Abstract (eng)
This thesis treats the garden plants of the middle ages. The main focus lies on Central Europe between the 11th and 15th century. The first part of this paper
explains different kinds of garden types and the cropped plants. There are four types of gardens: the gardens of nobility and courtly culture, the monastery
gardens, the gardens of townspeople and the gardens of peasants. The individual crops are sorted the following categories: vegetables, fruits, herbs
and ornamental plants. Every single plant is investigated in their origin and their cultural meaning for the medieval men.
The second part of this thesis is about the use of plants which were grown in gardens. The first topic is the use of plants in medicine, from their processing
as medicinal drugs, to the application of certain plant parts to heal different illnesses. Second is an analysis of the use of medieval plants as food and spice. Also, their influence on the nutrition of the medieval people is treated.
Part of this chapter is also the different kinds of conservation of the crop. Apart from that, the plants’ importance for medieval hygiene is enlarged upon. The
concept of hygiene in the middle ages is explained and the different household remedies to terminate pests are dealt with. In this chapter the use of perfumes
is also written about. Finally, the topic of the significance of medieval plants in magical practices and rituals is gone into. Special focus is laid on the use of
plants in the production of protective amulets.