The first castles in Europe were built after the break up of King Charlemange's empire. Lords and nobles built castles and fortresses to protect their property and for bases for their soldiers. The earliest French and German castles were built of earth, wood, and rough stones. Later, as technology advanced, castles were constructed out of stone and masonry.
German Castles
Many princes and nobles lived in castles under the instruction of the emperor. Once the central control started to break down, the lesser lords started to construct their own castles so they could augment their power. The terrain directly influenced the design of castles. Most lords took advantage of the mountain like terrain, they used it as a defense mechanism. First they errected a wall on top of a crag, then the workers would flank the wall with towers, next a ditch was dug out on the weakest side, and finally the other walls were errected. That type of castle was know as a Randhausburg which means "Border or Margin house Castle". Other lords built castles along the Rhine River. The Castles along the Rhine look out over the river and were used to collect tolls and tariffs placed along the river. The purpose of most castles is to either collect tolls or stand as a base for military troops. Most German castles were built in the Romanesque style. They were very dark, they head thick walls, they had few windows, and the windows were round. Other castles were built in a Gothic style. Gothic castles had thinner walls with more windows, were better lighted, were more extravagent, and had more decorations and ornamentations. Almost every one has a tower. German castles are very beautiful and well decorated. Unfortunetly, most of the original castles were destroyed but most have been rebuilt or restored.
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