ABSTRACT
When it comes to medieval chimneys, we usually think of their frame or coping as a topic for art or architectural history. The construction of the lintel, mantel or shaft itself has been mostly ignored. Based on detailed studies regarding the chimney systems of keeps in Regensburg (1211–31) and Schönburg (1201), along with further examples, this paper shows the great complexity and variations in the construction of High Medieval chimneys of the late 12th and early 13th centuries in central Europe. Furthermore, it focuses on their building progress and the advanced processes applied, reaching from complex falseworks to pre-produced Ashlars.
