Page - 180 - in The Power of Urban Water - Studies in premodern urbanism

180 ElisabethGruber groups in the region–resulted inexpansive foundationandsettlingactivities. Triggeredby the country’s development and increase in population, the Duchy of Austria experienced a phase of rapidurbangrowth in the 12thandespecially the 13th century.Anumberof settlementsalong theDanube, such as Linz,Melk, Dürnstein, Stein, Krems, Tulln, Klosterneuburg, Korneuburg, ViennaandHainburg, owe theupgradeof their legal status toa townor city,mainly in the 13th and 14thcenturies, to initiatives by territorial lords of the Babenberg and later Habsburg fami- lies.Other towns, includingEferding, Pöchlarn,MauternorGroßenzersdorf,werepromotedby aristocratic or episcopal territorial lords.3 The depictions of the Babenberg genealogical tree point to those formative events, places and circumstances in the lives of the margraves and dukesportrayed,which–similarly to the specific attributesassigned to saints–historiography of the time classified as characteristic. Locations ona river or at the foot or on the topof ahill became important ‘markers’ in the history of the Babenberg family – these at least seemed to be the ideaof thosepeoplewhoordered theworkat the endof the 15th century.4 Since the rule practicedby theBabenberg familywas closely linked to theAustrian lands, it is not surprising that theDanube, as one of themainwaterways leading through the territory,was a keymotif in the scenesondisplay.Many far-reachingactionsof the familymembersondisplaywere tied to the river: depictionsof themargraves, beingdukesofAustria after 1156,Heinrich I, (reigned 994–1018),Adalbert (reigned1018–1055), Ernest (reigned1055–1075), Leopold IV (reigned1136– 1141) or LeopoldVI (reigned 1198–1230), aswell as Frederick II (reigned 1230–1246) orHenry II (reigned 1141–1177) show them in the context of their foundations – cities andmonasteries – along theDanube, includingRegensburg,Melk, (Kloster-)Neuburg,StockerauandVienna.5The effects onanurban spaceof its locationonanavigable river, its shapingandhow itwasused, becomenoticeable in the townsandcitieson theDanube.Theycarriedout important functions inproviding the infrastructure for transregional tradeand the exchangeof goods, aswell as in harbouring important bases for the sovereign’s influence. Leopold IV, for instance,was shown as a – as it would turn out later – successful town lord against rebellious citizens during the siege of his residential town of Regensburg6 (Fig. 1). Depicting the town from a northern per- spective brings themassive fortificationswith the stone bridge across the Danube into focus. Frederick II,who reignedabout 100years later,was linked to the legendarybattleof theLeitha River (1246)againstHungarianopponents.Again,combatactionwasshownwiththeresidential city in the background – Vienna in this case. The view from the north displays the strongly fortified city and its direct access to theDanube.7 Someof theDanube-related scenesof theBabenberg triptychpoint to significant functions andusesof thewatercourse.Thedetaileddepictionsof ships,bridges,waterdams,watermills, or a fisher with a particular lift net used exclusively in the Danube region (called gankwat or Daubelnetz)alludetopotentialwaysofutilising thewaterway8 (Figs. 2–3).Thewaterwayserved as a transport route, power station and food source, providing such things as freshwater fish. At the same time, the river was perceived as an obstacle and bridges had to be built or ferry connections established inorder tobeable to travel fromonesideof the river to theother. The Danube,however,wasnotonlyan important routeof transport for trading.Asamassivebarrier in thenatural landscape, it representedanenormouschallenge foranyonewhowanted tocross 3 SeeRosner–Motz-Linhart 2005; Csendes 2000;Weigl 2013 for a survey. 4 Röhrig 1977, 13–17. 5 Cf.Weltin 1976; Zehetmayer 2014; Lutter 2017, ona summaryof theBabenbergdynasty. 6 Röhrig 1977, 70. 7 Röhrig 1977, 94;Andraschek-Holzer 2012, 335–338. 8 DukeAlbrecht prohibited this type of fishing in 1412,whichwasdocumented in 1429 in the collection of Crafts Code of the City of Vienna. Themain reasonwas the fear of over-fishing of thewhole fish stock in the Danube: Gneiß 2017, 364no.220;Hoffmann–Sonnlechner 2011, 116f.