Peter Heil
From fortified Border towns to bourgeois Residential Towns
Urban Reconstruction in Landau, Selestat, and Belfort between 1871 and 1914
Between 1871 and 1914, that is between the end of the Franco-Prussian war and the beginning
of World War I, the towns of Landau, Selestat and Belfort developed from rural fortresses into
residential towns. Having been remodeled as fortresses by Vauban, master builder to Louis
XIV, these towns were now able to remove their walls, which had hindered their development.
This change lessened their character as border towns. In place of the fortresses, residential
districts were to be built, creating comfortable living conditions. More important than villas for
the few rich citizens, however, were affordable lodgings for workers. In Germany especially, it
was local government that engaged in housing programmes, whereas in France, it was more
often private entrepreneurs who took the initiative.
Hans Heiss
Successful Pacification? Bozen/Bolzano and the Tensions of National and
Cultural Disputes 1919-1999
Bozen/Bolzano is the capital of the Autonomous Province of Bozen-South Tyrol situated in the
north of Italy. With a population of about 100,000 and a linguistic mixture of German, Italian,
and Ladin speakers it is an important centre of service, trade, and industrial production.
The historical development of Bozen in the mid 19^ century was determined by its character as
a residential town open to tourism, by Catholicism and by national cultural tendencies. The First
World War and the politics of Fascism changed this situation profoundly and led to
considerable immigration of an Italian-speaking work force to satisfy the demands of forced
industrialisation. The relationship between the German and Italian-speaking population was determined
by segregation and few conflicts as a consequence. In spite of continuing segregation
after the Second World War, there were gradual approaches between the two groups. In a time
of rapid modernisation and expansion of the city limits due to construction the approach
encounters difficulties and proceeds haltingly, but the chances for further positive developments
are good.
Ralf Krautkramer
The Syrian Limes - Palmyra between the Imperium Romanum and the Persian
Empire
When Rome expanded in the East and the Seleucid empire conquered Parthia two world powers
with mutually exclusive ideologies faced each other in the region of Syria and Mesopotamia. It
was in this contested zone that the oasis of Palmyra was situated, a merchant city that
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