Picturesque castles, noble nights, minnesingers and troubadours; these romantic images fire our imagination in the generally accepted conception of the Middle Ages.

As centres of missionary activity and science, monasteries made an important contribtion to progress. Here, not only theology was taught and studied, but also medicine, mathematics, astronomy, law and philosophy as well.

Most of the population in the Middle Ages lived on the land. A silent, suffering majority, had to do services and pay taxes to the ruling noblemen and were repeatedly exposed to famine and violent conflicts.

Historians for a long time considered the picturesque maze of alleyways in mediaeval towns to be construction planning gone haywire. New research reveals the surprising fact that many mediaeval towns were conceived on the drawing board by urban planners who were well versed in geometry.