Historians considered for a long time 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, for the towns grew and offered a home to many people. Even outsiders such as swindlers, beggars and charlatans found shelter, for the influence of the feudal lords ended before the town-gates. In the freedom of the towns, the guilds and bourgeois society flourished. Mechanical tower clocks heralded a new rhythm of life, the first universities were founded, trade and industry followed suit.
Die Welt des Mittelalters ist im Umbruch: Großstädte schießen wie Pilze aus dem Boden, der Fernhandel kommt auf Touren, die Seefahrt bricht zu neuen Kontinenten auf. Wissen und Information sind gefragt: Der Kosmograph Heinrich Schuder erkundet, warum die venezianischen Kaufleute kein Bargeld für ihre Geschäfte brauchen. Es kommt nicht von ungefähr, dass Bezeichnungen wie Giro-Konto, Agio, Disagio, Saldo, Storno, Manco etc. italienisch sind.
