Medieval city tower houses as an indication of conflict and struggle for dominance A comparison of selected European phenomena with examples from Silesia*

Abstract

RAFAŁ EYSYMONTT (University of Wrocław) / Medieval city tower houses
as an indication of conflict and struggle for dominance. A comparison of
selected European phenomena with examples from Silesia
The article is a continuation of the theme addressed in the text Wieża mieszkal-
na – twierdza rodu czy symbol miejskiej komuny? (The residential house – a fam-
ily stronghold or a symbol of urban commune?, “Quart” 2021, No. 3). In the first
publication, the author focused on little-known examples of medieval Roman tow-
er houses. In the text presented here, the analysis concerns the issue of social
and military conditions of residential towers in relatively rarely analysed selected
areas of the Apennine Peninsula, medieval tower houses in Dalmatia, the towers
of Regensburg and also some examples of residential towers in smaller towns of
Lower Silesia. For the Silesian examples, the phenomenon of Vogt Houses some-
times taking the form of towers was also important. The examples of architectural
solutions discussed were chosen due to the possibility of determining their pre-
cise function, as well as their importance in the urban landscape of the selected
cities. The examples selected illustrate well the phenomenon of medieval tower
houses combining both representative and defensive functions. These buildings
were focuses of some conflict within the urban community, but they were also one
of the essential elements of its external defence.