Frühe Festungen im deutschen Südwesten 1450-1620

The southwestern region of Germany formed a colorful patchwork of numerous territories in the late Middle Ages. In the struggle for power and spheres of influence, as well as the protection of their own territories, the various principalities and countless imperial cities expanded their fortifications under the influence of increasingly improved artillery for the use of firearms. Complete new fortress constructions were rather the exception. It is notable that for a long time there was no serious adoption of the bastion system coming from Italy. Although bastions were built at corner points of city fortifications in some cases, they remained isolated structures, without being part of a comprehensive overall concept in the stricter sense. In the Duchy of Württemberg, the first "real" bastions were implemented after very idiosyncratic predecessors in Kirchheim unter Teck, at Hellenstein Castle, and on Hohentwiel. Dominant structures remained protective towers, rondels, flanking defenses, and conventional barbican systems.