The general view of urban segregation in pre-modern towns has been that the wealthy lived near the administrative and economic center(s), while the poor were pushed to the limits of the town. This approach has been questioned by studies proving that urban spaces were socially mixed. This dilemma has been studied here by examining in detail the urban segregation in one small town, Sortavala, at the eastern borderland of the Swedish realm. The analysis shows that the town space was bipolarly segregated. The “gentry,” officeholders and the like, lived near the market square and town hall; the wealthy burghers along the main street. However, even the poorest taxpayers lived among the wealthy and those of high social rank. The segregation was relative: the proportion of the wealthy grew in the grid plan in the town center; the settlements growing “freely” outside the original grid plan were for the poor only.

前现代城镇中城市隔离的普遍观点是，富人住在行政和经济中心附近，而穷人则被推到城镇的边缘。这种方法受到了证明城市空间是社会混合的研究的质疑。本文通过详细研究瑞典王国东部边境的一个小镇 Sortavala 的城市隔离来研究这一困境。分析表明，城镇空间是两极隔离的。“绅士”、公务员等，住在集市广场和市政厅附近；主要街道上的富裕市民。然而，即使是最贫穷的纳税人也生活在富人和社会地位高的人中间。隔离是相对的：在城镇中心的网格规划中，富人的比例有所增长；