Water castle

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Plan of Doorwerth Castle (Gelderland, the Netherlands)
Bodiam Castle (Sussex, England)
Mespelbrunn Castle (Bavaria, Germany)

A water castle[a][dubious – discuss] is a castle whose site is largely defended by water.[2] It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore.[dubious – discuss] The term comes from European castle studies, mainly German Burgenkunde, but is sometimes used in English-language popular science books and websites,[3][4] and is mentioned in other more academic works.[5] When stately homes were built in such a location, or a Wasserburg was later rebuilt as a residential manor, the German term becomes Wasserschloss, lit. "water palace/manor".

Description[]

Forde-Johnston describes such a site as "a castle in which water plays a prominent part in the defences."[2][clarification needed] Apart from hindering attackers, an abundant supply of water was also an advantage during a siege.[citation needed] Topographically, such structures are a type of low-lying castle.[citation needed] Such a castle usually had only one entrance, which was via a drawbridge and that could be raised for protection in the event of an attack.[citation needed] To some extent these water castles had a fortress-like character.[clarification needed][citation needed]

There is a further distinction between:

  • castles that are protected by artificial water-filled moats or man-made ponds, i.e. a moated castles
  • castles whose primary means of protection is from natural water bodies such as river courses, or which stand on islands or peninsulas in a natural marshland, pond, lake or sea. Island castles and marsh castles are such examples.[citation needed]

Legacy[]

In many places in Central Europe castles that had formerly been fortified changed their role or were converted over the course of time so that they became largely representational and residential buildings. The characteristic moats thus lost their original security function, but were retained in some cases as an element of landscaping. Today, in monument conservation circles, they are often described as burdensome, cost-intensive "historic legacies" because of the water damage caused to their foundations. As a result, many moats around castles in Germany have been drained, or more rarely filled, especially since the 1960s.

In Germany, the Wasserburgroute or "Water Castle Route" has been established in the triangle formed by the cities of Aachen, Bonn and Cologne which links 120 castles and palaces.[6][7]

Examples[]

Austria[]

  • Franzensburg

Baltic[]

Trakai Castle
  • (Arrasch)
  • Trakai Island Castle

Belgium[]

Kasteel van Wijnendale (Wijnendale Castle)
  • Wijnendale Castle

Czech Republic[]

Denmark[]

Finland[]

France[]

Please notice that in French " [fr]", literally 'water castle', means water tower.

Germany[]

Bad Rappenau
Brennhausen
Friedewald water castle
Schwerin Castle
Vischering Castle
Klaffenbach Castle, (16th century, Saxony)
Gommern Water Castle
Moritzburg Castle
Glücksburg Castle

Baden-Württemberg[]

Bavaria[]

Berlin[]

Brandenburg[]

Bremen[]

Hamburg[]

Hesse[]

  • in Friedewald
  • near

Lower Saxony[]

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern[]

  • Schwerin Castle

North Rhine-Westphalia[]

  • Benrath House in Düsseldorf
  • Burgau Castle
  • Gimborn Castle
  • in Bochum
  • Morsbroich Castle in Leverkusen
  • Moyland Castle in Bedburg-Hau
  • Nordkirchen Palace
  • Rheydt Palace
  • Vischering Castle
  • Wilkinghege Water Castle in Münster
  • Wittringen Castle in Gladbeck

Rhineland-Palatinate[]

  • Alte Burg (Koblenz)

Saarland[]

  • Gustavsburg in Homburg
  • near Illingen

Saxony[]

  • Moritzburg Castle
  • Hainewalde Water Castle

Saxony-Anhalt[]

Schleswig-Holstein[]

Thuringia[]

Greece[]

  • Bourtzi
  • Methoni Castle

Hungary[]

Italy[]

  • Castello Estense
  • Castello di Sirmione
  • in a broad way, Venice Arsenal

Japan[]

Imabari Castle

Lebanon[]

Netherlands[]

Cannenburgh Castle
  • Cannenburgh Castle
  • Hoensbroek Castle
  • Muiderslot
  • Loevestein
  • Ammersoyen Castle
  • Kasteel Radboud
  • Brederode Castle

Portugal[]

Slovakia[]

Slovenia[]

Otočec Castle

Sweden[]

Kalmar Castle
Vittskövle Castle
Chillon Castle
Caerlaverock Castle
Caerphilly Castle

Romania[]

Switzerland[]

Turkey[]

United Kingdom[]

England[]

Scotland[]

Wales[]

  • Caerphilly Castle[8]
  • Beaumaris Castle

Notes[]

  1. ^ The term is sometimes hyphenated, see e.g. [1]

References[]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Gothein 2014, pp. 22, 52, etc.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Forde-Johnston, James L. (1979). Great Medieval Castles of Britain. The Bodley Head. p. 163. ISBN 0370302362. Retrieved 20 July 2014. ... Caister is based on the Wasserburg of the Rhine area in Germany. Wasserburg means literally 'water castle' and denotes a castle in which water plays a...
  3. ^ Kaufmann J.E. & Kaufmann H.W. 2004, p. 229.
  4. ^ 12 Wonderful Water Castles at theworldgeography.com. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  5. ^ Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History 2005, p. 44.
  6. ^ Water castle route at achen-tourismus.de. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  7. ^ Water Castles Route at nrw-tourism.com. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Fry 1980, p. 89.

General[]

  • Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History (2005). Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History, Vol. 41, Part 1. Suffolk Institute of Archaeology and History.
  • Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (1996). Castles of Britain and Ireland: The Ultimate Reference Book. David & Charles.
  • Gothein, Marie Luise Schroeter and Walter P. Wright (2014). A History of Garden Art. Cambridge: CUP.
  • Kaufmann, J. E. and H.W. Kaufmann (2004) The Medieval Fortress: Castles, Forts and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo.

External links[]

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