Problematyka konserwatorska gotyckich reliktów archeologicznych frontowej części przedproży pałacu Pod Krzysztofory na Rynku krakowskim

Abstract

CONSERVATION ISSUES OF THE GOTHIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL RELICS OF THE FRONT SECTION OF THE PERRONS OF KRZYSZTOFORY PALACE ON THE MARKET SQUARE IN KRAKÓW

In the years 2008–2009 archaeological works were carried  out in front of the building housing the Historical Museum  of the City of Kraków. In the course of the excavations, the  front wall of the mansion’s perron (German: Beischlag, Polish:  przedproże; a mediaeval architectural structure built in front  of burgher houses) was uncovered, which for the first time  provided invaluable information about the external appearance  of this form of architectural development. Fragmentary  elements of mediaeval cobblestones dated to the same period  as the perron were also discovered at the site. Before the finds  could be incorporated in the underground archaeological  park where they would be presented in situ, they had to undergo  conservation works necessary to protect them against  further deterioration. The conservation process began with  a thorough examination of the condition of the discovered  relics. The next step was to draw up a detailed plan of action  and specify conservation methods and techniques to be used.  Among the works completed in the process, the relatively  innovative technology of preserving and protecting the  discovered cultural strata in the form of soil profiles deserves  particular attention. The extreme unstableness of the material  that constitutes such structures necessitated the use of  non-standard protective measures.  The front wall of the perrons had survived in a fairly  good condition, therefore, conservation works were limited  to the necessary minimum, whereas the relics of mediaeval  cobblestones underwent protective treatment and were incorporated  in the large underground archaeological reconstruction  to render the space more uniform in character.  Consequently, the conservation process made it possible  to close a certain part of the architectural landscape  of 14th-century Kraków in a time capsule, thus giving contemporary  audiences a chance to experience history in a  direct way.