The Medieval Cultural Heritage of the Baltic Sea Region

A special issue of Heritage (ISSN 2571-9408). This special issue belongs to the section "Archaeological Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 819

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Castle Museum in Malbork, Malbork, Poland
Interests: medieval history; medieval archaeology; East Central Europe; Baltic region; crusades; military orders

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of History, Medieval and Early Modern Europe, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
Interests: Carolingian Europe; medieval eastern Europe; Byzantium; archaeology; medievalism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The history of the Baltic Sea region, particularly that of the Middle Ages, has been the subject of intense international research over the past three decades. This research has focused on the conquest and colonisation of the region, the structure of its administration (i.e., military orders and the Catholic Church, in addition to local rulers), its visual culture, and its material culture.

Equally as important to these studies are the region’s cultural heritage, namely its built monuments (the most emblematic of which trace their origins to the Middle Ages). The documentation and restoration of these monuments has, in some cases (e.g., Malbork Castle in Poland) shaped the very practice of heritage conservation in Europe. There is also a strong connection between local populations in the region and their built heritage, which also shapes approaches to the uses of these monuments in the present day. Important questions, such as ‘what do these monuments mean to local and international communities?’ help to situate the region within the broader perspective of European cultural heritage.

Dr. Gregory Leighton
Prof. Dr. Florin Curta
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • heritage
  • history
  • archaeology
  • material culture
  • Baltic region
  • conservation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

16 pages, 4695 KB  
Article
The Practices of Preserving Medieval Castles in Latvia from 1945 to 1991: The Case of Turaida Castle
by Ieva Ose
Heritage 2026, 9(2), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage9020043 - 23 Jan 2026
Viewed by 75
Abstract
The practices followed in the preservation of medieval castles in Latvia during the Soviet occupation period have not yet been comprehensively examined. This article seeks to elucidate this issue by considering a single case study—Turaida Castle. From the 13th until the mid-16th century, [...] Read more.
The practices followed in the preservation of medieval castles in Latvia during the Soviet occupation period have not yet been comprehensively examined. This article seeks to elucidate this issue by considering a single case study—Turaida Castle. From the 13th until the mid-16th century, Turaida Castle functioned as one of the principal residences of the Archbishop of Riga. From the 17th century onward, its medieval fortifications progressively deteriorated. Between 1952 and 1991, during the Soviet occupation period, the ruins of Turaida Castle became the subject of major restoration, reconstruction, and conservation projects, as well as systematic archaeological investigation. These preservation efforts were impeded by the deteriorated condition of the original brickwork and by the limited availability of appropriate methodologies and theoretical literature. Nonetheless, owing to the scope and continuity of these interventions, Turaida Castle has become one of the most frequently visited heritage sites in Latvia, attracting both international and domestic visitors from the 1960s to the present. The article outlines the principal achievements of the site’s preservation practices and identifies key challenges and shortcomings that have emerged throughout the process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Medieval Cultural Heritage of the Baltic Sea Region)
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