Hillside castle
Encyclopedia
A hillside castle is a castle
built on the side of a hill
above much of the surrounding terrain but below the summit itself. It is thus a type of hill castle
and emerged in Europe in the second half of the 11th century.
As a result of the particular danger to the site from attacks on the castle from the rising ground above it, this weak point is usually strongly protected by a shield wall
or a bergfried
. Often a combination of these two passive defensive works were used.
The advantage of a hillside castle was the considerably lower well
depths compared with hilltop castle
s. The construction of the well was, in many cases, the most expensive and protracted element of the overall construction of the castle. Often however water supply was ensured with the additional help of donkeys as pack animals, entailing the construction of special donkey tracks.
There are numerous hillside castles in the German Central Uplands
, especially in stream and river valleys, for example on the Middle Rhine. They were often built as customs posts (Zollburgen) and lay close to trading routes. In all they make up less than 1% of all medieval castles as categorised by topographic location, because they had enormous strategic disadvantages as a result of being dominated by higher ground on the uphill side.
Examples of hillside castles include Katz Castle in Sankt Goarshausen
, Ehrenfels Castle in Rüdesheim and the Rietburg near Rhodt
in der Palatinate.
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
built on the side of a hill
Hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills often have a distinct summit, although in areas with scarp/dip topography a hill may refer to a particular section of flat terrain without a massive summit A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. Hills...
above much of the surrounding terrain but below the summit itself. It is thus a type of hill castle
Hill castle
A hill castle is a castle built on a natural feature that stands above the surrounding terrain. It is a term derived from the German Höhenburg used in categorising castle sites by their topographical location...
and emerged in Europe in the second half of the 11th century.
As a result of the particular danger to the site from attacks on the castle from the rising ground above it, this weak point is usually strongly protected by a shield wall
Shield wall (fortification)
A shield wall refers to the highest and strongest wall of a castle where it is clearly distinguished from the other curtain walls of a castle. The shield wall serves to protect the side from which the main attack is expected...
or a bergfried
Bergfried
A bergfried is a tall tower typically found in medieval castles in German-speaking countries . Its defensive function is to some extent similar to that of a keep or donjon in English or French castles...
. Often a combination of these two passive defensive works were used.
The advantage of a hillside castle was the considerably lower well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
depths compared with hilltop castle
Hilltop castle
A hilltop castle is a type of hill castle that was built on the summit of a hill or mountain. The chief advantage of such a strategically selected site was its inaccessibility. The steep flanks of the hill made assaults on the castle difficult or, depending on the terrain, even impossible...
s. The construction of the well was, in many cases, the most expensive and protracted element of the overall construction of the castle. Often however water supply was ensured with the additional help of donkeys as pack animals, entailing the construction of special donkey tracks.
There are numerous hillside castles in the German Central Uplands
Central Uplands
The Central Uplands is one of the three major natural regions of Germany and covers most of the land area of the country. To the north lies the North German Plain or Northern Lowland; to the south, the Alps and the Alpine Foreland.- Formation :...
, especially in stream and river valleys, for example on the Middle Rhine. They were often built as customs posts (Zollburgen) and lay close to trading routes. In all they make up less than 1% of all medieval castles as categorised by topographic location, because they had enormous strategic disadvantages as a result of being dominated by higher ground on the uphill side.
Examples of hillside castles include Katz Castle in Sankt Goarshausen
Sankt Goarshausen
Sankt Goarshausen is a tourist town located on the eastern shore of the Rhine, in the section known as the Rhine Gorge, directly across the river from Sankt Goar, in the State Rhineland-Palatinate, in Germany. It lies approximately 30 km south of Koblenz, and it is above all famous for the...
, Ehrenfels Castle in Rüdesheim and the Rietburg near Rhodt
Rhodt unter Rietburg
Rhodt unter Rietburg is a municipality in Südliche Weinstraße district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, western Germany....
in der Palatinate.
Sources
- Horst Wolfgang Böhme, Reinhard Friedrich, Barbara Schock-Werner (ed.): Wörterbuch der Burgen, Schlösser und Festungen. Philipp Reclam, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-15-010547-1, p. 149–150.
- Michael Losse: Kleine Burgenkunde. Regionalia, Euskirchen 2011, ISBN 978-3-939722-39-7.