Fortress
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A fort castle is a form of castle that gained a foothold in Europe from the Mediterranean region from the time of the Crusades , but at the latest with the introduction of firearms , i.e. in the late period of castle building . It describes the modern form of the fort .
In a fort castle, the buildings are arranged on the inside of the mostly square or even wall section. The outer walls of the buildings are accordingly strong and only interrupted by the most necessary wall openings. Usually there are battlements on the walls , which are increasingly covered with the use of firearms.
The corners of this building quarter can be reinforced by towers. Often there is an additional wall in front of the building complex, with round bastions at the corners allowing the sides to be painted.
Depending on the location of the fort castle, there is a moat or a neck ditch on the gate side or the most endangered side of the castle.
The resulting square shape of the Gothic castle can be seen as the forerunner of the Renaissance castle . Ideally, it represents the transition from castle construction to - still fortified - castle construction , the so-called castle castle of the early modern period.
Fortified castles and castle castles generally, were in the early modern times subsequently with round bastions, angular bastions , washers or turrets to fortifications built or equal during as such late Gothic or Renaissance rebuilt. For example:
- Plassenburg with rondelles
- Friedewald moated castle with gun turrets
- Arensburg Castle in Kuressaare with angled bastions
- Heldrungen moated castle with circular bastions and angled bastions, a total of two moats
- Marienburg , fortress-like complex through several bailey with battery positions from the 15th to 17th centuries Century
Germany
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Only a few preserved fortified castles are known in Germany.
Baden-Württemberg
- The largely abandoned town castle Burg Lahr (from approx. 1220). Essentially only a former corner tower and some remains of the wall have been preserved here.
- Langenburg Castle (15th – 17th century?), Castle , four-wing complex with four corner towers (formerly gun towers).
Bavaria
- Johannisburg Castle (1605–1614), instead of the Aschaffenburg Castle, fortified castle complex built using its keep in the style of a fort castle. Bastion castle, Aschaffenburg .
- Willibaldsburg , castle and later palace (from 1609) with fortifications, Eichstätt .
- Plassenburg , castle (15th – 16th century) in Kulmbach .
- Hohenberg Castle (Hohenberg an der Eger) (today's buildings around 1480), hexagonal castle with gun turrets at the corners.
- Wörth Castle on the Danube (today's building from the 16th to 17th centuries). Build with turrets at the corners.
- Glött Castle , new buildings from 1550 to 1560, former moated castle
Brandenburg
- Oderberg castle ruins (also called Bärenkasten Castle), from 1353 a. 1618, considerable parts of the surrounding wall preserved, former island castle in the fort style and later fortress
Hesse
- Late Gothic new building (current state) of the Friedewald moated castle , formerly four corner towers for firearms, three of which have been partially preserved. In Hessen, this system is an example of the transition from castle building to fortification building in the late Gothic / early Renaissance style. Friedewald (Hesse) .
- Ober-Ense Castle, looped castle, formerly square courtyard with three corner towers, Ober-Ense (Korbach) . Ruin.
Lower Saxony
- The abandoned Franconian Kansteinburg (13th century first mentioned) near Langelsheim , as an almost rectangular castle complex, probably also fulfilled the criteria of a fort castle.
- The defunct city castle on the Kalkberg of Lüneburg was probably a fort-like structure, as several old views (from the 17th century) of the structure razed in 1371 suggest.
- Celle Castle (from 1378 and 1471 to 1478), former late Gothic moated castle, Renaissance four-wing complex with four corner towers.
- Delmenhorst moated castle (16th century reconstruction), later fortress.
- Disappeared Drakenburg Fortress (before 1547), according to the illustration of the Battle of Drakenburg
North Rhine-Westphalia
- The electoral castles of Zülpich (end of the 14th century), Kempen (renewal from 1396 to 1400) and Lechenich (14th century).
- Kempen Castle is a triangular complex.
- Brüggen moated castle (new building in the mid-14th century), formerly a fort-like complex with three corner towers. Only partially preserved.
- Wewelsburg , triangular Renaissance castle with three round corner towers in the style of a fort castle.
- Neuhaus Castle (from 1590), moated castle of the Weser Renaissance in the style of a fort castle.
- former Randerath Castle , Randerath
Rhineland-Palatinate
Electoral Cologne Zwingburg Stadtburg Andernach (late 12th-early 16th century), former trapezoidal moated castle with corner towers, ruins.
Neuleiningen Castle ruins (from approx. 1240).
The Outbound Martin Burg (1478 to 1481), Castle in Mainz .
Saarland
- Neu-Montclair Castle (new construction 1434–1439). Trapezoidal with four corner towers.
- Philippsborn hunting lodge (1576) with four bastion-like corner towers in the style of a fort castle. Gone.
- Renaissance Neunkirchen Castle (1575–1585) with four round corner towers. Gone.
Saxony
- In Saxony, the preserved core castle of the Reichsburg Rochlitz (founded in the 2nd half of the 10th century, first mentioned in 1009), with its strictly right-angled building arrangement around an elongated courtyard, constitutes a fort castle. Here, too, as in the case of the Thuringian High Swarm , an unusually early foundation of the original castle is assumed.
- Freudenstein Castle (new building from 1566–1577), a citadel-like castle around a rectangular courtyard in Freiberg .
- Strehla Castle , four-winged building 15. – 16. Century, late Gothic and Renaissance, with two preserved mountain peace.
- Rochsburg Castle , four-wing building, 15th century, Romanesque core, late Gothic and Renaissance, with preserved keep and outer bailey.
- Frohburg Castle , 15th century castle in a spur location, fortified castle complex built in the style of a fort castle, four-wing construction without towers.
- Trebsen Castle (from 1494), formerly a moated castle, fortified castle complex built in the style of a fort castle, four-wing construction without defense towers.
- Grossenhain moated castle (renovated in 1557), later fort-like castle, restored ruins with keep.
- According to research by the archaeologist Herbert Küas , the high medieval Leipzig Reichsburg , "Leipzig Castle" or "castrum Lipsk" (not to be confused with the later built late medieval Pleißenburg ) was a strictly rectangular, large-scale complex on the outskirts of the city of Leipzig .
- Hunting lodge Augustusburg , renaissance castle built in the style of a fort castle with tower-like corner houses, museum.
In the 19th century , excavations were made on the summit of the Saxon-Vogtland Kapellenberg in a ring wall (around the Kapellenberg tower ) that is still visible today . Remnants of a rectangular fort and various finds are said to have been made. These finds were later lost. As far as it was a medieval complex, it was probably a tower castle , a watch tower , or a fort castle. Because of the new Kapellenberg tower (observation tower) standing at this point today, new excavations are not possible.
Saxony-Anhalt
- Moritzburg (Halle) (from 1484), fortified castle and officially the last “ castle complex” built in the Saale valley . Trapezoidal four-wing building from the late Gothic period with four corner towers and additional roundels in front. Partly ruin.
- Wittenberg Castle (1525), castle with corner towers that were later converted into gun turrets. Partly preserved.
- Square Rudelsburg (reconstruction after 1450) with upstream corner washers.
Schleswig-Holstein
- Former Gottorf moated castle (reconstruction from 1492), converted into a castle.
Thuringia
- In Saalfeld , Thuringia , there is the Hoher Schwarm Castle (around 1300) , which is also classified as a tower castle and only preserved as a ruin . This facility was still regarded as a Franconian fort in the 1980s , which according to the current state of research is no longer tenable for the current building stock (residential tower). It is assumed here that there was an older predecessor castle in the same place, which was possibly of Franconian origin.
- Glücksburg Castle (Römhild) (1465–1488), new castle-like castle to replace an abandoned hilltop castle. Four-wing system.
- The late Gothic Cyriaksburg (from 1480) in Erfurt is an example of the end of castle construction and the beginning of fortress construction in Germany. It is a castle-like city fortress built almost rectangular in the style of the fort and later a citadel .
- Hutsburg ruin (1383 new building) on the Hutsberg . Former Fortress or tower castle (findings unclear).
- Heldrungen moated castle (around 1500), former four-wing complex with two corner towers (Bergfrieden), corner rondelles and moat. Part received. Later fortification expansion.
England
In England, the quandrangular castle was built in the 14th century, a form of fortified castle in which the residential buildings were closely integrated into the overall plan. Bodiam Castle and Bolton Castle are good examples. The White Tower (from 1078) in the Tower of London is also reminiscent of a fort castle in its exterior design, but is a tower castle because it has no inner courtyard.
Durham
| Article | Place | Date of establishment / creation | geographic coordinates | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumley Castle | Durham | 1389 | 54 ° 51 ′ 17 "N, 1 ° 33 ′ 11" W. |
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| Raby Castle | Durham | 1378 | 54 ° 35 ′ 27 "N, 1 ° 48 ′ 7" W. |
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North Yorkshire
| Article | Place | Date of establishment / creation | geographic coordinates | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danby Castle | North Yorkshire | 1301-1302 | 54 ° 27 ′ 20 ″ N, 0 ° 53 ′ 43 ″ W. |
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| Sheriff Hutton Castle |
North Yorkshire Ryedale |
1382 |
54 ° 5 ′ 17 "N, 1 ° 0 ′ 19" W 54 ° 5 ′ 11 "N, 1 ° 0 ′ 23" W. |
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Northumberland
| Article | Place | Date of establishment / creation | geographic coordinates | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chillingham Castle | Northumberland | 1344 | 55 ° 31 ′ 34 "N, 1 ° 54 ′ 18" W. |
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| Ford Castle | Northumberland | 1338 | 55 ° 37 '53 "N, 2 ° 5' 25" W. |
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Oxfordshire
| Fortress | District | Date of establishment / creation | geographic coordinates | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grays Court | South Oxfordshire | 1348 | 51 ° 32 ′ 42 "N, 0 ° 57 ′ 22" W. |
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| Shirburn Castle | South Oxfordshire | 1338 | 51 ° 39 ′ 27 "N, 0 ° 59 ′ 38" W. |
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Dorset
| Fortress | Unitary Authority | Date of establishment / creation | geographic coordinates | image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chideock Castle | Dorset | 1375s | 50 ° 44 ′ 3 ″ N, 2 ° 49 ′ 6 ″ W. | |
| Woodsford Castle | Dorset | 1336 | 50 ° 42 ′ 45 "N, 2 ° 20 ′ 38" W. |
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Misc
France
- Château Vincennes , a fort-like complex with a central donjon (from 1361)
- Hohlandsberg Castle , rectangular lower castle (expanded from 1410 and after 1563), Alsace
Italy
Since modern fortification techniques first reached Italy via the crusades from the Arab region, modern castles or fort-like castles were built in Italy often and early. The princely seats in the Italian city-states were particularly such facilities.
Austria and Slovakia
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In Austria the castle in Wiener Neustadt (new building from 1378) fulfills the criteria of a fort castle with - formerly - four towers at their corners. Three of the towers had to be demolished. It served as the imperial residence of the Habsburgs from the Middle Ages and as a military academy from the early modern period.
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The old Viennese Hofburg from the 16th century was a fort castle.
The Slovak castle Bratislava (Pressburg), a building from the 15th century compared to today's core castle, was alternately the seat of the kings of Hungary, Bohemia and the Habsburgs.
Both of these facilities are also examples of the late medieval "fortified castle".
Pottendorf moated castle, moated castle ruin , four-wing complex with two Hohenstaufen mountain tombs and a separate castle chapel, Austria.
Former Ebenfurth moated castle, four-wing complex converted into a castle with two mountain tombs, Austria.
Ebreichsdorf moated castle , four-wing complex with formerly two corner towers and a keep, Austria.
Main castle of Hochosterwitz Castle , Austria
Eggenberg Castle, moated castle in the style of a fort castle.
Poland, Baltic States, Russia
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Several castles of the Teutonic Order (13th - 16th centuries) are / were fort castles with a square or rectangular floor plan, B .:
- Arensburg (Kuressaare) in the city of Kuressaare on the Baltic Sea island Saaremaa / Ösel, Estonia
- Oberpahlen Castle , ruin, Estonia
- Tallinn Castle , Estonia
- Main castle of the Trakai moated castle , Lithuania
- Olsztyn Castle , Poland
- Butow Castle , Poland
- Dibau Castle (from 1423), ruin, Poland
- Fellin Castle , ruin, Estonia
- Gollub Castle , Poland
- Heilsberg Castle , Poland
- Main castle / "Hochschloss" of Marienburg , Grand Master residence of the Teutonic Order, Poland
- former Küstrin Castle in Küstrin , sold, Poland
- Lochstedt Castle, lost castle, Russia
- Marienwerder Castle , partially preserved, Poland
- Mewe Castle , Poland
- Neidenburg Castle , Poland
- Ortelsburg Castle , ruin, Poland
- Osterode Castle , Poland
- Rehden Castle , ruin, Poland
- Rößel Castle , Poland
- Schönberg Castle , ruin
- Georgenburg Castle , ruin, Russia
- former Insterburg Castle , small remains, Russia
In his book "Burgenkunde", the castle researcher Otto Piper characterizes the castles of the Teutonic Order in the Baltic States - unlike the usual castles of the Middle Ages - as "knight barracks". Even the core castles of these complexes were designed to effectively accommodate as many knights as possible through a strictly planned structure of the room layout and multi-storey construction. It is certainly no coincidence that many of these systems appear to be almost identical.
Many of these fort castles, which were modern at the time, had the most modern toilet facilities in Europe since Roman times , the so-called Dansker , a toilet tower that stood alone in front of the outer wall of the castle - by means of a brick arch bridge - and was connected by a stream or moat his foot was washed through a vault. Such systems are well preserved in Toruń Castle , Castle Kwidzyn (restored) and on the Marienburg .
The transition from castle construction to the late medieval “fortified castle” can also be seen in several of the Teutonic Order's castles.
Spain
- Escorial monastery-castle (1563 to 1584), built in the style of a fort castle
Czech Republic
- Sokolov Castle, a fort castle converted into a castle with four corner towers still today
- Hartenštejn Castle (Neuhartenstein in Bohemia), small remains of a square fort castle built around 1471 (without a previous building) with tower-like bastions, abandoned shortly after 1532
Picture gallery
Front of an 11th century fort castle in Moniga del Garda , Italy
Rear of an 11th century fort castle in Padenghe sul Garda , Italy
Eastern courtyard of the Kastellburg Burg Neuleiningen from the 11th century, Neuleiningen , Germany
Castle ruin Hoher Schwarm , Thuringia, Germany
City of Lüneburg in 1682, on the right the fort-like ruins of the lordly castle on the Lüneburg Kalkberg , razed by the citizens of the city in 1371 during the War of the Lüneburg Succession
Ruins of Rehden Castle , Deutschordensburg, Poland
See also
literature
- Jens Friedhoff: Fortress. In: Horst Wolfgang Böhme , Reinhard Friedrich, Barbara Schock-Werner (Hrsg.): Dictionary of castles, palaces and fortresses. Philipp Reclam, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-15-010547-1 , pp. 166–167, doi: 10.11588 / arthistoricum.535 .
- August Landgraf: The moated castles of the 13th and 14th centuries in eastern Lower Austria. In: Castles and Palaces . Journal for Castle Research and Monument Preservation. Volume 14, No. 1, 1973, ISSN 0007-6201 , pp. 5–18, doi: 10.11588 / bus.1973.1.40386 .
- Ulrich Schütte: The castle as a fortification. Fortified castle buildings from the early modern period. Scientific Book Society, Darmstadt 1994, ISBN 978-3-534-11692-8 , p. 204 ff.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Illustration of the medieval castle Leipzig as a reconstruction attempt by Herbert Küas in: "The early Leipzig", Sax-Verlag, Beucha 2003, ISBN 3-934544-49-5
- ↑ Ulrich Schütte: "The castle as a fortification, fortified castle buildings of the early modern era", Scientific Book Society Darmstadt, 1994, ISBN 3-534-11692-5
- ↑ "Burgenkunde", entries on "Marienburg (East Prussia)", Otto Piper, reprint from Weltbild-Verlag Munich 1992, ISBN 3-89350-554-7