Report from a field trip to medieval Reval
Between 5 April to 6 April a group of early career historians participated in an informal field trip to Tallinn on the initiative of Kurt Villads Jensen. They were graciously received by local scholars and provided with a healthy serving of all that the medieval town of Reval has to offer. Fraser Miller, PhD student at the Department of History at Stockholm University, gives a report from the trip.
On the first day, Juhan Kreem and Tiina Kala gave an excellent tour of the City Archives, treating us to a presentation of some of the many impressive medieval and early modern documents held in the collection. A manuscript of Magnus Eriksson’s Town Law was just one such document to demonstrate the close historical links between Sweden and Estonia.
After some self-exploration, we were met by Anu Mänd, who showed us around St Nicholas’ Church, which was one of the medieval town’s most magnificent places of worship and continues to impress even today. An interesting exhibition on medieval pilgrimage high up in the church tower was the first stop on the tour, and the presence of beautiful brass baptismal bowls (believed to have been gifted by the Danes) provided a useful reminder that objects grown obsolete in one context can often find new life and meaning in another.
The highlight of the visit, however, was far and away the late medieval artworks by the Lübeck masters Bernt Notke and Hermen Rode. Notke’s Danse Macabre was particularly impressive, being as it is the sole surviving medieval Dance Macabre preserved on canvas. The medievalists in the crowd sat in silent glee before the work, listening to the winging band of versed dialogue read aloud in the original Low German over the audioguide.
The day ended with the breaking of bread with Kersti Markus and a group of Estonian PhD students, who provided us with a brilliant insight into the conditions of academia in Estonia and the research interests currently in vogue there. Discussion quickly turned to the potential for research visits and collaborations between our respective institutions.
Day two had pious beginnings as we assembled inside the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral for a taste of the city’s Orthodox heritage. There we bore quiet witness to the Orthodox practice of open confession, acquiring in the process an appreciation for how that sacrament was practiced in the Catholic faith prior to the 16th Century. After a subsequent tour of the medieval Town Hall, we concluded our visit with a lunch with Marek Tamm who, in addition to supplementing the introduction to the Estonian academic system we had received the previous evening, discussed his current project. ”Digital Livonia”, which effectively establishes the field of digital medieval studies in Estonia, promises to create an incredibly valuable resource for any scholars interested in medieval Livonian and Baltic history.
While there were many learnings from the trip, the biggest takeaway was just how valuable it is to get out of the office and experience historic places firsthand. Kurt Villads Jensen’s initiative went much further than exposing junior scholars to new contacts, places, and ideas. He demonstrated that you don’t need to organize a workshop or apply for funding to get out into the field. Sometimes all it takes is an urge to stretch your legs and an email to some likeminded colleagues to make something great happen.
Last updated: May 16, 2024
Source: Historiska institutionen