A half tower (sometimes half-tower), open tower,Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W. (2001). The Medieval Fortress. Castles, Forts and Walled Cities of the Middle Ages, Da Capo, Cambridge, MA, p. 27. . open-backed tower or open-gorged towerHull, Lise. Understanding the Castle Ruins of England and Wales: How to Interpret the History and Meaning of Masonry and Earthworks. London: MacFarland, 2009. p. 137. . (, Halbschalenturm or Schanzturm) is a fortified stone tower in an external wall or castle enceinte that is open, or only lightly constructed, at the rear.
Description
Unlike closed towers, which were fully enclosed by walls, half towers were open on the inside, typically the side facing the city or the inner bailey of a castle. On this side, a wooden railing on individual floors stopped people or objects from falling off. Sometimes the open side was sealed with wooden planking or weaker timber framed walls. Towers that are fully open at the top and rear are open towers, whilst those only open on the lower floors (i.e., the top floor is walled and roofed) are partially open towers.
Most half towers were semi-circular in plan, but some were rectangular.
Examples
Semi-circular half towers Bergerschanzturm in Aachen, Germany Endingerturm in Rapperswil, Switzerland Haldenturm in Rapperswil Karlsturm in Aachen Schildturm in Aachen Dover Castle, Kent, England Wehrturm am Gänsbühl in Ravensburg, Germany
City or town wall towers Conwy, Wales Dinkelsbühl, Germany Bad Hersfeld, Germany Einbeck, Germany Freiburg im Üechtland, Switzerland
Rectangular half towers Framlingham Castle, Suffolk, England Krichelenturm in Aachen Schänzchen in Aachen Porte d'Orange in Carpentras, France
Town wall towers in Payerne, Switzerland Ston, Croatia Głogów, Poland Avignon, France Aigues-Mortes, France
References
Literature (Online version, pdf, 6.61MB)
External links