The term lowland castle or plains castle (german: Niederungsburg, Flachlandburg, Tieflandburg) describes a type of castle that is situated on a

lowland Upland and lowland are conditional descriptions of a plain based on elevation above sea level. In studies of the ecology of freshwater rivers, habitats are classified as upland or lowland. Definitions Upland and lowland are portions of p ...

plain In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands ...

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

floor, as opposed to one built on higher ground such as a

hill spur A spur is a lateral ridge or tongue of land descending from a hill, mountain or main crest of a ridge. It can also be defined as another hill or mountain range which projects in a lateral direction from a main hill or mountain range. Examples of ...

. The classification is extensively used in Germany where about 34 percent of all castles are of the lowland type.Krahe, pp. 21-23 (2002) Because lowland castles do not have the defensive advantage of a site on higher ground, sites are chosen that are easy to defend, taking advantage, for example, of rivers, islands in lakes or marshes. Where such natural obstacles do not exist, artificially similar obstacles take on added significance. These include water-filled or dry moats, ramparts, palisades and curtain walls. In order to increase the height of the castle above the surrounding terrain, artificial earth mounds may be built (such as

motte A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy to ...

s), and fortified towers also fulfil this purpose. Castles of the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th or early 6th century to the 10th century. They marked the start of the Mi ...

(including Slavic and Saxon castles) often had a narrow, deep ditch and high and steep earth ramparts. Lowland castles are naturally found on plains such as the

North German Plain The North German Plain or Northern Lowland (german: Norddeutsches Tiefland) is one of the major geographical regions of Germany. It is the German part of the North European Plain. The region is bounded by the coasts of the North Sea and the Balt ...

or in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, but they may also be encountered occasionally in highlands, for example in a valley as a so-called island castle () on an island in a river (e.g. Pfalzgrafenstein Castle).

Types

* Water castle (''Wasserburg''): Overarching term for all castle types that use water as a defensive obstacle. Depending on their topographic situation these castles may be subdivided into (original German terms in brackets): * River castles (''Flussburg''): a castle erected on a river bank. As a rule, they are also surrounded by moats filled with water supplied by the river. * Shore castle (''Uferburg''): castle by a lake or the sea. Like river castles, shore castles usually have artificial ditches (moats) with a link to the waterbody. * Island castle (''Inselburg''): castle on a natural, more rarely on an artificial, island in a river or lake. * Marsh castle (''Sumpfburg''): castle in

marshy A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

or boggy terrain. It uses the natural inaccessibility of the terrain to its defensive advantage. * Valley castle (''Talburg''): Castle on a valley bottom. A special variation are so-called ''Talsperren'' ("valley barriers"), where fortifications in the valley are linked to a hillside or hilltop castle so that this type consists of a combination of a lowland castle and a

hill castle A hill castle or mountain 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. Hill castles a ...

. An example are the Castles of Bellinzona. Sub-types according to function: *

Bridge castle A bridge castle (german: Brückenburg) is a type of castle that was built to provide military observation and security for a river crossing. In the narrower sense it refers to castles that are built directly on or next to a bridge. Sometimes, ...

(''Brückenburg''): a castle built to watch over and protect a river crossing. * Harbour castle (''Hafenburg''): a castle that is built to protect a harbour.

Examples

* Caerlaverock Castle, water castle with triangular plan, Scotland * Eilean Donan Castle, restored island castle, Scotland *

Warwick Castle Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a meander of the River Avon. The original wooden motte-an ...

, river castle, England * Château de Sully-sur-Loire, water castle in the Loire Valley, France * Beersel Castle, Late Middle Ages brick castle, Belgium * Nassenfels Castle, castle on the site of a Roman castellum, Germany *

Groß Raden Gross or Groß in German is the correct spelling of the surname under German orthographic rules. In Switzerland, the name is spelled Gross. Some Germans and Austrians also use the spelling with "ss" instead of "ß". It is a surname of German, Pru ...

, Early Middle Ages Slavic island castle, Germany *

Dankwarderode Castle Dankwarderode Castle (german: Burg Dankwarderode) on the ''Burgplatz'' ("castle square") in Braunschweig (Brunswick) is a Saxon lowland castle. It was the residence of the Brunswick dukes for centuries and, today, is part of the Herzog Anton Ulric ...

, state castle ('' Landesburg'') of the Brunswick dukes, Germany * Malbork Castle, seat of the Teutonic Knights and greatest brick building in Europe, Poland

References

Sources

* Böhme, Horst Wolfgang; Friedrich, Reinhard and Schock-Werner, Barbara (ed.) (2004). ''Wörterbuch der Burgen, Schlösser und Festungen''. Reclam, Stuttgart, p. 156, * Krahe, Friedrich-Wilhelm (2002). ''Burgen und Wohntürme des deutschen Mittelalters''. Vol. 1, Thorbecke, Stuttgart, 2002, pp. 21–23, , {{Authority control Castles by type