• Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage

The strategy of research into the dissertation object is based on four criteria. First, it is a study of a phenomenon and its development. Second, the study is not confined to the present territory of the Republic of Lithuania. Third, the research problem and questions raised are interpreted in a broader light of examples from the European historiography, which enable to contextualise past features of the local social reality and search for similarities and/or differences as well as common points in the development of the phenomena which existed in different regions. Fourth, the object under analysis is perceived as a phenomenon with a multifaceted structure. Therefore, an attempt is made to look for new theoretical approaches rather than limit oneself to a traditional historical narrative. Historiography has seen attempts to disclose the development of society, uneven social structure, its specific features, etc. through the analysis of one phenomenon. However, this is only possible by looking at that phenomenon from different perspectives and analysing it as a product of different spheres of social reality, because focusing on a single aspect of the phenomenon limits the possibilities for interpretation which would reveal the multifunctional nature of the phenomenon and uneven trajectories of its development. The phenomenon of the castle is one of those problems which has not been analysed systematically and consistently. The existing historiography has mostly perceived the castle as unrelated to the social environment or political circumstances and, therefore, it was frequently presented as a military or architectural object. The castle is defined as a structure comprising three aspects: territory (a), society (b), power-authority (c). The castle is perceived as a nucleus which is uniting and forming a territory; this territory was eventually transformed into a legally, administratively and economically subordinate territory with clearly defined boundaries. It consisted of various social categories defined by different subordination-dependency, including individuals of peasant and non-peasant origin, in such a way forming the castle society, its social organisation. In these territorial and social planes of the castle as a local structure unfolded the power-authority hierarchy with its subjects. The castle was that element of medieval society which concentrated power and helped separate powerful subjects establish their authority over a certain territory and its population. Therefore, from the sociological point of view, the castle performed the roles of symbolic (ideological) and real (direct) authority and a representative of justice in the society of its time. The castle is interpreted as a power-authority structure which was unfolding and creating a specific territory with a subordinate social environment. The dissertation consists of an introduction, four parts, conclusions, a list of sources and literature, and appendices. All sections and their subsections express the structuralist approach toward the problem under analysis which is perceived and interpreted in the comparative perspective of the whole study. The first part attempts to formulate a definition of the castle phenomenon as manifold and changing in time and describe the concept in the European context. The second part constructs the model of the castle territory. It presents the conception of different constituents of the external territory of the castle. This model is based on the examples of European historiography devoted to the problem of the castle. The relationship of the castle with other territorial structures (e.g., village, manor) is analysed in this part as well. The third part investigates the office-bound character of the castle, its (local) society, social groups which belonged to the castle (e.g., unfree peasants, peasant performing military service such as barčiai, keliuočiai, etc.). The social characteristics of the castle (e.g., administration, economy) is analysed from the perspective of the GDL regionalism and in relation to the castle territory. The fourth part analyses the subordination-dependency problem of the castle. Different forms of subordination-dependency are identified (nominal, real, fief, office-bound, mortgage) depending on the socio-political circumstances and their changes are explained. Besides, the typology of castle subordination-dependency is provided by distinguishing the sovereign (state) (a), dynasty (b), church (c), dukes (d), nobility (e), gentry (f).

The materials of the castles' audits were carried out by the Polish government during the 16th – 17th centuries. In the fundamental edition «Źródła dziejowe» the Polish historian A. Yablonovsky analyzed the materials of the audits of the Volyn and Podolsk castles in the 16th century and made a general description of six Ukrainian castles.The article analyzes the materials of audits of Ukrainian Castle (Bracławski and Winnicki castle) and shows the features of their economic, defense, administrative-territorial structure, population, land relations. A.Yablonovski published materials contain historical facts for the analysis the administrative-territorial structure and socio-economic situation of the Bracławski and Winnicki Castles in the 16th – 17th centuries. Since most of the castles are completely or partially destroyed, historian research is now very important. This materials are important documents for the analysis some facts of the defense system and socio- economic situation of Ukrainian lands in this period.

Castle siting has been a less popular theme in castellology; traditional military motives are often used to explain the location choice of castles by applying modern visions on the medieval society. This article tries therefore to unravel the factors that influenced castle siting by (i) creating a model of the medieval landscape, (ii) examining the written sources and (iii) discussing the material remains in the Gorecht seigniory during 1200-1450 AD. Analyzing the data of different disciplines has revealed that active as well as passive stream valleys and infrastructure, especially crossings with jurisdiction borders, were popular spots in the landscape during the entire research period. In addition, interpretation of contemporary sources has shown that the clients were indeed conscious about the jurisdiction borders and that some sites do fit into the traditional vision. Yet, other motives such as hydraulic reasons must be taken into account too, as is shown by the example of the Gronenburg castle.

Castle siting has been a less popular theme in castellology; traditional military motives are often used to explain the location choice of castles by applying modern visions on the medieval society. This article tries therefore to unravel the factors that influenced castle siting by (i) creating a model of the medieval landscape, (ii) examining the written sources and (iii) discussing the material remains in the Gorecht seigniory during 1200-1450 AD. Analyzing the data of different disciplines has revealed that active as well as passive stream valleys and infrastructure, especially crossings with jurisdiction borders, were popular spots in the landscape during the entire research period. In addition, interpretation of contemporary sources has shown that the clients were indeed conscious about the jurisdiction borders and that some sites do fit into the traditional vision. Yet, other motives such as hydraulic reasons must be taken into account too, as is shown by the example of the Gronenburg castle.

Castle siting has been a less popular theme in castellology; traditional military motives are often used to explain the location choice of castles by applying modern visions on the medieval society. This article tries therefore to unravel the factors that influenced castle siting by (i) creating a model of the medieval landscape, (ii) examining the written sources and (iii) discussing the material remains in the Gorecht seigniory during 1200-1450 AD. Analyzing the data of different disciplines has revealed that active as well as passive stream valleys and infrastructure, especially crossings with jurisdiction borders, were popular spots in the landscape during the entire research period. In addition, interpretation of contemporary sources has shown that the clients were indeed conscious about the jurisdiction borders and that some sites do fit into the traditional vision. Yet, other motives such as hydraulic reasons must be taken into account too, as is shown by the example of the Gronenburg castle.

The purpose of my research has been to analyze the communi-cation of three cultural heritages and how they are being ex-posed on their respective webpages. The essay has also touched the subject as to how webpages can, through marketing of cul-tural heritages, create a connection to the marketed locations and their cultural environment. A phenomenon you could call “creating a location”. My study has also resulted in an under-standing of how historical sites as cultural actors position them-selves to attract visitors to the location. In this study I will fo-cus on only three of Sweden’s many renaissance castles. These three are Calmare-, Vadstena- and Gripsholm’s castle.My sources consist of the above mentioned cultural heritag-es own webpages, their administrators as well as their partner’s webpages. The information which is communicated in connec-tion to, or directly with the cultural heritages demonstrates what is relevant and important to see and experience.By illuminating these attributes, the possibility for self-interpretation of the cultural landscape can be lessened. Instead, a more direct picture can be created as of what the visitor should relate to and remember of the location. This way, the actors create a location.

Corvin Castle, located in Hunedoara County (Transylvania), is an important Romanian cultural site. Originally, a fort constructed in the 14th century, it was first converted into a castle by Ioan de Hunedoara in the 15th century, frequently changing owners (with significant construction in the 15th and 17th centuries) until it was abandoned in the mid-19th century. After undergoing various ill-fated reconstruction efforts in the late 19th century, the castle reopened in the 1950s when the Romanian government renewed its interest in cultural sites and undertook a series of sparsely-documented archaeological investigations and conservation projects. Presently, restoration efforts require renewed investigation of Corvin Castle&rsquo s construction and history. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a promising tool for investigating the construction phases of heritage structures like Corvin Castle, where invasive methods are inappropriate and extensive historical modification has left incomplete records. In 2017, a comprehensive GPR survey of the castle was conducted. The survey recognizes features mentioned in texts, discovers previously unknown constructions, locates areas of moisture ingress around the courtyard, and identifies the extent and composition of the building foundations. Information gained from these scans, especially combined with printed sources, is an asset in planning restoration efforts and understanding the effects of past modifications.

Tématem předkládané bakalářské práce je širší problematika nedostavěných hradů v Čechách. Pozornost byla věnována především nedokončenému, resp. v počátcích výstavby opuštěnému hradu u Strašína, jehož staveništěm se stal skalnatý hřeben nad obcí Lazna nedaleko Kašperských hor. V práci je věnována pozornost také dalším lokalitám, dochovaným v různém stádiu dokončení, které budou vzájemně porovnávány a to nejen s ohledem na jejich stavební podobu, ale také s ohledem na jejich předpokládaný účel. V rámci předkládané práce, resp. její přípravy, byl proveden povrchový průzkum nedokončeného hradu nad obcí Lazna u Strašína. Terénní relikty hradu byly geodeticky zdokumentovány a byl učiněn pokus o jejich interpretaci. Zjištěné informace byly porovnány s dalšími nedokončenými hradními areály převážně na území Čech. V rámci hodnocení strašínského hradu byl rovněž učiněn pokus o rekonstrukci jeho sídelně-geografického kontextu. Obhájeno The subject of this bachelor thesis is the wider problem of unregistered castles in Bohemia. Attention was paid to the incomplete, At the beginning of the construction of the abandoned castle near Strašín, whose construction site became a rocky ridge above the village Lazna near the Kašperské hory. Attention is also paid to other localities preserved in various stages of completion, which will be compared with each other not only with regard to their construction but also with regard to their intended purpose. In the framework of the submitted work, resp. Its preparation was carried out a surface survey of an unfinished castle above the village Lazna near Strašín. The field relics of the castle were geodetically documented and an attempt was made to interpret them. The discovered information was compared with other unfinished castle complexes mainly on the territory of Bohemia. In the framework of the evaluation of the Strasine castle, an attempt was also made to reconstruct its settlement-geographic context.