The term Brick Gothic is used for what more specifically is called Baltic Brick Gothic or North German Brick Gothic. That part of Gothic architecture, widespread in Northern Germany, Denmark, Poland and the Baltic states, is commonly identified with the sphere of influence of the Hanseatic League. But there is a continuous mega-region of Gothic brick architecture, or Brick Gothic in a sense based on the facts, from the Strait of Dover to Finland and Lake Peipus and to the Sub-Carpathian region of southeastern Poland and southwestern Ukraine.
Out of northern Germany and the Baltic region, the term Brick Gothic is adequately applied as well.
The region around the Baltic Sea, including Northern Germany, has some typical characteristics, but there are also regional and social differences, such as between the churches of medieval big cities and those of the neighbouring villages. On the other hand, a significant number of Gothic brick buildings erected near the Baltic Sea could also have been built in the Netherlands or in Flanders, and vice versa.
Furthermore, Gothic brick structures have also been erected in other regions, such as northern Italy, southwestern and central France, and in the Danubian area of southern Germany. The particular architectural styles of some regions differ very much from the others, these are Italian Gothic (with Lombard Gothic, Venetian Gothic and Tuscan Gothic), French Gothique Méridional. Quite late began the medieval use of brick in England, with the Tudor Style.
The true extent of northern Brick Gothic and other Gothic brick architecture is shown by this almost complete list.
This list will never be complete. But it aims to be almost complete to give an unbiased survey as well on the variance as on the geography of Gothic brick buildings.
The dates given here refer to the present extant Gothic structures. Predecessors or post-Gothic alterations are not normally mentioned, but can be assessed by following up the literature. The most influential structures are indicated by bold print. Romanesque and Renaissance structures are not listed. Gothic Brick structures from outside the Baltic or North German regions, e.g. the Danubian ones, are also included, while Neogothic edifices are not listed.
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Public database links:
Most of the Gothic brick architecture in Belgium can be found in West Flanders, some in a narrow strip along the border with the Netherlands. Many Gothic brick churches in the province of Limburg have been lost in the 19th century, as they were displaced by Gothic Revival churches.
Background informations:
â Danish "Region Nordjylland" âÂÂ
â Danish "Region Midtjylland" âÂÂ
â Jutland part of Danish Region "Region Syddanmark"; <br />that is much more than traditional "Sønderjylland" âÂÂ
and adjacent islands
and adjacent islands
In England, the use of bricks for pretentious buildings began later than in continental Europe. And the collective of Gothic brick buildings differs, almost no religious buildings and very few urban ones.
In the Loir-et-Cher department, there is a small group of Gothic brick buildings. One of them even is among the most famous buildings of France, though not for its bricks.
In Middle Ages, the same rulers were Dukes of Burgundy as French vassals and Counts of Burgundy as vassals of the Holy Roman Empire.
â Between Burgundy and Languedoc âÂÂ
(*) "Our-Lady's-Assumption Church" = ÃÂglise Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption
See List of Gothic brick buildings in Germany
â In Hungary, there is much more hidden than visible medieval brick. During the 145 years of Ottoman occupation, many churches fell in ruins. At about 1700 they were restored, inclusively of plastering, which need not necessary have existed before. In ruins of the Turkish wars and of World War II, brick can be visible, though these buildings had been plastered in their time of function. âÂÂ