An ''Angstloch'' (, apparently "fear hole", but more probably from the Lat. ''angustus'' "narrow" and German ''Loch'' "hole") was a small hole in the floor of

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

s and

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

es that led to a cellar or basement room below. The term is German and has no English equivalent, although a door, where there is one, to such a hole is called a

trapdoor A trapdoor or hatch is a sliding or hinged door that is flush with the surface of a floor, ceiling, or roof. It is traditionally small in size. It was invented to facilitate the hoisting of grain up through mills, however, its list of uses has ...

(German: ''Falltür'').

An ''Angstloch'' is usually located above the basement of a fighting tower or '' Bergfried''. The description of these basement rooms as "

dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette (fr ...

s" stems from the romanticised castle studies of the 19th century. There is no evidence to indicate that prisoners were actually lowered through the ''Angstloch'' into the dungeon using a rope or rope ladder as these 19th century accounts suggest. Archaeological finds, by contrast, indicate the use of these basement spaces as store rooms. For example, piles of stones have been found in such rooms that suggest they were used as a store for projectiles to be used in time of

siege A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...

Literature

* * * * ———. {{citation , author-link = Otto Piper , first = Otto , last = Piper , display-authors=0 , title = Burgenkunde: Bauwesen und Geschichte der Burgen , publisher = Weidlich , date = 1967 , language = de , page = 664 , isbn = 9783803583161 Medieval architecture Castle architecture Words and phrases with no direct English translation