Ritterburgen

What makes a castle a castle? Who was allowed to build castles, and how was such a structure financed? From which sources—aside from the stone testimonies of the past—do we still learn about the history of castles and the lives the people led within them? Where does our knowledge of castles require significant corrections? What significance did castles have for the practice of rule, as well as in symbolic communication? All these questions and many more regarding the topic of castles are expertly and competently answered by Joachim Zeune in his compact, well-illustrated presentation—he also addresses the legacy of castles and the dubious blessings of a misunderstood castle romanticism.