A water castle is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

whose site is largely defended by water. It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

s (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle studies, mainly German ''Burgenkunde'', but is sometimes used in English-language popular science books and websites, and is mentioned in other more academic works. 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." Apart from hindering attackers, an abundant supply of water was also an advantage during a

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

. Topographically, such structures are a type of low-lying castle. Such a castle usually had only one entrance, which was via a

drawbridge A drawbridge or draw-bridge is a type of moveable bridge typically at the entrance to a castle or tower surrounded by a moat. In some forms of English, including American English, the word ''drawbridge'' commonly refers to all types of movea ...

and that could be raised for protection in the event of an attack. To some extent these water castles had a fortress-like character. There is a further distinction between: * castles that are protected by artificial water-filled moats or man-made

pond A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from tha ...

s, i.e. 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.

Legacy

In many places in

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...

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 Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal ...

. 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 Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th ...

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

and

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

which links 120 castles and palaces.''Water Castles Route''
at nrw-tourism.com. Retrieved 12 March 2021.

Examples

Austria

* Franzensburg

Baltic

Trakai Island Castle, Lithuania - Diliff

* Āraiši (''Arrasch'') * Trakai Island Castle

Belgium

* Wijnendale Castle

Czech Republic

* Blatná Castle * Červená Lhota Castle * Švihov Castle

Denmark

* Egeskov Castle * Spøttrup Castle

Finland

* Kajaani Castle *

Olavinlinna Olavinlinna (also known as St. Olaf's Castle; sv, Olofsborg; german: Olafsburg; literally ''Olof's Castle'') is a 15th-century three-tower castle located in Savonlinna, Finland. It is built on an island in the Kyrönsalmi strait that connects the ...

France

Please notice that in French "", literally 'water castle', means

water tower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conju ...

. * Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil * Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers * Château de Pirou *

Château du Plessis-Bourré Château du Plessis-Bourré is a château in the Loire Valley in France, situated in the commune of Écuillé in the Maine-et-Loire department. Built in less than 5 years from 1468 to 1472 by Finance Minister Jean Bourré, the principal adviso ...

* Château de Trécesson * Château de Suscinio *

Château de Sully The Château de Sully, situated between Autun and Beaune (Saône-et-Loire), is the largest of the Renaissance châteaux of southern Burgundy. Paired outbuildings of a more vernacular character face each other across a grassed forecourt, while to th ...

* Château de Sully-sur-Loire

Germany

Baden-Württemberg

* Bad Rappenau Water Castle *

Inzlingen Castle Inzlingen Castle (german: Wasserchloss Inzlingen), also Reichenstein Castle (''Schloss Reichenstein'') is a medieval castle surrounded by a moat situated in the village of Inzlingen. Inzlingen is located in the district of Lörrach, Baden-Württem ...

Bavaria

Brennhausen Brennhausen (german: Burg Brennhausen) is a castle in the municipality of Sulzdorf a.d.Lederhecke in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany. It is located the Haßberge Nature Park. Origin of name Houses of Springs Josef Braun ...

Irmelshausen Irmelshausen is a village in the Municipalities of Germany, municipality of Höchheim in the district of Rhön-Grabfeld in Bavaria in Germany. Castle Irmelshausen is best known for its castle and related church. Irmelshausen, on the old b ...

* Kleinbardorf *

Mespelbrunn Castle Mespelbrunn Castle is a late- medieval/early- Renaissance moated castle on the territory of the town of Mespelbrunn, between Frankfurt and Würzburg, built in a tributary valley of the Elsava valley, within the Spessart forest. It is a popula ...

Berlin

Köpenick Palace Schloss Köpenick ( en, Köpenick Palace) is a Baroque water palace of the Hohenzollern electors of Brandenburg which stands on an island in the Dahme River surrounded by an English-style park and gives its name to Köpenick, a district of Berl ...

Spandau Citadel The Spandau Citadel (german: Zitadelle Spandau) is a fortress in Berlin, Germany, one of the best-preserved Renaissance military structures of Europe. Built from 1559–94 atop a medieval fort on an island near the meeting of the Havel and ...

Brandenburg

Plattenburg Plattenburg is a municipality in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is named after the water castle of Plattenburg which is located in the district. Demography File:Bevölkerungsentwicklung Plattenburg.pdf, Development of popu ...

in the Prignitz

Lower Saxony

Fallersleben Castle Fallersleben Castle (german: Schloss Fallersleben) is located in Wolfsburg in the German state of Lower Saxony and, together with Neuhaus and Wolfsburg Castles, is one of the most important historic buildings in the town. It is in the district ...

* Hülsede Water Castle * Lütetsburg * Osterburg * Schelenburg *

Wendhausen Castle The Wendhausen Castle is a 17th-century moated castle located in Wendhausen, a community within the municipality of Lehre, Lower Saxony. Description The castle is built in a Renaissance style surround by a large moat. The moat has an oblong ...

Wolfsburg Castle The Wolfsburg is medieval lowland castle, lowland and water castle in North Germany that was first mentioned in the records in 1302, but has since been turned into a Renaissance ''schloss'' or palace. It is located in eastern Lower Saxony in the t ...

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

Schwerin Castle Schwerin Castle (also known as ''Schwerin Palace'', german: Schweriner Schloss, ), is a schloss located in the city of Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state, Germany. It is situated on an island in the city's main lake, Lake Sch ...

North Rhine-Westphalia

* Benrath House in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

* Burgau Castle * Darfeld Castle * Gimborn Castle * Haus Kemnade in

Bochum Bochum ( , also , ; wep, Baukem) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia. With a population of 364,920 (2016), is the sixth largest city (after Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, Essen and Duisburg) of the most populous German federal state of N ...

* Morsbroich Castle in Leverkusen *

Moyland Castle Moyland Castle (german: Schloss Moyland) is a moated castle in Bedburg-Hau in the district of Kleve, one of the most important neo-Gothic buildings in North Rhine-Westphalia. Its name derives from the Dutch word Mooiland which means "beautif ...

Bedburg-Hau Bedburg-Hau is a municipality in the district of Kleve in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located approximately 5 km south-east of Kleve Kleve (; traditional en, Cleves ; nl, Kleef; french: Clèves; es, Cléver ...

* Nordkirchen Palace * Rheydt Palace *

Dyck Palace Dyck is a form of the Dutch surname van Dijck, (van) Dijck, which is also common among Russian Mennonites. Notable surnames * Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641), Flemish artist * Cornelius Van Allen Van Dyck (1818–1895), American missionary * Howar ...

Vischering Castle Vischering Castle (german: Burg Vischering) in Lüdinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia is the most typical moated castle in the Münster (region) of Germany. This region has one of the highest German concentrations of castles, palaces and fortific ...

* Wilkinghege Water Castle in

Münster Münster (; nds, Mönster) is an independent city (''Kreisfreie Stadt'') in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also a state di ...

Wittringen Castle Wittringen Castle or Wittringen House (German: ''Schloss Wittringen'' or ''Haus Wittringen'') is a moated castle in Gladbeck, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History The noble family ''von Wittringen'' was first mentioned in an official docume ...

in Gladbeck

Rhineland-Palatinate

* Alte Burg (Boppard) * Alte Burg (Koblenz)

Saarland

* Gustavsburg in Homburg * Kerpen Castle near Illingen

Saxony

Moritzburg Castle Moritzburg Castle (german: Schloss Moritzburg) or Moritzburg Palace is a Baroque palace in Moritzburg, in the German state of Saxony, about northwest of the Saxon capital, Dresden. The castle has four round towers and lies on a symmetrical a ...

* Hainewalde Water Castle

Saxony-Anhalt

Calvörde Castle Calvörde Castle (german: Burg Calvörde) is located in Calvörde in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Its existence was first recorded in the late 13th century. In the Late Middle Ages and Early Modern Period it was frequently fought over du ...

* Köthen Castle * Reinharz Water Castle * Flechtingen water castle

Schleswig-Holstein

Eutin Castle Eutin Castle (german: Eutiner Schloss) in Eutin in the north German district of Ostholstein is the cultural centre and nucleus of the town. Taken together, this castle, Gottorf Castle and Glücksburg Castle, form the most important group of co ...

Glücksburg Castle Glücksburg Castle (German: Schloss Glücksburg, Danish: ''Lyksborg Slot'') is one of the most significant Renaissance castles in Northern Europe. The castle was the headquarters of the ducal lines of the house of Glücksburg and temporarily serve ...

Thuringia

* Kapellendorf Water Castle

Greece

* Bourtzi * Methoni Castle

Hungary

* Sárvár Castle * Tokaj Castle (ruined)

Indonesia

* Taman Sari Water Castle

Italy

* Castello Estense * Castello di

Sirmione Sirmione (Brescian: ; vec, Sirmion) is a comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy (northern Italy). It is bounded by Desenzano del Garda (Lombardy) and Peschiera del Garda in the province of Verona and the region of Veneto. It has a his ...

* in a broad way, Venice Arsenal

Japan

* Imabari Castle *

Nakatsu Castle is a Japanese castle in the city of Nakatsu, Ōita, Nakatsu in Ōita Prefecture. It is known as one of the three ''mizujiro'', or "castles on the sea", in Japan, with Takamatsu Castle (Sanuki), Takamatsu Castle in Kagawa Prefecture and Imabari Ca ...

* Takamatsu Castle

Lebanon

Sidon Sea Castle Sidon's Sea Castle ( ar, قلعة صيدا البحرية, ''Kalaat Saida al-Bahriya'') was built by the crusaders in the thirteenth century as a fortress of the holy land. It is one of the most prominent historical sites in the port city of Sidon, ...

Netherlands

Vaassen, de Cannenburch RM15361 positie2 foto2 2013-08-01 14

* Cannenburgh Castle *

Hoensbroek Castle Hoensbroek Castle ( Dutch: Kasteel Hoensbroek) or Gebrook Castle ( nl, Gebrookhoes) is one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. It is situated in Hoensbroek, a town in the province of Limburg. This imposing watercastle is known as 'the ...

Muiderslot Muiden Castle (Dutch: ''Muiderslot'', ) is a castle in the Netherlands, located at the mouth of the Vecht river, some 15 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, in Muiden, where it flows into what used to be the Zuiderzee. It is one of the better kn ...

* Loevestein *

Ammersoyen Castle Ammersoyen Castle ( nl, Kasteel Ammersoyen) is located in Ammerzoden in the Bommelerwaard region in the province of Gelderland, the Netherlands. When the original construction of the castle occurred is unclear; some sources claim it was as early ...

* Kasteel Radboud *

Brederode Castle Brederode Castle ( nl, Kasteel Brederode), also called the Ruins of Brederode ( nl, Ruïne van Brederode), is located near Santpoort-Zuid. The castle was founded in the second half of the 13th century by William I van Brederode (1215–1285). W ...

Portugal

* Belém Tower

Slovakia

* Parič Castle (ruined) * Šintava Castle (ruined) * Štítnik Water Castle * Vranov Castle (vanished)

Slovenia

Otočec Castle Otočec Castle (a.k.a. Grad Otočec, in older sources ''Otočič'', german: Burg Werth, ''Burg Wördl'') is a wikt:castle, castle hotel on a small island in the middle of the Krka (Sava), Krka River in Otočec, Slovenia. It is the only water ca ...

Sweden

Älvsborg Fortress Älvsborg Fortress ( sv, Älvsborgs fästning), with its main facility Oscar II's Fort ( sv, Oscar II:s fort) built 1899–1907, is a now-defunct Swedish fortification located at the mouth of the Göta River in the Älvsborg district of Gothenb ...

* Bollerup * Dybäck Castle * Ellinge Castle * Gåsevadholm Castle * Gripsholm Castle *

Häckeberga Castle Häckeberga Castle ( sv, Häckeberga slott) is a mansion at Lund Municipality in Scania, Sweden. The estate dates back to the 14th century and is located on one of the seven islets of Lake Häckebergasjön. The manor house was built in French ...

* Hjularyd Castle * Kalmar Castle *

Krageholm Castle Krageholm Castle ( sv, Krageholms slott) is an estate at Ystad Municipality in Scania, Sweden. History The original estate castle is named in the 14th century as belonging to the Due family, and then to the Tott, Brahe, Marsvin and Jörgen Krabbe ...

* Krapperup Castle *

Kronoberg Castle Kronoberg Castle (Swedish: ''Kronobergs slott'') is a medieval ruined castle (''slottsruin'') located on an island in Helgasjön ("the Helga Lake"), north of Växjö in Kronoberg County, which is named after the castle. The castle ruin is open ...

* Kulla Gunnarstorp Castle * Landskrona Citadel *

Malmö Castle Malmö Castle ( sv, Malmöhus, da, Malmøhus) is a fortress located in Malmö, Scania, Sweden. It is owned by the Swedish state and is managed by the State Property Agency. Malmöhus is part of Malmö Museums. History The first castle was f ...

* Maltesholm Castle *

Örebro Castle Örebro Castle ( sv, Örebro slott) is a medieval castle fortification at Svartån in Örebro County, Sweden. It was expanded during the reign of the royal family Vasa (House of Vasa) and finally rebuilt about 1900. Some of the rooms are used ...

Örup Castle Örup Castle ( sv, Örups slott) is a castle in Tomelilla Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. Located a few kilometers south of Tomelilla, together with Glimmingehus, Bollerup Castle and Tosterup Castle, the castles were built during th ...

* Osbyholm Castle * Skabersjö Castle * Stegeborg Castle * Strömsholm Palace *

Tosterup Castle Tosterup Castle ( sv, Tosterups slott) is a castle in Tomelilla Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. It is situated approximately north-east of Ystad. Owners List of owners of Tosterup Castle: *Early 1300s – Axel Eskildsen Mule *1300s ...

Trolle-Ljungby Castle Trolle-Ljungby Castle ( sv, Trolle-Ljungby slott) is a castle in Kristianstad Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. The Renaissance style castle is enclosed by a moat. History The castle is of medieval origins. It is mentioned as belonging t ...

Trolleholm Castle Trolleholm Castle ( sv, Trolleholms slott) is a castle in Svalöv Municipality, Scania, in southern Sweden. The estate comprises 110 houses and a total of 12300 acres (5000 Hectare). Originally named Kattisnabbe and later Eriksholm, it has been kn ...

* Vadstena Castle *

Vaxholm Fortress Vaxholm Fortress ( sv, Vaxholms fästning) is a historic fortification on the island of Vaxholmen in the Stockholm archipelago just east of the Swedish town of Vaxholm. The fortress is accessed by the Kastellet ferry, an electrically powered c ...

* Vegeholm Castle *

Vibyholm Castle Vibyholm Castle ( sv, Vibyholms slott) is a manor house at Årdala, Flen Municipality, Sweden. The main building is located on an island in Lake Båven. History Vibyholm was built between 1622 and 1630 in Dutch High Renaissance style under design ...

* Viderup Castle * Vittskövle Castle The Castle and the Mountain

Romania

* Făgăraş Castle *

Oradea Oradea (, , ; german: Großwardein ; hu, Nagyvárad ) is a city in Romania, located in Crișana, a sub-region of Transylvania. The seat of Bihor County, Oradea is one of the most important economic, social and cultural centers in the western par ...

fortress

Switzerland

Bottmingen Castle Bottmingen Castle (german: link=no, Schloss Bottmingen) is a castle in the municipality of Bottmingen in the canton of Basel-Land in Switzerland. It is a Swiss heritage site of national significance. History The castle was probably built in t ...

Chillon Castle Chillon Castle (french: Château de Chillon) is an island castle located on Lake Geneva, south of Veytaux in the canton of Vaud. It is situated at the eastern end of the lake, on the narrow shore between Montreux and Villeneuve, which gives ac ...

* Hagenwil Castle * Hallwyl Castle *

Wörth Castle The Wörth Castle is a fortification in the Swiss municipality of Neuhausen am Rheinfall in the Canton of Schaffhausen. Geography The water castle is located at the ''Rheinfall'', built on a small island in the Rhein river at the municipalit ...

* Wyher Castle

Turkey

Kızkalesi (castle) Kızkalesi ( en, Maiden's castle) is a town in Mersin Province, Turkey. The town, known in Antiquity as Corycus or Korykos ( el, Κώρυκος), is named after the ancient castle built on a small island just facing the town. Geography Kızka ...

, formerly Gramvoussa (Greek) and Gorygos (Armenian)

United Kingdom

England

Bodiam Castle Bodiam Castle () is a 14th-century moated castle near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, with the permission of Richard II, ostensibly to defend the area again ...

Caister Castle Caister Castle is a 15th-century moated castle situated in the parish of West Caister, some north of the town of Great Yarmouth in the English county of Norfolk (). The castle had a 100 ft (33 m) high tower and was built between 1432 and ...

* Herstmonceux Castle * Kenilworth Castle (moat drained) * Leeds Castle

Scotland

Caerlaverock Castle Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland, south of Dumfries, on the edge of the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. Caerlaverock was a stronghold of ...

Castle Stalker Castle Stalker ( gd, Caisteal an Stalcaire) is a four-storey tower house or keep. It is set on a tidal islet on Loch Laich, an inlet off Loch Linnhe. It is about north-east of Port Appin, Argyll, Scotland, and is visible from the A828 road abou ...

* Eilean Donan

Wales

* Caerphilly Castle * Beaumaris Castle

Notes

References

Citations

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

{{Authority control Castles by type