Formation of public space
We study the transition from a suburban sedimentary background to an intensively used urban space after the foundation of Prague New Town.
Where
Prague, New Town
Area
Wenceslas Square / Horse Market
Chronology
12th–18th century
Archive
urban soils and sediments
Methods
micromorphology, pXRF, isotopes, biomarkers
Spatial position
Wenceslas Square as an urban archive
The profile is located in the area of the former Horse Market, one of the main public spaces of Prague New Town, founded in 1348.
- suburban phase with a more natural sedimentary background
- event-related run-off layer associated with the year 1280
- formation of organically rich urban Dark Earth after 1348
- geochemical and biomarker traces of waste, faecal inputs and craft activity
What we study here
Dark Earth as an archive
Dark Earth is not treated here as a generic dark layer, but as a specific record of waste, organic inputs, market activity and repeated sedimentary processes.
From erosion to urbanisation
The profile captures an earlier run-off event, natural sedimentary background and later urban accumulation.
Key results
Before the 13th century
Mostly silty sediments with low anthropogenic input, forming a more natural background of the profile.
1280
A distinct fine-grained run-off layer formed after an extreme rainfall event. The sediment differs from the surrounding units and corresponds to rapid wash-off and accumulation of material.
After 1348
Formation of organically rich Dark Earth after the foundation of Prague New Town and the Horse Market.
14th–18th century
Increase in Ca, P, S and Pb, biomarker signals of waste and isotopic evidence of urban contamination and craft activity.
1280: extreme rainfall and a sedimentary trace
Heavy rainfall in 1280
“In forests and mountain valleys, countless trees were uprooted by the force of the rain. Slopes and steep hillsides collapsed under the pressure of an extraordinary amount and speed of rainwater. Buildings, walls, vineyards and houses in Prague, both inside and outside the walls, were torn down and carried into the river. Public roads and paths were destroyed and washed out in many places by flowing water.”
Source: Fontes rerum Bohemicarum 1874.
From rainfall event to sediment layer
In the studied profile, the year 1280 is associated with a distinct fine-grained run-off layer that differs from the surrounding units.
- intense rainfall
- erosion of slopes and unpaved surfaces
- run-off and wash-off of fine material
- rapid sediment accumulation
- 1280 layer in the Wenceslas Square profile
Open access study
Anthropogenic Signatures in the Heart of Prague
Urban Dark Earth and Soil-Sediment Processes in a Medieval Marketplace
The study presents a multiproxy analysis of stratified sediments from Wenceslas Square. It combines micromorphology, pXRF geochemistry, magnetic susceptibility, grain size, stable C and N isotopes, Pb isotopes and biomarker analysis.
micromorphology
pXRF
grain size
magnetic susceptibility
δ13C / δ15N
Pb isotopes
biomarkers
Visual documentation and analytical layers
Interpretation for Human Earth Lab
What the site shows more broadly
Urban public space is not created only by architecture and artefacts. It also produces a soil and sedimentary archive. Everyday activity, waste, market exchange, erosion, water, craft production and urban change are recorded in this archive.
Wenceslas Square therefore serves as a reference case for studying how long-term urbanisation becomes written into soil.
Team and outputs
Authors and collaborators
Martin Janovský, Lenka Lisá, Petr Starec, Jakub Trubač, Sabina Millerová, Michal Štaffl, Jakub Slačálek, Lukáš Kučera, Laszlo Ferenczi, Tomáš Klír.
Study and data
Open access study, visual supplements, analytical graphs, maps, micromorphological documentation and data layers for further comparison of urban soil archives.