Ordensburg

Ordensburg (plural Ordensburgen) is a German term meaning a "castle of a (military) order".

It is used specifically for the fortified structures built by crusading German military orders during the Middle Ages.

While they were considerably larger than those in the Holy Roman Empire, they were much scarcer in the Monastic state of the Teutonic Knights.

The few small castles are considered to be of vassals, while the larger ones might have served as arsenals and strongholds during the Northern Crusades.

Most Ordensburgen were rectangular, even quadratic in form, built from red brick and lacking a Bergfried.