Die Wiener Hofburg im Mittelalter

The current volume of the publication on the history of the building and function of the Vienna Hofburg contains the results of research on the quadrangular castle of the late Staufer period through to the end of the Middle Ages when the Hofburg became the official residence of the Habsburg emperors. The Vienna Hofburg is primarily known to both experts and the public as an edifice and historical monument of the Baroque era and more recent epochs. Admittedly, historians were always aware of its longer, older history, but this has long only been visible in the building in specific places. That there are comprehensive and good quality remnants from the Middle Ages preserved in its cellars, walls and roofs has only been uncovered in recent years thanks to new research into the building. There is a close connection between the castle and the court churches of St. Michael and St. Augustine, where research into the architectural history yielded noteworthy results. This work, coordinated by Mario Schwarz, aims to present all historic, archaeological and cultural historical aspects of the medieval Hofburg in a comprehensible manner. Only by taking an interdisciplinary was it possible to realise this aim through collaboration between specialised experts. The work further advances the current state of research into the archaeology of the city of Vienna. In the field of research into castles it demonstrates the primacy of the Vienna Hofburg as the oldest quadrangular castle with prismatic corner towers north of the Alps, as well as its later role as a model in the construction of castles in central Europe. Scientific results from engineering geology establish the origins of the stone used for building. Of particular importance in terms of the architectural history are the new datings for the church of St. Augustine and the Hofburg chapel. For the first time, it was possible to assess how the building functioned as a residential palace with regard to the condition of the building in the late Middle Ages.