080022 UE Late Gothic Architecture in Vienna. From Rudolph IV to Frederick III (2009W)

The later Middle Ages saw extensive building activity at Europe¿s royal courts and in its towns. Whereas the twelfth and thirteenth centuries can be characterised as an ¿age of the cathedrals¿, where the prelacy commissioned some of the most influential architecture of the day, the subsequent period saw the balance shift to princely and burgherly patronage, concentrated in the Continent¿s flourishing towns. A more diverse patronal base commissioned a correspondingly broad range of building projects, from churches and other public buildings (town halls, merchant halls etc.) to increasingly luxurious private lodgings. There was also a marked emphasis on the beautification of the town as a work of art in its own right. All this created conditions in which architects and sculptors were able to redefine the stylistic and technical limits of medieval architecture, paving the way for Gothic¿s dramatic final act.

As one of Europe¿s leading mercantile towns and an emerging centre of princely power, late-medieval Vienna represents a prime example of architectural developments of this type. The Habsburgs, most notably Rudolph IV and Frederick III, were certainly a driving force here, both in terms of embellishing the Hofburg and supporting building projects within the town. Important too was the patronage of nobles within court circles (as, for instance, with Maria am Gestade). And yet Vienna¿s rise to become a leading architectural centre within the Central European region also owed much to the burghers, who financed the majority of the rebuilding of St. Stephen¿s, as well as a host of other important works.

The present course seeks to exploit this rich and accessible material. Based on the detailed study of individual buildings and thus involving a number of visits to the monuments themselves (Stephansdom, Minoritenkirche, Augustinerkirche, Maria am Gestade, Hofburgkapelle, etc.), the aim will be to provide an introduction to the study of late medieval buildings, both as artistic and functional objects, and thus show how they can help us to understand fourteenth- and fifteenth-century society.