Geology, Geophysics & Environment
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ISSN 2299-8004
e-ISSN: 2353-0790
Issue Date
2014
Volume
Vol. 40
Number
No. 2
Description
Journal Volume
Geology, Geophysics & Environment
Vol. 40 (2014)
Projects
Pages
Articles
Layering of façades - a few comments on the colour of Krakow's façades in earlier and contemporary times
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2014) Komorowski, Waldemar
Witnesses to a bygone age, <i>façades are evidence of past life. Interpretation of traces, and particularly colours, aids to recognize old tastes and moods</i>. This paper reviews ornamentation methods used for the outerwalls of buildings in Krakow from the city foundation (1257) until the 1950s. The first part of the paper presents evidence to corroborate a theory that, in spite of a common misconception, medieval façades were not left in their raw condition but plastered. Obviously, plaster did not recall its modern clear and even equivalent, but was greyish and bumpy. Usually this plaster received a multicolour painted finish. Surprisingly for our contemporaries, stone details such as window and door stone work were also painted, the practice being common until the end of the 18$^{th}$ century. Ornamentation methods varied throughout the ages, though rich colouring was popular and characteristic for Gothic, Renessaince, Baroque and Classicism. Dimmed colours as seen in the second half of the 19$^{th}$ century were only occasional in fact. The older the building, the more plaster and painted layers it would receive. Learning about this layering takes us through the history of the building.
Buildings and dwellings of Krakow in the 16th-17th century - descriptions contained in the city deeds
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2014) Follprecht, Kamila
»Wiertelnicy« – those were City officers appointed by the City Council to oversee the construction industry in the old Krakow. Preserved in the state Archives are the City books of records that contain minutes and rapports regarding the activities of the »Wiertelnics« – often referred to as the »construction police« or as it probably would be more adequate the old-time city engineers. The »wiertelnics« conducted site reviews. The preserved documentation of their activities such as divisions and subdivisions of real property; preformed estimates of value of real property; damage assessment (particularly, as it was pertaining to border or division walls, and prescription of construction works that were necessary to ensure building and construction safety constitutes an very important source of historic documentation in regard to city engineering as it allows to follow not only the history of the physical constructions of buildings and dwellings themselves, but also the technology and technical solutions i.e. plumbing or other necessary adaptations needed by particular workshops or craftsmen’s sites. It can be observed that some solutions that were used by the owners of the buildings were frequently cost driven and consequently of a very provisory nature. Later on, much greater investments were necessary to avoid imminent »construction catastrophes«. The information contained in the City public records of the »Wiertelnic’s Deeds« give also some insights that are not directly related to the construction requirements or activities themselves, but were the predominant factors that determined the physical shape of the building or a site.
Black »marble« in the Polish architecture - characteristics and possibility of its provenance determination: the case of the Dębnik limestone
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2014) Marszałek, Mariola
Black limestone, also known as black »marble«, was widely used in the Polish small-scale architecture and art of the 17$^{th}$ and 18$^{th}$ centuries. Besides the Devonian limestone from Dębnik near Krakow, also popular were the Netherlandish (Wallonian), Devonian to Carboniferous limestones from the Meuse River and Schelde River valleys. This paper deals with the possibility of identifying the rocks imported to Poland. Macroscopic similarities between the Netherlandish rocks and some Dębnik limestones have been highlighted for the oldest Carmelite quarry in Dębnik, exploiting the best stones. The analyses include: optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy with EDS, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence and isotope ratio mass spectrometry ($^{13}$C and $^{18}$O stable isotopes). Carboniferous limestones from Netherlands can be identified within and distinguished from the Dębnik limestone in the macroscopic observations. Differences, depending on the varieties, are associated primarily with the presence of white calcite fragments of fossils, calcite veins intersecting the rock in all directions or hardness of the limestones. Deeply black Devonian limestones from Wallonia and Dębnik without macrofossils and calcite veins differ in microscopic observations considering their texture, type of microfossils and inventory of non-carbonate components. The characteristic graying and whitening of the black limestones has also been discussed as a possible feature of rock provenance.
Rescue archaeological research on the Dominican Square in Cracow in the light of interdisciplinary studies
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2014) Łyczak, Monika
The rescue excavations associated with the renovation of surfaces surrounding the Dominican Basilica of the Holy Trinity in Cracow were conducted in 2011-2012 in front of the church. This research confirmed the presence of a churchyard cemetery whose origins date back to the 12$^{th}$ century and led to the discovery of previously unknown relics of medieval architecture in the form of two pieces of the masonry foundation of the Gothic chapels and presumably pre-Dominican (or early-Dominican) church of the Holy Trinity as well as undisturbed culture layers from early mediaeval times. The research was carried out in close collaboration with researchers in architecture and art history, it enabled preliminary reconstruction of the plans of the discovered buildings. Petrographic analysis of building material and samples of mortars used provided information on mediaeval construction techniques. Human bone material was analyzed by anthropologists. As a result, the gender, age and health status of members of the mediaeval and modern populations of Cracow buried in the cemetery were determined. Geochemical studies also helped to assess the degree of land contamination related to the presence of the cemetery. A detailed analysis of the cultural layer representing the residue of the open settlement along with its coeval economical structures was carried out. Layer dating was based on a formal analysis of the ceramic material. Osteological research of the animal bone material and palaeobotanical studies of soil samples taken from settlement layers allowed clarification of the nature of the settlement.
Amazonian Dark Earths in the context of pre-Columbian settlements
(Wydawnictwa AGH, 2014) Golińska, Beata
Important information about pre-Columbian Amazonian settlement and economy provide Amazonian Dark Earths (ADE), black or brown soils characterized by the presence of charcoal in high concentrations, with highly elevated nutrients and organic matter and higher pH level. Usually ADE are related to large concentrations of ceramics, stone artifacts and animal remains. The main factor for the initiation of ADE formation was the long-lasted, fully sedentary pre-Columbian settlement. Its size and a form can be correlated with traces of historical human habitation. Thus, these sites can reflect the social organization of a specific group. Therefore, ADE studies can bring much valuable information concerning pre-Columbian settlement in Amazonia.