in der Antike wurden Türme v.a. auf Wehrmauern verwendet, wie in Mesopotamien, Jericho und Ägypten, später bei Festungen der Römer und am Limes sowie als Leuchttürme. Die Nuraghen auf Sardinien gelten als eine der ersten freistehenden Wehrtürme. In frühchristl. Zeit erhielten auch die Kirchen Türme (Syrien); im Islam wurden die Minarette entwickelt. Der Kirchenbau in der karoling. sowie otton. Zeit bediente sich bes. der Doppelturmfassade, die auch im Barock großen Anklang fand. Türme waren ein prägendes Element mittelalterlichen Burgen- (Donjon) und Städtebaus. Auf Stadtmauern und an Rathäusern waren Türme Ausdruck der wachsenden Macht des Bürgertums und einzelner Familien (sog. Geschlechtertürme in Italien: S. Gimignano und Bologna). Die Architektur der Renaissance entwickelte Treppentürme im Schloßbau; in jüngster Zeit werden Türme auch als Ausdruck techn. Möglichkeiten gebaut (Eiffelturm in Paris, als Symbol der Weltausstellung 1889 errichtet) oder für prakt. Zwecke (Fernsehtürme).
ETYM AS. castel, from Latin castellum, dim. of castrum a fortified place, castle.
A large building formerly occupied by a ruler and fortified against attack.
Fortified building or group of buildings, characteristic of medieval Europe. The castle underwent many changes, its size, design, and construction being largely determined by changes in siege tactics and the development of artillery. Outstanding examples are the 12th-century Krak des Chevaliers, Syria (built by crusaders); 13th-century Caernarvon Castle, Wales; and 15th-century Manzanares el Real, Spain.
Structure.
The main parts of a typical castle are the keep, a large central tower containing store rooms, soldiers’ quarters, and a hall for the lord and his family; the inner bailey or walled courtyard surrounding the keep; the outer bailey or second courtyard, separated from the inner bailey by a wall; crenellated embattlements through which missiles were discharged against an attacking enemy; rectangular or round towers projecting from the walls; the portcullis, a heavy grating which could be let down to close the main gate; and the drawbridge crossing the ditch or moat surrounding the castle. Sometimes a tower called a barbican was constructed over a gateway as an additional defensive measure.
Early castles (11th century) consisted of an earthen hill (motte) surrounded by wooden palisades enclosing a courtyard (bailey).
The motte supported a wooden keep. Later developments substituted stone for wood and utilized more elaborate defensive architectural detail. After introduction of gunpowder in the 14th century, castles became less defensible and increases in civil order led to their replacement by unfortified manor houses by the 16th century. Large stone fortifications became popular again in the 18th century, particularly those modeled after the principles of fortification introduced by the French architect Vauban, and were built as late as the first half of the 19th century. In the late 19th century, castlelike buildings were built as residences for the wealthy as part of the Romantic revival in Europe and America.
1. Interchanging the positions of the king and a rook; SYN. castling.
2. The chessman that can move any number of unoccupied squares in a direction parallel to the sides of the chessboard; SYN. rook.
ETYM Old Eng. stepel, AS. stępel, stepel; akin to Eng. steep, a.
A tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top; SYN. spire.
hohes, auf quadrat., polygonalem oder rundem Grundriß errichtetes Bauwerk mit geringer Grundfläche, freistehend oder anderen Bauten angegliedert u. diese überragend.
ETYM AS. castel, from Latin castellum, dim. of castrum a fortified place, castle.
A large building formerly occupied by a ruler and fortified against attack.
Fortified building or group of buildings, characteristic of medieval Europe. The castle underwent many changes, its size, design, and construction being largely determined by changes in siege tactics and the development of artillery. Outstanding examples are the 12th-century Krak des Chevaliers, Syria (built by crusaders); 13th-century Caernarvon Castle, Wales; and 15th-century Manzanares el Real, Spain.
Structure.
The main parts of a typical castle are the keep, a large central tower containing store rooms, soldiers’ quarters, and a hall for the lord and his family; the inner bailey or walled courtyard surrounding the keep; the outer bailey or second courtyard, separated from the inner bailey by a wall; crenellated embattlements through which missiles were discharged against an attacking enemy; rectangular or round towers projecting from the walls; the portcullis, a heavy grating which could be let down to close the main gate; and the drawbridge crossing the ditch or moat surrounding the castle. Sometimes a tower called a barbican was constructed over a gateway as an additional defensive measure.
Early castles (11th century) consisted of an earthen hill (motte) surrounded by wooden palisades enclosing a courtyard (bailey).
The motte supported a wooden keep. Later developments substituted stone for wood and utilized more elaborate defensive architectural detail. After introduction of gunpowder in the 14th century, castles became less defensible and increases in civil order led to their replacement by unfortified manor houses by the 16th century. Large stone fortifications became popular again in the 18th century, particularly those modeled after the principles of fortification introduced by the French architect Vauban, and were built as late as the first half of the 19th century. In the late 19th century, castlelike buildings were built as residences for the wealthy as part of the Romantic revival in Europe and America.
1. Interchanging the positions of the king and a rook; SYN. castling.
2. The chessman that can move any number of unoccupied squares in a direction parallel to the sides of the chessboard; SYN. rook.
Either of two pieces of each color in a set of chessmen having the power to move along the ranks or files across any number of unoccupied squares — called also castle.