Designing Buildings at 08:17, 25 October 2026

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	The European Route of Brick Gothic and Centre of Brick Gothic Architecture bring together conservation expertise, and create cultural and economic benefits.		The European Route of Brick Gothic and Centre of Brick Gothic Architecture bring together conservation expertise, and create cultural and economic benefits.
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		+	\|width="100%"\| [[File:Stralsund town hall.jpg]]
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		+	\| The town hall, Stralsund, Germany (Photo: J-H Janssen, Wikimedia)
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	In England after Roman times there was occasional production and use of brick from the 12th century, but its consistent production on a wide scale did not resume until the 15th century. Even then, it was limited to chimneys and great houses. Elsewhere in northern Europe, the picture is very different. Brick was used for ecclesiastical buildings from at least the 12th century and there are late gothic churches with soaring brick vaults as well as town centres with brick houses with steep crow-stepped gables.		In England after Roman times there was occasional production and use of brick from the 12th century, but its consistent production on a wide scale did not resume until the 15th century. Even then, it was limited to chimneys and great houses. Elsewhere in northern Europe, the picture is very different. Brick was used for ecclesiastical buildings from at least the 12th century and there are late gothic churches with soaring brick vaults as well as town centres with brick houses with steep crow-stepped gables.

Designing Buildings: Protected "Brick gothic" ([edit=sysop] (indefinite) [move=sysop] (indefinite))

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Revision as of 08:13, 25 October 2026

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The European Route of Brick Gothic and Centre of Brick Gothic Architecture bring together conservation expertise, and create cultural and economic benefits.

In England after Roman times there was occasional production and use of brick from the 12th century, but its consistent production on a wide scale did not resume until the 15th century. Even then, it was limited to chimneys and great houses. Elsewhere in northern Europe, the picture is very different. Brick was used for ecclesiastical buildings from at least the 12th century and there are late gothic churches with soaring brick vaults as well as town centres with brick houses with steep crow-stepped gables.

This architectural heritage is a unifying factor celebrated in a variety of initiatives that bring together places with notable brick buildings in northern Europe. The potential for linking this shared brick heritage was recognised as long ago as the 1970s. However, it is the changed circumstances since 1989, with the opportunity and need to preserve neglected buildings and town centres, that have brought such ideas to fruition. A conference on the brick architecture of east and central Europe was held in 1996 in Marienburg and its proceedings published.

In 2002 an exhibition, Paths to Brick Gothic, was held, and the European Union launched an Interreg project, the European Route of Brick Gothic, bringing together 26 partners from six countries. Its success led to its permanent establishment as a non-profit association which has grown to include 39 towns in Denmark, Germany and Poland. Their networking has brought together technical and conservation expertise and led to cultural and economic benefits. They organise a Europe-wide open day of brick gothic every June and publish a guide book to the route, available on line.

The year 2005 saw a parallel development, the foundation of the European Centre for Brick Architecture with a remit for brick buildings of all periods. From 2006 this has held an annual conference on all aspects of brick architecture at Wismar. The proceedings are published and can be found online.

Wismar is a Hanseatic city which is not as well known as nearby Lubeck, which has been a world heritage site since 1987. Lubeck is on the west side of the river Elbe and so after the second world war it was in West Germany, whereas Wismar, on the east side, was in the GDR. For towns like Wismar, with a brick heritage comparable to Lubeck, reunification was an opportunity to put their heritage in order. The conservation of the old town was identified as a priority in 1990, with plans made for its preservation and redevelopment, and a fundraising programme put in place. World heritage status was seen as one way of achieving the city’s aims.

Realising that they were unlikely to achieve this by themselves, they combined with the nearby Hanseatic City of Stralsund to submit a joint application to Unesco in 2000, which was accepted in 2002. Exceptionally, the application was accompanied by management plans for the two cities. Much of these have now been achieved. Both have benefited from world heritage status bringing networking and funding, and from it being seen as an honour and responsibility of which they have been keen to show themselves worthy. Another outcome has been a significant rise in tourism, which has helped the local economies.

In Wismar, the so-called Gothic Quarter round the Marienkirche, which was war-damaged and then pulled down in 1960, has been laid as a public park, with the surviving tower restored. A major project has been the restoration of St George’s church from 1990 to 2010, at a cost of over 40 million euros. Its soaring arcades and lofty vaults are the setting for the annual brick architecture conferences, where topics can range from the arcaded friezes on late medieval gothic buildings to 19th-century markets at Barcelona and George Gilbert Scott’s St Pancras station. A merchant’s house at Lubsche Strass 23 has been restored as a world heritage visitor centre, with information and displays about the old town and its buildings, and also about the Unesco world heritage programme. Its interior reflects decorative schemes of 17th- and early 19th-century remodellings. A rare feature is the panoramic wallpaper in the ballroom showing the adventures of Telemachus, made by the Paris company Dufour and Leroy.

Stralsund also has a world heritage visitor centre, and among its many medieval buildings is a 14th-century house that has been restored and is open to the public. With a lofty ground floor ‘hall’ where business was conducted, and a full height chute and windlass for lifting items up to the storage rooms in the roof, it presents a contrast with late-medieval town houses in England. These town centres, with their brick houses and huge brick churches, are well worth exploring and are models of good conservation practice. They also show what a difference world heritage status can make.

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This article originally appeared as 'Celebrating brick gothic' in the Institute of Historic Building Conservation’s (IHBC’s) [https://ihbconline.co.uk/cont_arch/?p=1596 Context 186], published in December 2025. It was written by David Andrews, a former historic buildings manager at Essex County Council.

--[[User:Institute_of_Historic_Building_Conservation|Institute of Historic Building Conservation]]

= Related articles on Designing Buildings =

* Architectural styles.
* Brick.
* Conservation.
* Gothic revival style.
* Gothic.
* Heritage.
* Historic environment.
* IHBC articles.
* IHBC.
* Wimpole Gothic Tower conservation.

[[Category:DCN_Commentary]] [[Category:History]] [[Category:Conservation]]

Brick gothic - Revision history

Designing Buildings at 08:17, 25 October 2026

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Designing Buildings: Created page with "The European Route of Brick Gothic and Centre of Brick Gothic Architecture bring together conservation expertise, and create cultural and economic benefits. In England after Rom..."