A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Mental Maps and Sacred Spaces: An Empirical Analysis of Late Medieval Towns of the Baltic Sea Region, 1420–1520




AuthorsHägglund, Anna-Stina; Kołodziejczak, Piotr; Lamberg, Marko

PublisherTaylor & Francis

Publication year2025

JournalScandinavian Journal of History

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1080/03468755.2025.2474997

Web address https://doi.org/10.1080/03468755.2025.2474997

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/485229395


Abstract

This article analyses how and to what extent medieval men and women utilized religious elements when they thought of the local physical space around themselves. Urban spaces usually contained plenty of physical elements connected to Christian faith, even if only bearing names related to it. This article seeks to clarify what kind of significance these nominally religious physical landmarks had for the mental landscapes of medieval town dwellers and the role of religious elements in their daily lives. We undertook such an endeavour by analysing how locations in urban space were described in written sources from the medieval towns of Åbo (Fin. Turku), Reval (Est. Tallinn), Stockholm, Stralsund and the two towns of Thorn (Pol. Toruń) in the period between 1420 and 1520. Our results indicate several local differences, but also highlight a common feature in terms of a practical emphasis on the visibility of landmarks.


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Funding information in the publication
Narodowe Centrum Nauki; Turku Institute for Advanced Studies
(TIAS), Svenska Kulturfonden; Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland.


Last updated on 2025-28-03 at 08:33