Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2023.2
Water and waste management in medieval and modern Gradec
Petar Sekulić
orcid.org/0000-0003-3117-0419
; Croatian Conservation Institute, Department for Archaeology, Zagreb
Abstract
In 2021, the Croatian Conservation Institute conducted multidisciplinary conservation, restoration and archaeological research of the entire Banski Dvori complex to create the prerequisites for the design and technical documentation necessary to renovate the building that houses the Government of the Republic of Croatia as part of the plan to renovate buildings damaged in the earthquake. During excavations in the northern courtyard, remains of residential and commercial buildings, communal infrastructure and various other archaeological finds from the medieval and modern periods were found. They have enabled us to reconstruct the construction sequence of the central part of the so-called fifth insula. While the preserved written sources provide us with an insight into the legislative framework prescribed by the city authorities, archaeological research enables us to understand the technological side of the historical development of water and waste management within the city walls of medieval Gradec. On the basis of the geomorphology of the terrain, preserved written sources and results of archaeological research, it is possible to assume that the water-supply system of medieval Gradec was based on private and public wells or cisterns. The remains of two wooden water systems from the 15th century were documented during excavations. On the basis of their location and context, it might be possible to assume that these were pipelines intended for carrying stormwater to cisterns. It could also be a technological solution, known from written sources, used to move underground the sewer that ran between the houses. Waste management in European cities in the Middle and Early Modern Ages was characterized by a complex system of interweaving of public and private interests and obligations. The remains of several medieval and modern buildings used for waste disposal were found in the excavated area, which is a common occurrence in European cities. However, it was only the construction of the city's water supply and sewerage network in the 19th century, an important step towards improving the health and hygiene standards of the population, that marked the birth of a modern European city. In the excavated part of the northern courtyard, the remains of two phases of the sewerage system were documented, and the more recent one can be dated to the last decade of the 19th century, when the city sewerage system was constructed. During the construction, the older sewerage system was destroyed, which could possibly be attributed to the former Rauch Mansion. In terms of water and waste management, Gradec fits the historical development of most European cities throughout the Middle Ages and the modern period up until the construction of the city's water supply and sewerage network during the second half of the 19th century.
Keywords
Banski Dvori; archaeological research; Zagreb's Gradec; water supply; sewerage
Hrčak ID:
312329
URI
Publication date:
29.12.2023.
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