic log
buildings, they were of marked elegance, appropriate to the importance of the church
building, thus justifying the expense involved. In Little Poland the earliest examples of
such log churches date to at least the mid-fifteenth century (Kornecki) which does not
contradict the above statement. In Upper Silesia however, which at that time was
a cultural and economic periphery, they began to replace the primitive constructions as
late as after 1500.
At the same time, in the most urbanized and Germanized regions, the indigenous
culture, independently of its roots, was rather, totally absorbed into the universal
culture of Central Europe. Despite ethnic and class differentiation among its bearers,
this mono-culture in both its spiritual and material branches, was supra-national,
supra-estate and of high similarity in the castle, monastery, town and village. Taking
into consideration its spiritual background as well as its products, one was to describe it
as the Late Gothic culture (Mencl 1980).
With minor exceptions, the building coverage was there already in stone. On the
basis of the new dissemination, after Hussite wars, of Svabian/Bavarian art, there came
about everywhere a hitherto unknown wide spread of monumental architecture. Average
construction was generally of limited scale, but perfect in its expressive Late Gothic
shapes. The overall dynamic exchange of architectural vocabulary occurred above all in
sophisticated networks of vaulting stars and in decorative modi — the following in quick
succession: various patterns of intricate moulding. Saxon crystallic froms, and neo-
-Romanesque, Astwerk, etc., then classical Renaissance ornamentation.
Throughout the first half of the sixteenth century, already everywhere, architecture
experienced a great blossoming. Similarly as all over Europe, Late Gothic shapes and
decoration, the latter more and more inspired by Italianate motives, prevailed the
18