Describes the development of wooden towns in the Nordic countries from the early Middle Ages. The medieval towns were densely built: most had developed without any town planning, the streets were narrow (3-5 m. wide), and the street pattern was irregular. Fires in wooden towns would inevitably result in a conflagration. The precautions taken to avoid disaster by fire have been a crucially important matter in the history of European town development. When a town rebuilt after a fire disaster, two methods were adopted: the first was to draw up new town plans on a Milesian plan, with wider streets to prevent fire from spreading; the second method was to propose new building regulations prohibiting wooden houses. In most Nordic countries, the former method was usually adopted because of strong objections from town inhabitants against using alternative building materials. Only in the 20th century were wooden buildings totally prohibited in the centers of Nordic towns. Thus, the old extant wooden towns are now treated as cultural property.