RUBIACUM. Research, digital inventory and digital reconstruction of the pre-industrial urban building history of Rouffach (F-Elsass)

• Applicants: Dr. Thomas Eißing; Professor Dr. Marc Carel Schurr
• Subject Area: Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 529209406

The aim is to research the town planning history of Rouffach in Alsace as an interdisciplinary project of archaeology, art history and building research. The oldest settlement area in the south-east of the town, which dates back to a Roman villa rustica, was systematically developed into a town by the bishops of Strasbourg starting in the early 13th century. The town wall, which ran in a wide arc, was connected to Isenburg, which was elevated to the north. However, the area intramuros was not completely developed by buildings, so that large areas are still used for agriculture today. Within the wall, a rich building stock with buildings mainly from the 13th to 17th centuries has been well preserved. At the same time, a Jewish settlement with a synagogue was established, but it was abandoned after the pogrom of 1338. The German-French working group consists of senior scientists, while the most comprehensive research positions will be filled by two junior female researchers, so that a cross-generational transfer of knowledge is systematically established here. At the same time, the project combines modern methods of inventory (SLAM / 3D laser scanning / GIS) with traditional methods such as hand measurement, archival research, comparative art-historical building analysis and archaeometric-scientific methods. The systematic link with the French inventory platform "Gertrude" (base de données de l'Inventaire du Patrimoine) is essential. The aim is to show that a differentiated state of the art representation of the urban development history of Rouffach is possible within a limited period of time.1. Inventory and chronology of the town wall, castle and parish church 2. Differentiated inventory and building chronology including dendrochonological analysis of approx. 50 buildings 3. Cadastral plot analysis on the basis of GIS to diagnose urban structures and changes 4. Extensive use of scanning methods for accelerated recording in inhabited stock 5. Visualisation of the urban development history, including the structural development of the city wall, in three time periods as a digital building model 6. Comprehensive documentation of the cadastral plots around the synagogue that presumably belonged to the former Jewish quarter 7. Statements on the origin of the building materials, in particular the connection between forest and building timber 8. Evaluation of the stone and half-timbered buildings independently of the nationally influenced stereotypes of art and building history developed in the 19th century but still used today 9. Timely participation of the public in partial results via the Inventarisation platform „Gertrude“ 10. Early communication of results to the municipality and DRAC. The project is supported by the municipality of Rufach and the French Ministry of Culture (Service régional de l'archéologie du Grand-Est / Alsace) 11. Involvement of parallel and mixed student seminars from Strasbourg, Trier and Bamberg

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: France
• Partner Organisation: Agence Nationale de la Recherche / The French National Research Agency
• Cooperation Partner: Dr. Jean-Jacques Schwien