Aneck ditch (German:Halsgraben),[1][2] sometimes called athroat ditch,[3][4] is a drymoat that does not fully surround acastle, but only bars the side that is not protected by natural obstacles. It is often an important element in the defensive system ofhill castles, especially in Germany and other parts of Central Europe.
Originally, the termneck ditch was only applied tospur castles. These were sited onhill spurs where three sides of the castle were protected by steep hillsides. Realistically they could only be attacked from the direction of the higher ground of the hill itself. 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. The castle was then only accessible over a bridge – usually adrawbridge.
Today the term neck bridge is also used for other types of castles, where there is a deep, dry moat on one or two sides, whilst the other sides are protected by inaccessible terrain. For example, a ditch may be cut across the neck of a spit or peninsula in the case of alowland castle that is otherwise surrounded by water.
Many old neck ditches have since become thickly overgrown and may only be made out with some difficulty.
Examples of castles with neck ditches in the classical sense areLiebenstein,Rochlitz,Kriebstein andIsenburg.
If other parts of a castle, such as theouter andinner wards, are separated with such moats, they are known ascross ditches (German:Abschnittsgraben).
