Description:
Wooden churches and bell towers are typical expressions of cultural and architectural development in most European countries. However, recognition of their value has so far lingered in the background of scholarly interest, and in many countries these architectural monuments are afforded low priority by both secular authorities and ecclesiastical institutions and often do not receive the kind of care necessary for their survival. In a comprehensive survey covering thirty countries across all of Europe, the authors examine almost 2,000 wooden churches and over 3,000 bell towers and attempt to show their principal forms as well as relationships between various architectural styles. The first volume, devoted to churches, allows the reader to consider the wooden church structures from multiple points of view, explaining their architectural, construction and ideological aspects. The second volume, representing the very first synthetic overview of European wooden bell towers, introduces all the types and major variations in individual historical regions, examining the typology of bell tower construction and the relationships among construction, tectonics and architecture. Unprecedented in its scope and generously illustrated by ca 2,500 photographs and drawings, this is a major study of the wooden church architecture of both Western and Eastern Europe as well as an important contribution to efforts aimed at better understanding and preservation of this unique part of Europe's cultural heritage. Karel Kuèa (1961), a Czech historian of architecture, is the author or co-author of almost thirty books including Cities and Towns of Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia and Historical Monuments of Czech Republic (2002). Jiøí Langer (1936) is a leading Czech ethnographer specializing in folk architecture and author of Open-Air Museums of Europe (2005). 2009 Two volumes, 528 + 504 pp. Ca 2,500 photographs and drawings English summary available.