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Barbican

K.u.r.t

Senior Member
Czech
Hi,
could someone explain to me what is a barbican? I know it has something to do with city fortification, but what specific part is it and what makes it different from other similar structures? Does someone have a link to illustrated examples of barbicans? Many thanks.
bar·bi·can (bär'bĭ-kən)

n. A tower or other fortification on the approach to a castle or town, especially one at a gate or drawbridge.

[Middle English, from Old French barbacane, from Medieval Latin barbacana, from Persian barbārkhān : barbār, guard (from Old Iranian *parivāraka-, protective) + khān, house (from Middle Persian).]


LINK - HERE
Thanks for the link. From what I have read the barbican is part of the city fortification itself but rather a fortified gate in front of the main fortification connected to the city usualy using a bridge or a walled road called the neck.
You're right about the meaning of barbican.
Additional note : The Barbican is also the name for a particular (wealthy, I think) area in the center of London.
... which got its name from the medieval barbican I think as the walls of the City of London (the so called square mile) were somewhere in that area.
From what I have read the barbican is part of the city fortification itself but rather a fortified gate in front of the main fortification

Correct. It's not specific to city walls at all: it is also (perhaps mainly) used for castles. There's a good explanation here. The crucial thing is that it is an outwork (a defensive structure forward of the gatehouse). Dover Castle has a good example.
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