Landwehr

Germany, Germany

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Landwehr refers to the medieval defensive earthworks and moats surrounding Lübeck, Germany, forming a Landwehr system that extended the city's fortifications into the countryside from around 1303 to protect against invasions, incorporating natural waterways, ditches, walls like the Schwedenschanze, and watchtowers at key points such as Trems and Schlutup.

Used for centuries to control access and deter threats from neighbors like Mecklenburg and Denmark, these barriers marked Lübeck's territorial boundaries until the early 19th century, with the last tower demolished in 1809.