A water castle, sometimes water-castle, is a castle where natural or artificial water is part of its defences. (It can be entirely surrounded by water-filled moats (moated castle) or natural waterbodies such as island castles in a river or offshore. The term comes from European castle studies, mainly German Burgenkunde. 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. Topographically, such structures are a type of low-lying castle. 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. 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 ponds, 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 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.
Examples
Austria
Franzensburg
Baltic
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
France
Please notice that in French "", literally 'water castle', means water tower. Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil Château de la Mothe-Chandeniers Château de Pirou Château du Plessis-Bourré Château de Trécesson Château de Suscinio Château de Sully Château de Sully-sur-Loire
Germany
Baden-Württemberg
Bad Rappenau Water Castle
Inzlingen Castle
Bavaria
Brennhausen
Irmelshausen
Kleinbardorf
Mespelbrunn Castle
Schloss Reichersbeuern
Berlin
Köpenick Palace
Spandau Citadel
Brandenburg
Plattenburg in the Prignitz
Bremen
Blomendal Castle
Schönebeck Palace
Hamburg
Bergedorf Palace
Hesse
Friedewald Water Castle in Friedewald
Fürstenau Palace near Steinbach
Lower Saxony
Fallersleben Castle
Hülsede Water Castle
Lütetsburg
Osterburg
Schelenburg
Wendhausen Castle
Wolfsburg Castle
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
Schwerin Castle
North Rhine-Westphalia
Benrath House in Düsseldorf
Burgau Castle
Darfeld Castle
Gimborn Castle
Haus Kemnade in Bochum
Morsbroich Castle in Leverkusen
Moyland Castle in Bedburg-Hau
Nordkirchen Palace
Rheydt Palace
Dyck Palace
Vischering Castle
Wilkinghege Water Castle in Münster
Wittringen Castle in Gladbeck
Lembeck Castle
Rhineland-Palatinate
Alte Burg (Boppard) Alte Burg (Koblenz)
Saarland
Gustavsburg in Homburg
Kerpen Castle near Illingen
Saxony
Moritzburg Castle
Hainewalde Water Castle
Saxony-Anhalt
Calvörde Castle
Köthen Castle
Reinharz Water Castle
Flechtingen water castle
Schleswig-Holstein
Eutin Castle
Glücksburg Castle
Thuringia
Kapellendorf Water Castle
Greece
Bourtzi
Methoni Castle
Hungary
Sárvár Castle
Tokaj Castle (ruined)