Romantically Modern Moat. Heeze Castle, Heeze, The Netherlands
'It's so medieval!', remarked a passer-by as we ambled towards Strabrechter Heath past Heeze Castle. But take one look and you'll understand why this is not a medieval view at all.
In the Middle Ages moats like this strategically wide one served to protect their castle. That means there would have been no trees on its banks. Trees would have obscured the views over fields, swamps and heaths so you wouldn't have been able to see approaching enemies. Moreover, just imagine being an enemy commander and seeing those tall trees. That would be a field day! You'd just have your soldiers fell a couple across the water and there'd be a relatively easy scramble to the castle wall.
The inset shows the main gateway of the late seventeenth-century castle. Behind this structure there's also part of a twelfth-century castle called Eymerick (with various spellings down through the ages).
Romantically Modern Moat. Heeze Castle, Heeze, The Netherlands
'It's so medieval!', remarked a passer-by as we ambled towards Strabrechter Heath past Heeze Castle. But take one look and you'll understand why this is not a medieval view at all.
In the Middle Ages moats like this strategically wide one served to protect their castle. That means there would have been no trees on its banks. Trees would have obscured the views over fields, swamps and heaths so you wouldn't have been able to see approaching enemies. Moreover, just imagine being an enemy commander and seeing those tall trees. That would be a field day! You'd just have your soldiers fell a couple across the water and there'd be a relatively easy scramble to the castle wall.
The inset shows the main gateway of the late seventeenth-century castle. Behind this structure there's also part of a twelfth-century castle called Eymerick (with various spellings down through the ages).