Bridge castle

The largest preserved bridge castle is the rectangular edifice of Valeggio sul Mincio (Province of Verona, North Italy).

In the Late Middle Ages, Gian Galeazzo Visconti ordered the construction of a mighty bridge fortress under the four-winged inner bailey of the local castle between Mantua and Lake Garda.

The German's Gate dating from the 13th century played a crucial defensive role during the Siege of Metz in 1552–1553 by Emperor Charles V. Bullet impacts coming from the muskets during the assaults still can be seen on the facade.

Frederick II of Hohenstaufen built here a representative "state building" as the gateway to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, whose surviving ruins give little indication of its former importance.

[citation needed] The famous bridge castle of Stari Most in Mostar (Bosnia-Herzegovina) was partly destroyed in 1993 by Bosnian-Croatian troops, but later rebuilt.