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Books Features

New Medieval Books: The Public House in Central Europe

by New Medieval Books
January 2, 2026

The Public House in Central Europe: Inns, Taverns, and Alehouses in Cracow during the Jagiellonian Dynasty

By Peter Paul Dobek

Lexington Books
ISBN: 978-1-66692-738-2

Public houses—places that sold alcoholic drinks—were a central part of life in Cracow in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. This book explores how these establishments worked: who owned them, who gathered inside, and how city authorities dealt with disorder when drinking turned into violence.

Excerpt:

Public houses – inns, taverns, and alehouses – during the Jagiellonian Dynasty (1385-1572) in the city of Cracow and its immediate surroundings functioned as important establishments in the everyday life of the city. The inns, taverns, and alehouses provided numerous vital services to both the inhabitants and to visitors of the conurbation. Cracow’s growth as one of the political, economic, religious, cultural, academic, and social centers of the Polish lands under the Jagiellonians increased the importance of these establishments, and these developments directly and indirectly influenced the success of public houses.

Who is this book for?

Although taverns and alehouses are often treated as a key feature of medieval life, surprisingly few books put them at the centre of the story. This one will appeal to anyone working on social history, and it should also interest researchers of medieval towns and urban violence. It even touches on what these spaces could mean for diplomacy in the Middle Ages.

The Author

Peter Paul Dobek is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Grand Valley State University. You can read more of his research on his Academia.edu page.

You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.

You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk

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Tags2025 Books • Medieval Poland • Medieval Social History • Medieval Urban Studies • Medieval Violence

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