Types of Heating System at Cēsis Castle
2020
Ilmārs Dirveiks

Looking at the living conditions and the layout of homes is an important aspect in the research of the history of medieval castles in Latvia. Keeping homes warm was and still is an important aspect of daily life in the Baltic Sea region. The Teutonic Order’s castle in Cēsis has seen extensive archaeological and architectonic research. However, our knowledge of heating devices and systems in the castle is still very limited. Written sources note no more than the existence of “a fireplace” or “a stove” and reveal their location. The type of the stove is mentioned in some cases, but no source speaks of hot air heating systems (hypocausts) and cast-iron stoves. Archaeological excavations have revealed a lot more. The remains of two heat storage hypocausts were found in the Western block while a hot air system has been hypothetically identified in the Eastern block. A large number of stove tiles have been found in Cēsis Castle. Their shape and style could make it possible to reconstruct a few types of stove. The oldest tiles found to date allow us to assume that the first stoves appeared at Cēsis Castle in the late 15th century. Since the Cēsis Castle stove-tiles are the oldest among those found in Latvia, one can assume that this was the time when tile stoves began to be installed increasingly often in living quarters throughout Latvia. Based on the numerical and typological analysis of the found tiles, it has been possible to establish a rapid growth in the construction of tile stoves at Cēsis Castle in the second third of the 16th century. However, it is impossible to identify the exact location of each stove in the castle. Many structures survive as part of the ruins of Cēsis Castle. Researchers have been able to locate several fireplaces and smoke flues, but no stoves remain. However, Cēsis does boast the most stove tile finds of any medieval castle in Latvia. Besides, it is the only archaeologically-explored residence in which fragments of 16th century cast-iron stoves have been found. The 1590 audit documents mention one cast-iron stove in the gate building in the outer bailey. One whole sheet of a cast-iron stove’s body with a heraldic base-relief decoration and two stove fragments have survived. Although modest in number, these finds are unique in the history of medieval castles in Latvia. In Cēsis Castle, the stoves were built by pre-existing smoke flues, which had, for the most part, served as fireplaces. The fireplaces were transformed into stove heating chambers or were demolished to make room for a stove. As a result, only the contours of the fireplaces remain. The research provides an overview of the location and typology of heating devices at Cēsis Castle. This will help carry out eventual theoretical reconstructions and aid further research into the history of the castle.


Keywords
Kamīns, hipokausts, krāsns, krāsns podiņi, čuguna krāsns

Dirveiks, I. Types of Heating System at Cēsis Castle. In: Cēsu pils raksti (III): arheoloģija, arhitektūra, vēsture. G.Kalniņš ed. Cēsis: Cēsu pils saglabāšanas fonds, 2020. pp.41-60. ISBN 978-9934-8685-2-8.

Publication language
Latvian (lv)
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