Town and Castle - new special edition of Archäologische Nachrichten aus Schleswig-Holstein (ANSH)

Professor Rainer Atzbach and Martin Ebert have edited Town and Castle -  a special edition of the journal Archäologische Nachrichten aus Schleswig-Holstein (ANSH) dealing with the closely connected development of towns and castles in the Southern Baltic region.

Ranging from Aarhus to Tallinn, the towns of the Southern Baltic share a remarkable story - a story that began over 800 years ago and continues to shape the region today. Towns and Castles invites readers into this landscape of medieval foundations, where urban form, political power, and social life intertwined to create one of Europe’s most distinctive cultural regions.

The book reveals how towns founded during the great economic expansion of the 12th to 14th centuries still bear the imprint of their origins: carefully planned street networks, brick-built architecture, and the ever-present relationship between post-medieval manor, medieval castle and town. These features reflect not only commercial and artisanal activity, but also the delicate balance of power between medieval rulers and emerging urban communities.

Drawing on archaeology, history, urban morphology, and architectural research, the volume shows how the built environment acts as a “treasure trove” of knowledge about medieval world views, technologies, and societies. It also traces the history of urban‑form research in Europe and highlights how new interdisciplinary initiatives such as the Research on Urban Heritage in Medieval Mecklenburg (RUHMM) project are revitalising the study of medieval towns in the Southern Baltic.

Based on international seminars held in Goldberg and Aarhus, the book assembles contributions from leading scholars across Denmark, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Estonia. Their research sheds new light on the genesis of medieval towns, the role of fortified residences, and the evolution of urban landscapes that have proven sustainable for centuries.

Towns and Castles opens a new chapter in the study of medieval urbanism. It aims to reconnect researchers, provide fresh insights into early urban development, and reaffirm the Southern Baltic as a key region for interdisciplinary urban research.

Rainer Atzbach & Martin Ebert (eds.), Towns and Castles. Sonderheft Archäologische Nachrichten aus Schleswig-Holstein 9. Baden-Baden & Schleswig 2025. 242 pages, Contributions in German and English, 59 €.