Defensive Walls and Moats
The defensive perimeter of the convent castle was, the most distinctive element of the Teutonic Order’s architectural vocabulary, and the element in which the Order’s building programme most fully responded to the strategic requirements of a military-religious order on the Baltic frontier. The defensive perimeter was, in the mature form of the early fourteenth century, a concentric system consisting of an inner curtain wall, a moat, and an outer curtain wall, pierced by a single main gatehouse and reinforced at intervals by rectangular or polygonal towers. The use of fired brick as the principal building material is examined in the article on brick Gothic architecture, and the wider architectural context is treated in the parent article on the architecture of the Teutonic Order.
The Inner Curtain Wall
The inner curtain wall was, in the mature convent castle, the principal element of the defensive perimeter, and the wall in which the Order’s building programme was most fully expressed. The inner curtain wall was, in the Prussian convent castles, typically built in fired brick, bonded in lime mortar, and was, in the more ambitious buildings, a substantial structure of considerable height and thickness. The most impressive surviving example is the inner curtain wall of the Middle Castle of Marienburg, a substantial brick wall some twelve to fifteen metres high, with a wall-walk and a parapet, reinforced at intervals by rectangular towers.
The inner curtain wall was, in the mature type, pierced by a single main gatehouse and by a series of smaller posterns, and was reinforced by rectangular or polygonal towers. The towers were designed to accommodate a small garrison and a number of light cannon. The most impressive surviving example of an Order tower is the Dansker, the outer tower of the Middle Castle of Marienburg, a substantial octagonal brick tower some thirty metres high.
The inner curtain wall was, in the more ambitious buildings, decorated with a programme of glazed brick diapers, blind arcading, and figure sculpture. The glazed brick diaper is the most distinctive element of the Order’s ornamental vocabulary, and its use on the principal curtain walls of the principal convent castles is one of the most distinctive features of the Order’s architectural language. The blind arcading was applied to the upper courses, and the figure sculpture was concentrated on the principal gatehouse and on the principal towers.
The Moat
The moat was, in the mature convent castle, the principal element of the defensive perimeter in front of the inner curtain wall. The moat was, in the Prussian convent castles, typically a wet moat, fed by a diverted stream, and was, in the more ambitious buildings, a substantial body of water of considerable width and depth. The most impressive surviving example is the moat of the Middle Castle of Marienburg, some thirty to forty metres wide and five to seven metres deep, fed by a diverted branch of the Nogat.
The moat was, in the mature type, crossed by a bridge in front of the main gatehouse, and was supplemented by a system of outworks on the far side. The bridge was typically a drawbridge, and was defended by a substantial barbican on the far side of the moat. The most impressive surviving example of an Order barbican is the barbican of the Middle Castle of Marienburg, a substantial brick structure of considerable size.
The Outer Curtain Wall
The outer curtain wall was, in the mature convent castle, a secondary element of the defensive perimeter, and the wall in which the Order’s building programme was most fully expressed in the early fifteenth century, in response to the development of gunpowder artillery. The outer curtain wall was, in the Prussian convent castles, typically built in fired brick, and was, in the more ambitious buildings, a substantial structure of considerable height and thickness. The most impressive surviving example is the outer curtain wall of the Fore-Castle of Marienburg, some eight to ten metres high, with a wall-walk and a parapet, reinforced at intervals by rectangular towers.
The outer curtain wall was, in the more ambitious buildings, decorated with a programme of glazed brick diapers, blind arcading, and figure sculpture that was, a regional variant of the decoration of the inner curtain wall.
The Gatehouse
The gatehouse was, in the mature convent castle, the principal element of the defensive perimeter, and the element in which the Order’s building programme was most fully expressed. The gatehouse was, in the Prussian convent castles, typically a substantial brick structure of considerable size, designed to function as a self-contained fortress within the larger fortress of the convent castle. The most impressive surviving example is the gatehouse of the Fore-Castle of Marienburg, one of the most impressive medieval gatehouses in northern Europe.
The gatehouse was, in the mature type, pierced by a single main gate passage, and was reinforced at the upper levels by a series of rectangular or polygonal towers. The gate passage was defended by a substantial portcullis and by a series of murder holes. The towers were designed to accommodate a small garrison and a number of light cannon, equipped with gun ports at the lower levels and arrow slits at the upper levels.
The Response to Gunpowder Artillery
The defensive perimeter of the convent castle entered a slow transformation in the course of the late fourteenth and early fifteenth centuries, in response to the development of gunpowder artillery. The Order’s architects responded by lowering and thickening the curtain walls, and by developing a new type of tower, the Geschützturm or gun tower, designed to accommodate the new weapons. The most impressive surviving example of an Order gun tower is the Papengau, the principal tower of the outer curtain wall of the Fore-Castle of Marienburg, a substantial brick tower of considerable size. The wider context of the transformation is examined in the chapter on the decline and dissolution of the Order.
Sources
- Binding, Günther. Architektonische Formenlehre. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 1980.
- Boockmann, Hartmut. Der Deutsche Orden: Zwölf Kapitel aus seiner Geschichte. Munich: Beck, 1981.
- Rohde, Hans. Macht und Pracht der Marienburg. Königstein: Langewiesche, 1952.
Related Reading
The defensive perimeter of the convent castle is examined in the wider context of the Order’s architectural patronage in the parent article on the architecture of the Teutonic Order, and the use of fired brick as a building material is examined in the article on brick Gothic architecture. The architectural type of which the defensive perimeter is the principal element is the convent castle, and the architectural climax of the Order’s building programme is the great complex of Marienburg. The wider context of the Order’s architectural patronage is examined in the parent chapter on the castles and built legacy of the Teutonic Order, and the modern heritage of the defensive perimeter is treated in the chapter on the heritage of the castles today.