The present text contains essential information about a collection of stove tiles obtained during archaeological excavations conducted in the area of historical town of Piotrków Trybunalski and its suburbs. It consists of four parts. In the rst the authors present the range of research works – both stationary ones and supervisions undertaken on the occasion of various earthworks – carried out in the area since 1962. The second part of the text is devoted to a concise presentation of research results in the area of the Jesuit church and monastery built on the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Whereas, the third part discusses collections of stove tiles found in Piotrków Trybunalski during older research works, and in the last, fourth part a preliminary characteristics of the collection obtained in the course of the works conducted in 2005, including nearly 13 000 tile fragments, mainly formed in matrixes was presented. However, it is very varied material, which presents technological and stylistic features commonly known and spread in tile-making in Poland, especially in the area of widely understood Great Poland province, covering proper Great Poland, Kuyavia and central Poland. In the collection tiles with Renaissance-mannerism and early Baroque stylistics prevail, however, there are also artifacts both older and younger, therefore the whole may be considered representative for the period from 15th/16th centuries to the 20th century.
Archaeological excavations on the area of the market place in Bieruń Stary were next stage of researches intended to lead to modernisation and rebuild of the market surface as well as rebuild and partial exchange of the terrain’s infrastructure. As a result of an agreement between a building company and the Preservation Service, after having informed the Investor, the Town and Commune Council in Bieruń Stary, seven exploratory units of total 200 sq m have been marked out. They were located in places where earlier radar and electromagnetic investigations of the ground made with the SIR radar indicated disturbances in stratification. It suggested that archaeological features occurred there. The disturbances were interpreted as remains of a town hall, scales, other market buildings and surfaces hardening the market area (covering with wood, stone pavements). The excavations carried out on the market of Bieruń Stary have yielded considerable collection of artefacts. Together 5875 items have been found; the most numerous group (4565) was constituted by fragments of clay vessels. The frequency of each collection of artefacts in different exploratory units was various and the whole material can be treated as strongly shattered and secondary mixed to a great extent. The artefacts quite regularly saturated stratification of all the units except unit VII where barely 144 specimens have been found. As a result of the excavations it has been stated that in the areas in point there are no remains that could be connected with the town functioning from its location at the end of the 14th till the 17th century. It is possible that the town originally had a different location and different directions of development and no sooner than after the great fire in 1677 a new town regulation took place. Great probability of this hypothesis is well founded by the fact that the oldest traces of the market usage only come from the 2nd half of the 17th century. Also all the discovered relics of wooden buildings are dated to the years immediately after the fire. As far as inter-market buildings are concerned, in the northern part of the market (in a place indicated as a result of the radar investigation) relics of the south-western comer of a building have been revealed. We believe that, with great probability, it can be assumed that it is a remnant of the town scales. In the terrain it manifests in a layer of broken stone being a foundation of inconsiderably preserved comer wall beam. The relic can be preliminarily dated to the 19th century. Unfortunately no other remains of the inter-market building area have been found although their occurrence is suggested by the SIR radar investigation. Similarly, relics of the stone paved road have not been found. Only the presence of earthen layers from the 2nd half of the 17th - the beginning of the 20th century. In the central part of the market, in the place suggested by the SIR investigation, relics of the town hall have not been found. To be quite truthful, there are some relics of an archaeological object, but its fragmentary state excludes any far-reaching conclusions. We think that there is an interesting situation in the south-western frontage of the market where relics of its older, southern frontage have been registered. It should be dated to the period from the 2nd half of the 17th to the end of the 18th century. It was shifted about 13 metres north of the present frontage. A wooden pavement once coming under the arcades has been registered, which is showed by relics of posts placed in the surface of the pavement. Before padding beams were laid, the surface of the market had been strengthened by fascine. Whereas after the liquidation of the original building line and enlargement of the market to its present size its surface (at least in the region under consideration) was paved with broken limestone. It probably happened at the end of the 18th or at the beginning of the 19th century. In the surface the presence of a gutter (a sewer canal) made of different kinds of coniferous wood has been stated. At the beginnings of the 20th century the rebuild of the market surface took place. In the area under investigation it was carefully paved with broken limestone, what undoubtedly contributed to the town’s aesthetics, but unfortunately at the opportunity destroyed the older layers.
The Cistercian monastery in Jemielnica, a branch of the monastery in Rudy (near Racibórz), was founded in the 80-ies and 90-ies of the 13th century and functioned until the beginning of the 19th century. Presently the post-Cistercian complex including the cloister itself and the remainings of the masonry claustrum serve the needs of the local Roman Catholic parish. The results of the research have confirmed that the erecting of the gothic church was initiated by building the polygnonally closed, buttressed presbiterium. In the second stage the vessels forming the gothic body were raised. In the 18th century, during the second building phase, the already existing sanctuary was extended towards the west and supplied with the turret body. Due to poor economic potential of the monastery the buildings had remained wooden until the 18th century. This year research has excluded the presence of earlier mansonry claustrum. Architectural observations indicating clear dissimilarity of the western wing suggest that since the very beginning the building had been planned as an abbey palace. The southern wing and the unsurvived eastern wing were used by the monks. In the southern wing body no evident transformations have been noticed, whereas there is evidence that the eastern wing, of which secondarily cloister has survived, was taken down in the 18th century. In the course of research the width of the eastern wing was defined (as 7,5 m) and a square northern chamber was identified as a capitulary. Similarly to other Cistercian buildings the complex under research has not shown traces of presence of occupation layers connected with medieval stages of its exploitation. It indicates that the complex was cleared. The relics occure outside the abbey ground. The researches in 1996, despite limited range of ground works, have led to crucial enrichment of our knowledge about the architectural transformations in Jemielnica complex and let objectify so far controversial opinions of the historians. They have also enabled broader evaluation of the architectural transformations observed in Rudy Abbey.
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