Neck ditch

It is often an important element in the defensive system of hill castles, especially in Germany and other parts of Central Europe.

The castle would therefore be separated from the rest of the hill by a dry ditch or moat which, for practical reasons, was cut across the narrowest part of the spur, the "bottleneck", hence the name.

For example, a ditch may be cut across the neck of a spit or peninsula in the case of a lowland castle that is otherwise surrounded by water.

Examples of castles with neck ditches in the classical sense are Liebenstein, Rochlitz, Kriebstein and Isenburg.

If other parts of a castle, such as the outer and inner wards, are separated with such moats, they are known as cross ditches (German: Abschnittsgraben).