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The Brod fortress of “Vukovac”, 1688-1722
Josip Kljajić
Sažetak
The old medieval fortress/citadel on the Mrsunja rivulet’s confluence with the Sava river has had a very important role in the history of the town of Brod and the surrounding region of Posavina. It represents a material testimony of a century-old military tradition and economic and political turmoil in this part of Slavonia. Its historic value represents a challenge for all those who are studying the traditional fortress building methods of this region. Research into the oldest phases of progress
and an overall evaluation of this particular fortress calls for theoretical knowledge of experts in different areas: historians, archaeologists, art historians, architects, town planners, etc.
The researchers of Brod fortifications have so far devoted most of their attention to the baroque fortress built in the 18th century. But even before this new fortress was built, the Habsburgs had also maintained and restored the walls of the old medieval citadel/fortress (known as “The Old Fortress”, “Berislavic’s Citadel”, “Vukovac”, “Old/Small Ditch”, “Wasserburg”, etc.) together with the walls which protected the civil settlement. The Imperial Army took over the citadel, which at that
time had been in a rather dilapidated state, from the Ottomans. In adjusting the fortress to its needs, the military carried out a whole range of reconstruction activities. Printed and cartographic sources containing information on planning and reconstructing of the citadel/fortress have been preserved. Engineers Mathias Kaysersfeld and Perrette de Silea respectively made the first and final drawings. The citadel/fortress had a protective function from the end of the 17th century to the third decade of the 18th century. As soon as the new baroque fortress was ready to take soldiers, the old fortress was abandoned and redesigned as quarantine. I. A. Brlić, a witness to the destruction of the last remains of the fortress at that period claimed that “it had been possible to see the old walls of the town as far as from the Mrsunja log watch-tower until 1809, after which they were partly used for building the old drainage sluice and partly for the Sava river embankment.” This article draws special attention to some other important objects and areas
near the fortress (the bridge, the fortress on the Bosnian bank of the Sava river, the Sava river islet, the Upper and Lower town of Brod and the new Brod baroque fortress). Based on a variety of handwritten documents, drawings, maps and literary works, the author has tried to acquire new as well as to test and extend his prior knowledge of these historically and architecturally multi-layered fortifications.
Ključne riječi
Fortresses; Habsburgs; Ottomans; Brod; Sava river; Berislavić family; castle of Vukovac
Hrčak ID:
19352
URI
Datum izdavanja:
10.11.2003.
Posjeta: 3.405 *