''Butter Churn'' Tower

By Crusader1307

Seen around the 11th Century, especially in Germanic Countries, these towers served as both a fighting platform and an observation position. Roughly designed as a Chemin de Ronde with a narrow, smaller tower (normally gabled) – built on the top, the title Butter-Churn was given for it's appearance to that device. Mostly built independent of defensive wall systems or related structures, Butter-Churn Towers were close to the Bergfried classification of structures (and are often confused with such). Built from regional stone, they were a common sight until around the 16th Century.