A ''Muthaus'', also ''Mushaus'' or ''Moshaus'' (~

palas A ''palas'' () is a German term for the imposing or prestigious building of a medieval '' Pfalz'' or castle that contained the great hall. Such buildings appeared during the Romanesque period (11th to 13th century) and, according to Thompson ...

) is the German term for a residential, storage or refectory (dining) building connected with a

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 ...

. It is sometimes also called a ''Turmhaus'' (literally:

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

). In the 19th century German encyclopaedia, ''

Meyers Konversationslexikon or was a major encyclopedia in the German language that existed in various editions, and by several titles, from 1839 to 1984, when it merged with the . Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), who had founded the publishing house in 1826, intended to i ...

'', under the entry for "castle" it states: An important function of a ''Muthaus'' was its role as a dining hall. In

South Lower Saxony South Lower Saxony () refers to the southern part of the German federal state of Lower Saxony. The region so described is neither historically nor geographically clearly defined to the north within Lower Saxony. It cuts across the more obviously d ...

and

East Westphalia Ostwestfalen-Lippe (, literally ''East(ern) Westphalia-Lippe'', abbreviation OWL) is the eastern region of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, congruent with the administrative region of Detmold and containing the eastern part of Wes ...

six such buildings have survived from the 14th century: # Hardeg Castle in

Hardegsen Hardegsen () is a town in the district of Northeim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southwest of Northeim, and 15 km northwest of Göttingen. Burg Hardeg is a medieval castle in Hardegsen. The castle was fo ...

, built in 1324. It is the oldest, profane structure of its size in the whole of Lower Saxony. The rectangular, over 30-metre-high building of

ashlar Ashlar () is a cut and dressed rock (geology), stone, worked using a chisel to achieve a specific form, typically rectangular in shape. The term can also refer to a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, a ...

blocks is especially well preserved. Formerly it was the main building of Hardeg Castle, later used as a grain store. Today it houses an event centre. # Lindau Castle in Lindau (Eichsfeld), probably built in 1322. Lindau Castle was destroyed in the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

; only the ''Mushaus'' has survived. Its walls are up to five metres thick. # Beverungen Castle in

Beverungen Beverungen () is a town in Höxter district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Location Beverungen lies in the Weser Uplands on the side of the Weser opposite Solling roughly south of Höxter. In parts of the eastern municipal ar ...

. The castle was built in 1332 by the Principality of

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian language, Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn (district), Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pade ...

. In 1632 it was almost totally destroyed by the Hessians, but was largely rebuilt in 1650. Since 1986 it has housed the chair museum. # Lichtenau Castle in

Lichtenau (Westfalen) Lichtenau () is a municipality in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Geography Lichtenau is situated on the western slope of the Eggegebirge, approx. 15 km south-east of Paderborn. Division of the town After t ...

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...

Marienmünster Marienmünster () is a town in Höxter district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the ...

. The tower house (family castle of the counts of Schwalenberg) dates to the 2nd half of the 14th century. # Dreckburg Castle near

Salzkotten Salzkotten () is a town in the district of Paderborn, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name Salzkotten (in English, "Salt cottages") is based in the former salt production, which gave Salzkotten its wikt:raison d'être, raison d'être. Salt ...

, probably built between 1347 and 1357. File:Mushaus Lindau (Eichsfeld).jpg, The ''Mushaus'' of Lindau Castle File:Lichtenau (Westf) Burg.jpg, Tower house of Lichtenau Castle File:Oldenburg Marienmuenster.jpg, The Oldenburg near Marienmünster File:Salzkotten Dreckburg.jpg, The Dreckburg near Salzkotten A particularly fine example of a tower house is the 1508

lowland castle The term lowland castle or plains castle () describes a type of castle that is situated on a lowland, plain or valley floor, as opposed to one built on higher ground such as a hill spur. The classification is extensively used in Germany where ...

of Radolfshausen in

Ebergötzen Ebergötzen is a village in the District of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. It is 15 km from Göttingen and belongs to the Samtgemeinde Radolfshausen. As of December 2020, Ebergötzen has 1,927 inhabitants. Ebergötzen is known as the pl ...

. Tower-like houses are also found in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, e.g. the ''Turmhaus'' of Altenburg Castle.

References

Literature

* Stadtverwaltung Hardegsen (publ.): ''Burg Hardegsen und das Muthaus''. Geiger-Verlag, 2003,

External links

{{Commonscat, Muthaus
The ''Mushaus'' in Lindau

Photograph of the ''Turmhaus'' in Beverungen

Castle architecture