Fortifications as Cultural and Historical Phenomena: Baroque fortification of the left bank of the River Vltava, Prague in the documents of the fortification comitee of the Czech Viceregency
Abstract
This paper discusses the current approaches to the subject of the permanent fortification of settlement complexes, througt case analysis of archive documents from the provenance of the fortification committee of the Czech Viceregency, notably those from the period of the reign of Charles VI that are associated with the fortifications of the left bank of the River Vltava, i.e. the Malá Strana and Hradčany quarters. The analyzed documents illustrate the practical aspects of the building, structure and repairs of fortifications as artefacts, as well as the everyday realities of the "cohabitation" of the communities with the "wall".
Prague baroque fortifications emerge as an autonomous area of specific activities, i.e. not only a feature of an urban unit for which they actually meant, in their practical everyday effect.