An attempt to reconstruct selected elements of the original site topography of the Teutonic castles at Unisław and Starogród (Chełmno Land, Northern Poland) based on archaeological and cartographic data

Abstract

The article presents an attempt to reconstruct the original site topographies of 13 th -century Teutonic castles at Unisław and Starogród, which have not been preserved in the surface terrain. The archaeological remains of both castles are located in the west of Chełmno Land, on the edge of a moraine plateau 30 to 50 metres above the floor of the Vistula valley. The reconstruction used a research approach known as Historical GIS (HGIS), which, besides archaeological data, employs digitised historical cartographic sources. The research showed that changes in the original site topography are associated with anthropogenic transformations in the plateau surface, mainly due to agricultural use, and with retreat of the plateau edge resulting from natural and man-made landslide processes. The authors believe that the reconstruction of the castles' original site topographies could be used to verify detailed hypotheses related to the conditions of their construction and operation. An attempt to reconstruct selected elements of the original site topography of the Teutonic castles at Unisław and Starogród (Chełmno Land, NorthernPoland) based on archaeological and cartographic data

The Teutonic crusade in Prussia: reconstruction of a medieval fortified settlement complex at Unisław

“…The reconstructed plan of the tower house and defensive walls shows that the north-west wing and part of the south-west wing extended beyond the present-day edge of the plateau of the headland (Figure 6A–B). Molewski et al (2018) have demonstrated that subsequent sand and gravel quarrying have caused landslides, which have destroyed parts of the headland slopes.

Figure 6.Attempted reconstruction of the topography of the castle: A) digital elevation model of the present-day surface; B) digital elevation model of the reconstructed surface (figure by P. Molewski).

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New historical data on the Teutonic Order crusades in Prussia: geophysical and archaeological research into an earth‐and‐timber stronghold and city of the 1230s at Starogród, northern‐central Poland

“…The studies conducted have shown that on the southwest edge there are no relics of the high castle in the form of wall foundations or their negatives (Wasik, ). On that side they have suffered destruction as a result of landslide processes (Molewski, Wasik, & Wiewióra, , 21–25). In addition, the southern slope of the quasi‐peninsula on which the castle is located was terraced in Early Modern times.…”