Urban governance and civic participation in words and stone. Urbanism in Central Europe 1200–1600

/ Termine

Urban governance and civic participation in words and stone. Urbanism in Central Europe 1200–1600

Veranstalter
Central European University, Open Society University Network, University of Erfurt
Veranstaltungsort
Budapest and Vienna
Gefördert durch
Co-funded by the Open Society University Network and the Kollegforschungsgruppe "Religion and Urbanity: reciprocal formations" (DFG-FOR 2779)
PLZ
1051
Ort
Budapest
Land
Hungary
Vom - Bis
10.07.2022 - 20.07.2022
Deadline
28.02.2022
Website
https://summeruniversity.ceu.edu/courses/urban-governance-and-civic-participation-words-and-stone-urbanism-central-europe-1200-1600
Von
Katalin Szende, Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University

This summer university course critically examines the notion of civic participation in a long-term perspective, its foundations in political thought and to explore its forms of expression in various written and visual media. It also brings Central Europe to the limelight and opens new perspectives for young scholars interested in art history, social history, pragmatic literacy and urban planning. Furthermore, it considers the value of conceptual and built heritage for modern societies.

Urban governance and civic participation in words and stone. Urbanism in Central Europe 1200–1600

Cities and towns have been established to fulfill central functions in the production, exchange and consumption of commodities, as well as to serve as administrative and religious centers for a certain district, region or realm. Therefore, they are characterized by populations larger, denser and more complex than that of the surrounding countryside. In order to manage this complexity efficiently, cities were given or gradually acquired a certain degree of autonomy and developed their own governing bodies and institutions, with varying degrees of participation by inhabitants of different social and legal standing. The system of governance necessitated the use of administrative literacy and the appropriate shaping of the physical environment, including its open spaces, buildings and ornaments.

The aim of the summer university course is threefold. First, to critically examine the notion of civic participation in a long-term perspective, its foundations in political thought and to explore its forms of expression in various written and visual media. Second, to bring Central Europe to the limelight and open new interdisciplinary perspectives for young scholars interested in art history, social history, pragmatic literacy and urban planning. Third, to consider issues of preservation, protection and the value of conceptual and built heritage for modern societies.

The course will consist of four types of activities:

(1) thematic lectures given by one of the faculty members,
(2) workshops analyzing a specific type of written or visual evidence under the guidance of two or three faculty members,
(3) thematic city walks in Budapest, Brno and Prague, visiting sites and buildings exemplifying the issues discussed in the lectures and workshops, guided by course faculty and other resource persons, and
(4) seminars where participants of the course present their research topics and receive feedback. The key topics include (a) the urbanization of Central Europe and the topography of governance; (b) the legal background of urban autonomy; (c) secular architecture and the display of authority; (d) sacred architecture and civic identity; (e) civic participation and municipal administration.

Our agenda fits into a broad trend of international research. Historical, archaeological and architectural investigations, as well as studies on political thought, have investigated medieval cities and towns on their own account. These research results have stimulated academic debates on the creation and growth of towns; on the role of seigniorial power, civic initiatives and external forces in these processes; and on the role of migration, colonization and cultural transfer in the spread of urbanization – just to name a few. The novelty of our course will be to closely link the administrative and spatial/architectural aspects and to concentrate on Central Europe from a comparative perspective.

Programm

Sunday (10 July)

Arrival in Budapest

Monday (11 July)

09.00–9.45 / SUN Orientation: SUN Office

09.45–11.15 / Introductory lecture: Central Europe and its Cities: the expansion of a concept in space and time (Katalin Szende)

11.30–13.00 / Workshop (source analysis): Town plans – the topography of governance (Felicitas Schmieder, Katalin Szende, Zoë Opačić, József Laszlovszky)

14.00–15.45 / City walk: Central Pest and the Display of Urban Governance: Town Wall, Meeting Place, Leaders of the Community in Ecclesiastical Spheres (József Laszlovszky)

16.00–17.30 / Visit to the CEU-ELTE Medieval Library, Múzeum körút 8. (Balázs Nagy, library curator)

Tuesday (12 July)

09.30–11.00 / City walk: Royal Buda – Crown, Gown and Town. Interaction of Royal, Ecclesiastic and Urban Power Zones (József Laszlovszky)

11.30–13.00 / Lecture: “Ius teutonicum” in German cities - the legal development of free burghers and urban autonomy between kings, princes, and church (Felicitas Schmieder)

14.00–15.30 / Workshop (source analysis): Legal sources: Grants of privilege, law codes, statutes (Felicitas Schmieder, Katalin Szende, Susanne Rau)

16.00–17.30 / Seminar: Discussion of participants’ presentations (all faculty)

*Wednesday (13 July)

09.30–11.00 / City walk: Civic Buda – from the shambles through the town hall to the synagogue

11.30–13.00 / Lecture: Planning for Display: The Town Square in the Central-European City (Zoë Opačić)

14.00–15.30 / Workshop (source analysis): Town halls (Béla Zsolt Szakács, Zoë Opačić, Katalin Szende)

16.00–17.30 / Seminar: Discussion of participants’ presentation topics (all faculty)

Thursday (14 July)

10.00–12.00 / City Walk: Market Place or Town? Topographical and Architectural Aspects of Urban Governance in Medieval Óbuda (József Laszlovszky)

13.00–14.30 / Lecture: Sacred Architecture in the Urban Context in Medieval Central Europe (Béla Zsolt Szakács)

15.00–16.30 / Workshop (source analysis): Churches and monasteries as highlights of the urban fabric (Zoë Opačić, Béla Zsolt Szakács, József Laszlovszky)

Friday (15 July)

09.30–11.00 / Lecture: Urban republicanism: the political principles of the late medieval and early modern Central European city (Ferenc Hörcher)

11.30–13.00 / Workshop (source analysis): Urban republicanism in practice: trust in writing, trust in governance through municipal records (Ferenc Hörcher, Susanne Rau, Katalin Szende)

14.00–15.30 / Lecture: "Good Government": civic participation in pre-modern cities? (Susanne Rau)

16.00–17.30 / Seminar: Discussion of participants’ presentation topics (all faculty)

Saturday (16 July)

06.00 departure to Prague

10.30–16.00 Visit to relevant sites in Brno: town hall, mint, castle, churches

19.30 arrival in Prague

Sunday (17 July)

Prague: Hrad (royal palace, the St Vitus cathedral) / Malá Strana / Seminar: Discussion of participants’ presentation topics (all faculty)

Monday (18 July)

Prague: Charles Bridge / Old Town, Town Hall, and Wenceslas Square with Můstek / Bethlehem Chapel / Workshop in Center for Medieval Studies, Prague / Seminar: Discussion of participants’ presentation topics (all faculty)

Tuesday (19 July)

Prague, he medieval synagogues; New Town, Emmaus Monastery / closing session

Wednesday (20 July)

Departure from Prague

Kontakt

Katalin Szende
E-Mail: szendek@ceu.edu

https://summeruniversity.ceu.edu/courses/urban-governance-and-civic-participation-words-and-stone-urbanism-central-europe-1200-1600
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