Un paisatge urbà medieval a final del segle XIII: Castelló d’Empúries i les viles del seu entorn

Abstract

Castello d’Empuries, a small town in Old Catalonia, capital of the county of Empuries, may be considered a regional example of that process we know as medieval small scale urbanization. Its history, from the 12th century on, is that of the build-up of a particular economy which will function as starting-point of those circuits of exchange relationship which are necessary for medieval urbanisation. In functional terms the town of Castello, connected to the major Mediterranean comercial circuits, has to be considered not only as a local centre but also as a node in a network of linked urban centers. Competition between lords of towns and cities has to be considered as a major element in definining the specific place of every center in a regional network.