Fighting platform

A fighting platform or terrace^[1] is the uppermost defensive platform of an ancient or medieval gateway, tower (such as the fighting platform on a bergfried) and breteche. The fighting platform is surrounded by a parapet, usually a battlement.

Fighting platform on a tower

Whilst in warmer climates (for example in the Mediterranean region) the platforms were usually open, in Central Europe they were frequently covered by a roof structure (on towers by a spire or tented roof).

References

1. Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W (2001). The Medieval Fortress, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Da Capo, p. 29. ISBN 978-0-306-81358-0.