Situation of the gate

The entrance to the castle

Imposing entry or defensive line? If one goes to Lemberg Castle today, they can imagine the impressive reception which was offered to visitors in the middle of the 16th century. At that time visitors and enemies had to pass three gates. The archeologists still do not know if the staggered walls served for security or to give the renaissance palace an imposing entry. The entrance constructions are not yet fully understood. It was only in 1996, when the driveway to the castle inn was removed, that the ruins of the gates were found. There are still many things yet to be uncovered and archeologists hope to add to their understanding of the castle’s chronological development. It is expected that the excavation of the castle’s moat, situated between the first two gates, will help in this understanding. This excavation is planned to start at the beginning of next year.

A tower protects the first gate

The tower which safeguarded the first gate was at least four floors high. Inside a staircase climbed through the levels possibly connecting the tower with the upper platform of the castle. Two loophole widows in the lower level accentuate the defencive character of the construction. One is directed to the road, the second was downwardly directed and later walled up in the construction of a small room. The construction of this small room is strikingly strange as it is exterior to the castles fortifications and therefore was at the mercy of potential attackers. Today only the tower’s ruins can be seen. The foundation walls of this protruding room are now covered to protect the well conserved tile floor from the weather. The gate was 2.30 metres wide and if one takes a close look it is still possible to see the hinge points for the gate doors, the anchoring points for the locking beam and the slots for the trap grill.

A trench protects the second gate

The second gate has a door which either could be fully or partially opened to allow for pedestrians. A trench which archeologist estimate to have been at least four metres wide and three or four metres in depth was situated in front of the gate. The angled cuts in the stone base of the gate served as anchoring points for the draw bridge. Behind this opened the gate. The second gate is not dovetailed into the wall on the side of the valley path, a sign interpreted by experts as meaning that the main role of this construction was no longer protective. A gap in the wall indicates an older gate which once protected the castle.

The bailey in front of gate three

The third gate also replaced an older one. Similar to the second gate, it was architecturally not integrated into the valley wall. The pedestrian gate, which accompanies the large entrance is to a large extent walled up, the upper arch is however visible. With a little bit of fantasy one can easily imagine the outer bailey receiving visitors between the second and third gates before finally entering the interior courtyard.