# Bridge castle > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bridge_castle > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Bridge_castle.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_castle > Source revision: 1317355002 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Type of fortification}} [[File:Portes des Allemands 3.jpg|thumb|The [Germans' Gate](/source/Germans'_Gate) in [Metz](/source/Metz)]] thumb|A gateway to the North Italian bridge castle of ''Valeggio sul Mincio'' thumb|The bridge castle of ''Stari Most'' in Mostar A '''bridge castle''' ({{langx|de|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 [castle](/source/castle)s that are built directly on or next to a [bridge](/source/bridge). Sometimes, however, castles close to a bridge are referred to as bridge castles.{{dubious|This article is translated literally from German. There seems to be no term in English corresponding to the German definition. Wikipedia shouldn't try to redefine terms or introduce them from one language into another via literal translation.|date=March 2021}} These fortifications were often designed as [toll castle](/source/toll_castle)s that charged [river toll](/source/river_toll)s and were occupied only by a guard force. In Europe, several examples of bridge castles have survived, especially in the south and southeast of the continent. The bridge castle type—which is only rarely mentioned in detail in the specialist literature—is not always clearly distinguishable from the "fortified bridge". In medieval Europe, numerous river crossings were protected by tower structures and [outwork](/source/outwork)s. ==Examples== The largest preserved bridge castle is the rectangular edifice of [Valeggio sul Mincio](/source/Valeggio_sul_Mincio) ([Province of Verona](/source/Province_of_Verona), North Italy). In the [Late Middle Ages](/source/Late_Middle_Ages), [Gian Galeazzo Visconti](/source/Gian_Galeazzo_Visconti) ordered the construction of a [mighty bridge fortress](/source/Visconti_Bridge) under the four-winged inner bailey of the local castle between [Mantua](/source/Mantua) and [Lake Garda](/source/Lake_Garda). The bridge fort lies about {{Convert|100|m||-2}} in height below the [hill castle](/source/hill_castle). Three gateways were linked by [curtain wall](/source/Curtain_wall_(fortification))s to 14 [demi-bastion](/source/demi-bastion)s. The [gate tower](/source/gate_tower) below the hill castle is of a strikingly weak design. The living rooms of the guards were in the central gateway. This gateway barred access to the crossing in a similar way to the rear gateway with a massive crossbeam.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}} The [Germans' Gate](/source/Germans'_Gate) across the [Seille](/source/Seille_(Moselle)) river in [Metz](/source/Metz) is the last bridge castle found in [France](/source/France). The bridge castle displays [fortified towers](/source/Towers_in_medieval_fortifications), [battlement](/source/battlement)s, and [machicolation](/source/machicolation)s. The German's Gate dating from the 13th century played a crucial defensive role during the [Siege of Metz in 1552–1553](/source/Siege_of_Metz_(1552)) by Emperor [Charles V](/source/Charles_V%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor). Bullet impacts coming from the [musket](/source/musket)s during the assaults still can be seen on the facade.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}} The [Hohenstaufen](/source/House_of_Hohenstaufen) double tower gate on the Roman bridge across the [Volturno](/source/Volturno) in [Capua](/source/Capua), Italy, is classified as a bridge castle. [Frederick II of Hohenstaufen](/source/Frederick_II_(HRR)) built here a representative "state building" as the gateway to the [Kingdom of the Two Sicilies](/source/Kingdom_of_the_Two_Sicilies), whose [surviving ruins](/source/City_Gate_of_Capua) give little indication of its former importance.{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}} The famous bridge castle of [Stari Most](/source/Stari_Most) in [Mostar](/source/Mostar) ([Bosnia-Herzegovina](/source/Bosnia-Herzegovina)) was partly destroyed in 1993 by Bosnian-Croatian troops, but later rebuilt. Originally, around 1450, two great [fortified tower](/source/fortified_tower)s on both sides of the river guarded a suspension bridge, which was replaced in 1566 by a stone arch bridge.[https://web.archive.org/web/20120610194828/http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=8902 Stari Most] ==Fortified bridges== {{main|Bridge tower}} thumb|left|One of the best-preserved fortified bridges in Europe: the ''Pont Valentré'' of Cahors A typical example of a fortified bridge is the [Pont Valentré](/source/Pont_Valentr%C3%A9) near [Cahors](/source/Cahors) ([Midi-Pyrénées](/source/Midi-Pyr%C3%A9n%C3%A9es)) in [Southern France](/source/Southern_France). The site is almost totally preserved apart from the eastern [barbican](/source/barbican) ([fortified gate](/source/fortified_gate)) which was removed in the 19th century. In Germany and Central Europe only ruins of bridge fortifications have generally survived. Usually there are only the individual gate towers, for example as on the [Stone Bridge](/source/Stone_Bridge_(Regensburg)) in [Regensburg](/source/Regensburg) and the [Charles Bridge](/source/Charles_Bridge) in [Prague](/source/Prague).{{citation_needed|date=July 2019}} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==Sources== * [G. Ulrich Großmann](/source/G._Ulrich_Gro%C3%9Fmann): ''Burgen in Europa''. Regensburg, 2005, p. 220–223. {{ISBN|3-7954-1686-8}} {{Fortifications}} Category:Castles by type Category:Stone bridges --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bridge castle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_castle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridge_castle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.