The invisible Leno castle

A castle was a fortified site, which was made in wood and clay, enclosed by a fence. The simplest ones were just walled dwellings. In the Mid Middle Ages (around the year one thousand), the castles were built with stones and bricks, other homes were built around outside the fortification.

Castle architecture

tower

rampat

well

outdoor kitchen

guardhouse

bailey

difensive tower

Types of castles

There are different types of castles, which can be listed into categories:

Motte and Bailey Castle

The Rectangular Keep (dungeon)

The Shell Keep

The Palace

The Concentric Castle

The Motte and Bailey is the first type of European castle. Around the onstruction two circular ditches were dug one smaller and one larger in order to defend it. The soil removed was used to build up the Motte and to form a bank around the ditches. Finally a stockade fence and a keep were built to protect the castle.

Motte and Bailey Castle (10th and 12th centuries)

The Rectangular Keep was the early type of castles we are more familiar with it today. They were built in stone and had very high and thick walls. And they were often surrounded by some kind of a curtain walls made of stone.

The Rectangular Keep (11th and 12th centuries)

The Basic structure of a Shell keep was a circular or semi-circular shell of stone walls with various buildings inside it. Sometimes a Motte and Bailey were upgraded into a stone shell keep. The Stockade fence around the keep would be replaced with a stone wall.

The Shell Keep (13th century)

As weapons got more powerful the castle fortress became less effective. This ended the building of castles as fortresses. The focus now was less on defense and more on lavish living quarters or centers for governing. Many Fortresses were re habilitated and re purposed as living quarters.

The Palace or Royal Quarters (14th and 16th centuries)

It is a keep surrounded by a wall which in turn is surrounded by another wall. Sometimes there were moats in between these concentric circles or on the very outside. These moats are in themselves further concentric lines of defense. These lines of defense finished at the center of the grounds with the keep. Round towers were much stronger and able to resist agaist attacks.The square towers caused angles that formed blind spots where attackers could hide in.

The Concentric Castle (13th and 14th Centuries)

IMAGES FROM LENO ARCHIVELeno 1848

Leno italico

Leno castle