Bergfried

Bergfried (plural: bergfriede; English: belfry; French: tour-beffroi; Spanish: torre del homenaje) is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries^[1] and in countries under German influence. Stephen Friar in the Sutton Companion to Castles describes a bergfried as a "free-standing, fighting-tower".^[2] Its defensive function is to some extent similar to that of a keep (also known as a donjon) in English or French castles. However, the characteristic difference between a bergfried and a keep is that a bergfried was typically not designed for permanent habitation.