СИМВОЛІКА ГЕРБОВОГО ФРИЗУ СЕРЕДИНИ ХІІІ ст. НА ПРИКЛАДІ ГЕРБОВОГО ЗАЛУ ГОЦЦОБУРГУ, КРЕМС, НИЖНЯ АВСТРІЯ

Abstract

Since in the Middle Ages the ability to read and write was mainly reserved for monks and thus only for a very small part of the population, there was a need for an alternative form of identification. This was expressed in the spread of coats of arms. Heraldic signs were used in different ways and found application on armor and shields in military conflicts, as well as at festivals, tournaments, and competitions, on houses, flags, and fabrics. If someone wore a coat of arms, they could be assigned to a certain group. Family coats of arms had legal significance as a symbol of the status and legal rights of their bearers. In addition, coats of arms became an integral part of imperial and royal courts. Since the late Middle Ages, coats of arms have been used to publicly mark property rights, for example, on buildings, boundary stones or maps, and as decor. Armorial halls were and still are partly representative rooms. One example of such a hall of arms from the early thirteenth century is the Gozzoburg in Krems, Lower Austria. The process of identifying coats of arms, their dating, affiliation, and place in the visual concept is the central issue of this study. As we will see, the core of the coat of arms frieze is the figure of King Otokar II, although Gozzoburg never belonged to him. The western wall shows the lands that belonged to the king, and the other three walls show his spheres of influence. Thus, on the North wall are the coats of arms of the Holy Roman Empire, on the South wall – coats of arms from outside the empire. The concept on the Eastern Wall, as well as several unidentified coats of arms, remains an open question even after identification. Comparing the scarce information about the owner of the house with the heraldic program, we realize that Gozzo was one of the king’s closest associates and owed him his status and position. He wanted to emphasize this connection publicly to demonstrate his authority to visitors to the house. The analysis of coats of arms is a valuable auxiliary tool in understanding this medieval hierarchy.