How to build a castle: from the fortress wall to the main tower. Donjon - what is it? Medieval donjon (photo)

Under the future castle. It's time to start designing! Alas, unlike modern panel high-rise buildings, castles cannot be built according to a single template. Each fortification must meet, first of all, functional requirements: depending on the landscape, soil type, environment and many other factors, the architectural ensemble of the castle acquires completely unique features. Be that as it may, typical constituent elements are common to all castles - we will talk about them today.

Hill

Plassey-Burret Castle stands on a high artificial hill

As already said, the best place for a castle, this is a hill. If there is no suitable hill at hand, you can fill it with the forces of farm laborers: for this, the soil was often mixed with gravel and peat, and also shifted with poles and brushwood. Such primitive reinforcement gave the structure stability and allowed it not to sag under the weight of stone buildings. The shape of the hill may vary, but most often it was made in a shape close to a circle or square, which corresponded to the shape of the fortress walls or the main building of the castle. History knows the so-called mound-palisade castles (otherwise "motte and bailey", from Motte-and-bailey), especially popular in France and England after Norman conquest: The French word motte means "hill" and the English bailey means "courtyard". In fact, it is just an artificial hill with a donjon, surrounded by a wooden palisade. The famous Windsor Castle, for example, bears clear features of such early medieval architecture.

donjon

The donjon of Newcastle Castle is made in a strictly rectangular shape ...

donjon- the main tower of the castle. Most often, it is surrounded by at least one row of fortress walls, but is not directly connected to them, so that a kind of double line of defense is obtained. Despite the fact that this part is usually called the “castle”, the donjon was by no means the most important element of the architectural ensemble. The rooms in it are narrow and cramped, and therefore they were used mainly for military purposes or simply as a tribute to tradition. The donjon could become the last refuge for the besieged, besides, it usually housed strategically important premises: food depots, wells, weapons and cellars. As the highest tower, the donjon served as a good observation post, and in small castles without fortress walls it was the only fortification at all. At first, donjons were built mostly square, but with the development of siege technology and military engineering, the main towers were increasingly erected in the form of a circle or regular polygon - this made it possible to better withstand a direct hit by a projectile.

... But the Chateau de Vincennes is much richer in round tower extensions and resembles an elegant wedding cake

fortress wall

Every sane feudal lord tried to surround his castle with thick fortifications, which played the role of the main defensive structure. Initially, there was an ordinary palisade in their place: even such a weak barrier is better than its complete absence. Over time, the walls began to be built from clay and lime blocks, and later from real stone. The wall should be high enough to prevent attackers from climbing it using ladders or siege towers, but the main utilitarian factor still remained thickness. Contrary to popular belief, punching a hole in a properly built wall is a very difficult task. Before the invention of artillery and powerful cannons, stone throwers and battering rams were only suitable for destroying peripheral buildings. Even the famous trebuchet were only good enough to bring down the roofs of the towers or break the battlements behind which the arrows were hiding. Given the slowness and lack of the ability to properly aim at the same point, the wall was usually broken through by the forces of soldiers who wielded picks like real miners.

The perimeter of the fortress wall of Avila is about 2500 meters, and total number fortress towers - 88!

At the top of the wall was usually laid combat move, thanks to which the troops could move freely around the perimeter of the entire castle and conduct barrage fire. The wall was fired upon from all positions: where it was inconvenient to shoot down, there were forward towers dotted with loopholes and footbridges. The same towers served to strengthen the corners - the weakest point of the wall, since it is in the corners of the fortress that the most enemy forces and the least defense forces can be concentrated. Most often, the wall was not broken through, but taken by storm or undermined. To prevent the latter, the most enterprising feudal lords reinforced the walls with stone pavements.

The walls served natural boundary for the courtyard of the castle. It usually housed living quarters for the feudal lord, guests and servants, churches and craft workshops. Often the structure of the castle implied several rows of walls, which further complicated the life of the attackers and made it possible to organize several lines of defense.

The inner galleries served to shell the enemy if he managed to break through the fortress walls.

Gates

Gates are the weakest point of castle fortifications, but they also played an important role in all medieval life. This was the main and often the only way to enter and exit the territory surrounded by fortress walls. In addition to traffic control, the gate also played a fortifying role and was often reinforced by a whole complex of protective structures. Knowing that first of all the enemy will try to break through the walls through main entrance, feudal lords installed on the sides of the entrance watchtowers: the entrance in front of the gate is a blind spot, and therefore, in the event of an attack, shelling should be carried out from more convenient positions.

Strong gates protected the entrance to the castle, and massive watchtowers provided additional visibility for the defenders.

Often the passage through the castle gates was artificially lengthened in order to complicate the life of the attackers as much as possible. In addition to the fact that they had to break through the iron bars and massive doors of thick wood, the passage was often " cell of death”: gratings were built into the ceiling, through which the defenders threw arrows and spears, threw stones and poured boiling water or hot tar. Being in a limited space, surrounded on all sides, the enemy was often forced to retreat under pain of death.

The barbicans of Krakow castles are a true work of art

Speaking of gates, it is impossible not to mention barbican. It was a separate tower, placed outside the perimeter of the castle walls and serving to protect the approaches to the entrance, whether it be a gate or a bridge. Often the barbican was not a separate building, but an extension (the so-called rondel), which protected the bridge over the moat.

moat

The moat of the Royal Wall in Ceuta is a great example of how to make your castle impregnable

For those who do not have enough fortress walls and iron bars at the entrance, the architects came up with another building, remarkable for its simplicity and functionality. A wide and deep artificial ditch, often connected to a natural waterway, surrounded the castle and served as additional system protection. It is difficult to overestimate it: in the event that the moat was filled with water, the only passage to the castle was only a narrow bridge, through which only a small number of armed people could pass at the same time. A battering ram cannot be rolled up to walls surrounded by water, and not every throwing machine will throw a stone at them. In addition, the water moat almost completely prevented the possibility of undermining.

Of course, the moat had to be serviced. So that the water in it does not stagnate and does not bloom, it must be periodically cleaned of debris - a cheap price for an additional guarantee of safety. Even if there is no water in the moat, it can become an additional obstacle for the infantry and especially the cavalry: by dotting the bottom with sharp stakes, the feudal lord made life much more difficult for the attackers.

Conclusion

One should not think that this ingenuous list exhausts the variety of fortification architecture. Over time, the castles became larger and more perfect, overgrown with bastions, caponiers and additional outbuildings. The end of the era of castle building was put by heavy artillery, which leveled the fortress walls with the ground and tall towers. Today, most of the surviving castles have become museums and have become popular tourist sites, but even now such a structure can serve as a good defense - at least until the bombardment turns them into a pile of picturesque ruins.

Being the main and most famous landmark of the city, as well as the main historical, artistic and socio-political center, the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is the most grandiose and majestic of those preserved in the central part of Russia. medieval fortresses. At present, the complex is the only one among all the fortifications in the country included in the list of 14 wonders of Russia. Being one of the most perfect and unparalleled engineering and fortification structures of the Middle Ages, the Kremlin in Nizhny Novgorod still amazes with its grandeur and outward impregnability. The grandeur of the building is emphasized by the fact that the total length of the fortress wall exceeds two kilometers, and 13 towers strengthen it in various places, while all the towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin are unique: they have their own name, architectural features, purpose and centuries-old history.

Georgievskaya tower

According to the main version, the St. George's Tower got its name from the church of the same name of the same name, St. George the Victorious, that existed nearby and has not survived to this day. The angular location of the tower, right on the edge of the slope leading to the Volga, forced in the process of its construction to resort to the construction of powerful buttresses. In terms of plan, the square St. George's Tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin was originally a passageway, while the passage inside the Kremlin was equipped at an angle to avoid through lumbago from cannons. As a result of adding soil in the 19th century, the height of the tower's facade, which is now visible, decreased by several meters, and the gates themselves turned out to be practically covered up, and today only the upper part of their vault can be seen. The distinguishing features of this four-tier tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin are narrow side loopholes, a jagged fourth tier and a hipped roof.

Borisoglebskaya Tower

Situated on a steep hillside, the Borisoglebskaya Tower, like the Georgievskaya Tower, owes its modern name once functioning near the church of St. Boris and Gleb. The second name - Dukhovskaya - the tower acquired in 1584, when a monastery of the same name was founded nearby, which existed within the walls of the Kremlin for 190 years.

Due to constant landslides that threatened the tower with collapse, it was repeatedly rebuilt, and in 1785 it was completely dismantled. Only in 1966, as a result of excavations, fragments of the foundation of the Borisoglebskaya tower were discovered, and even 6 years later, a four-tiered round tower with 11 teeth on the upper tier was restored.

Zachatievsky tower

The completion in 2012 of the construction of the Zachatievsky Tower and adjacent sections of the fortress wall marked full recovery complex, which after 125 years again acquired the form of a completely closed belt. Unlike most other towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, Zachatievskaya is only superficially identical to its original appearance: the fortification elements are imitations, and the construction of the tower and the adjacent walls are hollow and built on a modern pile foundation. Distinctive feature The Zachatievsky Tower is the use during the construction of the lower tier not only of brick, but also of white limestone. Currently, the tower houses a museum exposition, including, among other things, fragments of an ancient tower found during excavations.

White Tower

Belaya is a round four-tiered tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, located in its piedmont (lower) part. distinctive external feature the towers are a well-preserved white-stone cladding of the lower tier facing the Volga. From others round towers The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin Belaya is distinguished by a smaller thickness of the walls, which in turn made adjustments to the construction of ceilings and transitions between its individual tiers. Modern look, as close as possible to the original, the tower acquired after reconstruction in the 60s of the 20th century.

Ivanovskaya tower

One of the largest towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin and the main one in its foothills. For the defense of the trading quarter of the city and the ships standing on the roadstead of the Volga, the Ivanovskaya tower was equipped with the most powerful weapons, which were periodically replaced with even more modern ones. In plan, the tower has a square shape and differs from the other four square towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. greater height base and its increased area. The most noticeable external difference of the tower is the stepped construction, in which the area of the uppermost tier under the roof less area previous tiers. Currently, the tower houses a museum exposition.

Clock tower

The only one of all the corner towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, built with a ledge inward, which automatically transferred it to the category of not very important buildings in the defense sense, without which the fortress could well do. Therefore, the tower initially served rather as the main guard post, because it is located at the very top of the Kremlin hill, from where a magnificent view opened.

And thanks to the "clock hut" - an additional wooden superstructure with a clock installed on the tower in the 16th century, Clock tower The Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin has performed and continues to perform still an aesthetic function. The clock installed on the tower was the main city clock for a long time.

north tower

The northern tower of the fortress, located in the northwestern corner of its upland part and overlooking the Volga slope with its outer facade, is one of the well-preserved round towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin. Initially called Ilinskaya (due to its location close to the Church of Elijah the Prophet), in terms of design, the Northern Tower differs little from the neighboring round towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin: four tiers, a small number of battle windows, square battlements in the upper part. Two entrances are equipped with central premises north tower, and to enter its lower tier, you must use a special passage in the thickness of the wall next to the tower.

Taynitskaya tower

Another round tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, towering over the steep slope of the Pochainsky ravine. The tower was named Taynitskaya due to the secret underground passage built next to it under the fortress walls to the Pochaina River, which once flowed along the bottom of the ravine and allowed replenishing drinking water supplies unnoticed by the enemy besieging the Kremlin.

For a long time, the Tainitskaya tower served as a storage place for gunpowder used to protect the fortress, which was made in a nearby ravine. Having a similar design with other round towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, Taynitskaya is equipped with large loopholes, which indicates the former installation of more powerful weapons in it, which allows firing at the enemy at long distances.

Koromyslov tower

The corner round tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, erected in the chain of the upland segment of the fortress walls, at the junction of the Pochaina River with an artificial defensive moat. According to two different legends, the tower owes its name to a young girl with a yoke buried under its base. According to another version, the tower, together with the longest spandrels (fortress walls) in the entire Kremlin, resembles a yoke from afar. The main difference of the tower from others is the use of white limestone for the construction and arrangement of the interior. Among all the other round towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, it is Koromyslov, which is crowned with a green hipped roof, that has been best preserved to this day in its original form.

Nikolskaya tower

The travel square tower, named after the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker built nearby, differs from others in the presence of an additional tower located on the roof - a watchtower, due to which overall height of this tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is approximately 30 meters. Once it was possible to get into the fortress through the Nikolskaya Tower only with the help of lowered on chains suspension bridge through the moat. In the 80s. of the last century, a pedestrian bridge was built across the Zelensky congress, which leads directly to the passage gates, which were partially laid down at the beginning of the 18th century. Initially, the lower tier of the Nikolskaya Tower was made of white stone, however, during the reconstruction in the middle of the 20th century, the stone that had lost its strength was replaced with red brick masonry.

pantry tower

It was from the Kladovaya Tower that the construction of the Kremlin began more than 500 years ago in the form in which the fortress can be seen today. The wide round tower of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, currently facing the town square Minin and Pozharsky. The tower got its current name due to the fact that long time its lower tiers were used as a storage place for weapons and ammunition, oil for street lighting poles and other things useful in the urban economy. The tower seems smaller than it really is, because almost all of its lower tier is now located underground. However, the presence of fighting chambers with embrasures in its walls indicates that during the construction the soil level was much lower. The main difference between the upper part of the Kladovaya Tower and other round towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin is the absence of battlements on the fourth tier of the facade overlooking the courtyard and the transitions between the individual tiers built in the thickness of the flat back wall.

Dmitrievskaya tower

Due to its location in the center of the upland section of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, the square Dmitrievskaya Tower occupies a dominant position in it. The facade of this powerful tower, together with the roof, has a height of 33 meters. From the very end of construction, the gates of the Dmitrievskaya tower served as the main entrance to the fortress, and the numerous weapons installed in it were superior in power to the weapons of other towers and made Dmitrievskaya the main center of defense of the entire upper part of the Kremlin. According to various sources, the original main tower had from 4 to 6 tiers, but due to major reconstruction at the end of the 19th century, the tower did not retain its original appearance. And at present, Dmitrievskaya stands out among other towers of the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin with a number of distinctive features: inclined loopholes, an extended superstructure in the upper part, the presence of an “overhead light” equipped in the upper tier, which is necessary for high-quality lighting of the museum exhibits placed inside the tower. Since 1965, the coat of arms has been installed on the spire of the tower. Nizhny Novgorod- a gilded walking deer.

- (French donjon, Middle Ages lat. donjo). Formerly the main tower in ancient castles and fortresses; now a fortification tower for defense; like a turret, a pavilion on the houses. Dictionary of foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. ... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

donjon- a, m. donjon m. The main, detached tower in medieval castle, located in the most inaccessible place and served as a refuge during an enemy attack. BAS 2. Donjons, the essence of ancient fortresses similar to a castle or a citadel. 1777. Kurg. Eng. sl… Historical Dictionary of Gallicisms of the Russian Language

- (French donjon), main, detached tower feudal castle, quadrangular or round in plan, placed in the most inaccessible place and served as a refuge during an enemy attack. Donjon (in the background) of Locher Castle (France; ... ... Art Encyclopedia

- (French donjon), the main, free-standing tower of a medieval castle, round or 4 coal in plan, located in the most inaccessible place and serving as the last refuge of the besieged ... Modern Encyclopedia

- (French donjon) a detached main tower of a feudal castle, round or quadrangular in plan, the last refuge of the castle defenders ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Exist., Number of synonyms: 1 tower (45) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

Quadrangular tower in old French, especially Norman castles ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

The detached main tower of a feudal castle, round or quadrangular in plan, is the last refuge of the castle's defenders. Big Dictionary in cultural studies .. Kononenko B.I .. 2003 ... Encyclopedia of cultural studies

donjon- The main tower in a medieval castle, which served as a repository of valuables and the last refuge during the siege [Terminological dictionary for construction in 12 languages (VNIIIS Gosstroy of the USSR)] Topics architecture, basic concepts EN donjon DE Donjon FR … Technical Translator's Handbook

donjon- (French donjon), the main, free-standing tower of a medieval castle, round or 4 coal in plan, located in the most inaccessible place and serving as the last refuge of the besieged. … Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Books

, . What is a donjon? Who made the first air flight? Who won the Battle of Borodino? How to play golf? . These and other questions will be answered by the illustrated encyclopedia for boys, in ...
The Illustrated Encyclopedia for Boys, . What is a donjon? Who made the first air flight? Who won the Battle of Borodino? How to play golf? These and other questions will be answered by the illustrated encyclopedia for boys, in ...

The main tower is a 56-storey, 200-meter (240 m including the spire) skyscraper. It is named after the nearby river Main.

When the main tower was completed in 1999, even locals Frankfurt, who are spoiled architectural ensemble cities were impressed. A high-rise building with a facade made entirely of glass was built for the first time in Europe.

In fact, the main tower consists of two high-rise buildings that are interconnected with each other. One of them is a square building with a height of 170 meters, and the other is a round building with a height of 199.5 meters made of anti-reflective glass. For sustainability main tower 112 bored piles (with a diameter of 120 to 180 cm) were installed to a depth of 50 meters.

The high-rise building is especially popular with Frankfurt residents and tourists. It is the only skyscraper in the city that has observation deck with a restaurant. In addition, the highest radio-TV studio in Europe is located on its 53rd and 54th floors.

Prices

Adults - 6.5 €
Children - 4.5 €
Family ticket - 17.5 €

Working mode

Exhibition: Mon-Fri 08:00-20:00; Sat, Sun 10:00-16:00

Platform:

Summer: Sun-Thu 10:00-21:00, Fri, Sat 10:00-23:00
Winter: Sun-Thu 10:00-19:00, Fri, Sat 10:00-21:00

How to get there

From home railway station(Hauptbahnhof Frankfurt) take the RMV S-Bahn train. It's one stop from the main railway station: trains S1 and S9 to the station "Taunusanlage".

Castle, fortified dwelling - fortified dwelling medieval feudal lord. In the era of feudalism, everyone had to think for himself about his own security. The answer to this need was castles, where feudal lords and vassals who surrendered under their protection could hide from attacks. The first castles were simply fenced manors (villae); in the middle they built another tower on a hill surrounded by a moat (la motte). Such fortified estates became known as camps (castra, castellum, castel, château). The tower, where the owners of the Castles later lived, was called doryon (dominium - the master's house). Soon these primitive fortifications were improved: the main tower was built on a place that was inaccessible by nature and surrounded by a high wall, at the corners of which more towers were built. In addition to the wall, the castle was also protected by a deep moat and a strong backyard. The courtyard of the castle was divided in two by an inner wall. Services were placed on one side of it and during the siege vassals were encamped, on the other there was a tower where the owner of the castle lived. He could thus close himself in his tower not only from the enemy, but also from his allies in case of treason. The drawbridge typical of a medieval castle was especially fortified. It was placed between two towers and was like a separate fortress. In front of him, on the other side of the moat, they also arranged a wooden fortification. In addition, there were two or three more spare gates, tightly bound with iron, usually descending from above on chains. If the castle stood on a height and all the then known measures of defense were taken, it was almost impregnable and could be captured almost exclusively by a long siege. The besieged, therefore, had to provide themselves with provisions. To do this, extensive cellars were arranged in the castle, where provisions could be placed on whole year. The main tower, where the whole life of the feudal lord and his family proceeded, consisted of two or three halls, located one above the other. These halls were separated by a log or plank ceiling. Only later, in order to avoid fires, they began to make stone vaults. One of the halls was considered the main one; feasts took place here, round dances were arranged to the songs of ladies and jugglers; here, on winter evenings, by rather primitive, but luxuriously decorated fireplaces, the inhabitants of the castle listened to visiting troubadours. There were few internal rooms: a bedroom, a warehouse for weapons, a room for women's needlework, a kitchen. Sometimes a chapel was placed in the main tower. The gloominess of the towers came from the small number of windows; they could not be made much due to defensive purposes. Owing to the enormous thickness of the walls, in front of each of the two or three windows of the hall there were spacious embrasures, a step or two above the floor. Here the wives of the feudal lords spun their endless yarns, sadly singing special "songs of spin" about the unhappy love of Aeliz or Iduan. Later, houses (salles, halls) were built next to the main tower. The houses of dukes and counts, where the feudal court took place, were called palaces (palatium = palais). But the houses were not more spacious either: there were also few interior rooms; so, in the palace of Henry II Plantagenet there was, in addition to the hall, only one bedroom. The interior decoration in the XII and XIII centuries becomes very luxurious: fireplaces, windows, doors are decorated with stucco and carvings. different types Gothic (see). Walls and ceilings were painted or decorated with carvings; expensive weapons were hung on the columns that supported the vaults, carpets with bizarre allegorical drawings lay on the floor. The population of the castles was quite large, since the children of the vassals were brought up in the overlord's house. Life in Z. was boring and monotonous. In addition to war, hunting, playing chess and backgammon, the feudal lords did not have any occupations.