A ridge castle (German: Kammburg) was a medieval fortification built on a ridge or the crest of mountain or hill chain.[1] It was one of several types of hill castle.
Ridge castles were not a common type of fortification. While castles of this type were relatively well protected, they had the disadvantage that they could be attacked from two sides.[1] The similar spur castle, located at the end of a ridge, is protected by drop offs on three sides.
For mutual protection, several such castles could be built within sight of one another.
- The Teutonic Knights' Montfort Castle, Israel, is a narrow ridge castle that relies for its defence on the steep rocky hillsides, lacking many of the innovations of the larger crusader castles and resembling smaller German baronial castles.[2]
Gallery
[edit]-
Burghausen Castle, Bavaria, Germany
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Beckov Castle, Slovakia
References
[edit]Literature
[edit]- Michael Losse: Kleine Burgenkunde. Regionalia, Euskirchen 2011, ISBN 978-3-939722-39-7.