THE BELFRY

The belfry was the most important building of the castle. It was for living a watch tower and the last shelter for the inhabitants at attacks of enemies. Therefore it had very big wall ( 6ft and more) and the entrance was about 20 ft above the ground. A wooden staircase which was able to remove easily led to the door. So the enemies had no chance to get inside the tower except by a ruse.
The lower part of the belfry was the dungeon which had only one entrance, a hole in the middle of the ceiling, the so called hole of fear. Through this hole the prisoner was let down by a rope and got his wretched food.
The staircase was built in the wall and was very narrow. Only one man of the enemies was able to go upstairs and so it was easier to defend rooms inside. Niches in the walls were for sleeping, storing goods and were firing places. By every floor the wall got thinner and formed a ledge on which the beams of the floor were put on. The windows were very small and had no glass inside. They were used as embrasures, too. The toilet was a bay outside the wall with a hole in the floor.
The whole furnitures of a belfry were tables, stools, benches and trunks.
For our understanding it was very uncomfortably in a belfry in the 13th century. It was cold, draughty, moisty and dark inside.

construction	the staircase	inside view	the toilet bays