Watchtower
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[[Image:Hirlimann-tour-de-garde.jpeg|thumb|Watchtower of the camp of the French artillery detachment of the [[IFOR]], [[Sarajevo]], 1995]]
[[Image:A coruna torre de hercules sunset edit.jpg|200px|thumb|Tower of Hercules]]
[[Image:Römerwatchturm.JPG|thumb|200px|Roman WatchTower in Germany]]
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A '''watchtower''' is a type of [[fortification]] used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular [[tower]] in that its primary use is military, and from a [[turret]] in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may observe the surrounding area. In some cases, non-military towers, such as religious [[pagodas]], may also be used as watchtowers. An example of nonmiltary watchtower in history is the one of Jerusalem. Though the [[Hebrews]] used it to keep a watch for approaching armies, the religious authorities forbade the taking of weapons up into the tower as this would require bringing weapons through the temple. Rebuilt by King Herod, that watchtower was renamed after [[Mark Antony]], his friend who battled against Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later [[Augustus]]) and lost.
==Early history of the watchtower==
The [[Roman Empire|Romans]] built numerous towers as part of a system of communications, one example being the towers along [[Hadrian's Wall]] in [[Great Britain|Britain]]. Each tower was in sight of the next in the line, and a simple system of [[semaphore]] signalling was used between them. They also built many [[lighthouses]], such as the [[Tower of Hercules]] in northern [[Spain]], which survives to this day as a working building, and the equally famous lighthouse at [[Dover Castle]], which survives to about half its original height as a ruin.
In medieval Europe, many castles and [[manor house]]s, or similar fortified buildings, were equipped with watchtowers. In some of the manor houses of western France, the watchtower equipped with arrow or gun loopholes was one of the principal means of defense. A feudal lord could keep watch over his domain from the top of his tower.
Some notable examples of military watchtowers include the towers that [[Martin de Redin]], [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] of the [[Knights of Malta]] had constructed on the coasts of [[Malta]], and the [[Martello Towers]] that the British built in the UK and elsewhere in the [[British Empire]]. All of these types of towers were armed with cannon. One of the last Martello Towers to be built was [[Fort Denison]] in [[Sydney]] harbour. The most recent descendants of the Martello Towers are the [[flak tower]]s that the various combattants erected in [[World War II]] as mounts for [[anti-aircraft]] artillery.
In [[modern warfare]] the relevance of watchtowers has decreased due to the availability of alternative forms of [[military intelligence]], such as [[reconnaissance]] by [[spy satellites]] and [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s.
[[Image:Malta watchtower.jpg|thumb|Maltese WatchTower]]
==Modern day uses of the watchtower==
An example of a modern, non-military use of watchtowers is the [[United States Forest Service]] [[Fire lookout tower|fire tower]]s in [[United States National Forest|national forests]]. During the fire season, the USFS staffs the towers with observers who keep a lookout for wildfires.
[[Prison]] complexes in many countries also feature watchtowers to keep an eye on the prison population, particularly when they are outside in the prison yard.
== See also ==
* [[Observation tower]]s are similar constructions being usually outside of fortifications. A similar use have also [[Control tower]]s on airports or harbours.
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{{s-ttl|title=[[Watchtower]]|years=500 - 1000}}
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[[Category:Towers]]
[[ca:Mirador]]
[[de:Wachturm]]
[[es:Atalaya (construcción)]]
[[fr:Mirador]]
[[hu:Őrtorony (erőd)]]
[[nl:Uitkijktoren]]
[[pl:Strażnica (budynek)]]
[[fi:Vartiotorni]]
[[ru:Сторожевая башня (построение)]]
[[sv:Vakttorn]]