Tower of Tribute, a photo from Segovia, Castilla y Leon

Photographer's Note

The keep of Alcazar de Segovia, is an outstanding tower, higher than the wall, and in general it could be isolated from the rest of the fortress. It receives the names of donjon in French castles, Bergfried in the Germans, maschio or mastio in the Italians, keep in the English, it is the central structure of the medieval castle.

It is the main tower, the one that serves as the residence of the lord and fulfills the most important functions of the castle, housing the most important rooms and, sometimes, the food stores. It is in the most sheltered position in relation to a possible external attack, so that if the rest of the defenses were to succumb, this tower would provide a last refuge. The main access door is higher than usual so that in the event of an attack the entrance is complicated by destroying the access staircase.

Its name is due to the fact that the tribute ceremony was practiced in it, in which the lord gave the vassal a fief in exchange for auxilium et consilium. It also served to highlight some feat of the feudal lord.

Over the centuries, the keep increased in size, being flanked in many cases by one or more smaller towers where guests and servants lived.

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La torre del homenaje de Alcazar de Segovia, es una torre destacada, más alta que la muralla, y por lo general se podía aislar del resto de la fortaleza. Recibe los nombres de donjon en los castillos franceses, Bergfried en los alemanes, maschio o mastio en los italianos, keep en los ingleses, es la estructura central del castillo medieval.

Es la torre principal, la que sirve de residencia del señor y cumple con las funciones más destacadas del castillo, albergando las estancias más importantes y, en ocasiones, los almacenes de víveres. Se encuentra en la posición más abrigada en relación con un posible ataque exterior, de forma que si sucumbiesen el resto de las defensas, esta torre proporcionaría un último refugio. La puerta principal de acceso se encuentra más alta de lo habitual para que en caso de ataque se complicase la entrada al destruir la escalera de acceso.

Su nombre se debe a que en ella se practicaba la ceremonia del homenaje, en la cual el señor le entregaba al vasallo un feudo a cambio de auxilium et consilium. Además servía para destacar alguna hazaña del señor feudal.

Con el paso de los siglos, la torre de homenaje aumentó en tamaño, siendo flanqueada en muchos casos por una o varias torres menores donde habitaban invitados y sirvientes.

COSTANTINO, holmertz, Fis2, PaulVDV, mcmtanyel, jemaflor, ikeharel, jhm, ChrisJ, fotka ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

COSTANTINO (116490) 2021-12-28 11:49

Hello der Luis
have a nice new day
what a beautiful construction!!!!
according to your useful notes
alcazar de Segovia is an
outstanding tower higher
than the wall!!!!
so impressive!!!!
regards
Costantino

holmertz (102700) 2021-12-28 11:56

Hello Luis,
This is a tremendous tower, looking almost unreal, like it could be a model made of Lego pieces. But of course it is real, and indeed a marvellous piece of architecture. It's beautifully kept and excellently photographed with perfect colours and light in a very nicely cropped photo.
Best regards,
Gert

pajaran (115891) 2021-12-28 12:10

Pozdrav.

Lep pogled, interesantan tekst ...
Lepa arhitektura i detalji na fasadi, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama i kontrastom.
Dobar rad, lepa fotografija.
Lepi Tower of Tribute.

Zelim vam lepu i mirnu noc, sve najbolje.
Paja

Fis2 (170747) 2021-12-28 12:36

Witaj Luis!
Wow!
A very interesting tower, beautiful building.
Good POV, colors and scharpnes.
I like walls.
TFS.
Very well done my friend.
Good evening.
Krzysztof

Silvio1953 (221593) 2021-12-28 13:02

Ciao Luis, great view of fantastic tower, wonderful colors, excellent clarity, splendid light and fine details, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

lousat (139266) 2021-12-28 13:56

Hi Luis,absolutely stunning,the tower is one of the most beautiful thing to watch in Segovia,no doubts,and you caught the show in the best light and quality,very well done!!! Have a nice day and thanks,Luciano

PaulVDV (62892) 2021-12-28 14:58

Hello Luis,
One of the special and most beautiful parts of the magnificent fairytale alcazar of Segovia.
Your photo up close allows us to admire the beautiful details of the tower.
Did you visit the large terrace on top?
I like the contrast between the soft tones of the building stone and the blue sky in the background.
Best regards, Paul

mcmtanyel (68503) 2021-12-28 20:46

Hello Luis,
What an impressive tower rising against the deep blue sky!
Regards,
MT

macjake (98456) 2021-12-28 21:36

Hi Luis
beautiful, just beautiful.
I love this one. love how the structure is filling up the entire frame, love the tall vertical, love the details. such an attractive light and contrast of colors. well taken
cheers
craig

jemaflor (147128) 2021-12-28 23:02

Hi Luis,
Beautiful architecture style for this tower well photographed and presented, excellent light and colors with a good contrast between blue sky and warm tones of the wall, tfs.

emka (158156) 2021-12-29 0:16

Hello dear Luis,

what an amazing tower! we see here the tiny figures, indicating how tall it is. Excellent presentation.

Best regards MAlgo

Gerrit (62042) 2021-12-29 1:42

Hello Luis,
impressive portrait of this wonderful city you are making, with this arabic tower as a highlight.
thanks and regards,
Gerrit

ikeharel (113345) 2021-12-29 3:55

Great side POV upon the known tower in Segovia, Luis.
I remember that one can spot this specific attractie tower from the outskirts of town, upon arrival.
Buenas tardes,
Ike

jhm (211736) 2021-12-29 5:44

Hello Luis,

We get a fantastic view of the keep of Alcazar de Segovia.
What a lovely architecture image
Excellent composition, nice of colour and sharpness.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John

jmdias (115156) 2021-12-29 10:30

luis

podemos ver o quanto essas paredes foram decoradas com esses lindos relevos repetitivos e mesmo as pequenas torres de vigia estão bem decoradas. linda imagem desse monumento tão especial. feliz 2022.

um abraço

jorge

kasianowak (17676) 2021-12-29 12:05

Hi Luis
Magnificent architecture. I'm glad you included people in the image so we can appreciate the size of this tower.
Great light and colours and a fascinating note.
Best wishes
Kasia

ifege (48085) 2021-12-29 19:10

Hi Luis
A good photo of this keep with its interesting but unusual patterns on the walls and on the top of the keep as well. Excellent detail in the large view.
cheers
Ian

mkamionka (74407) 2021-12-30 0:00

Hola Luis,
What a beautiful piece of architecture! I like very much the elaborate decoration of the tower surface and the unique design of the top. Amazing presentation in great sunlight with brilliant color of the sky at the back. Some vegetation in the foreground adds a nice touch as well.
Excellent quality work!!
M

jean113 (27853) 2022-01-03 7:42

Hello Luis, you managed to get a good angle from which to photograph this keep.
Set against a beautiful blue sky, the sand coloured walls and turrets really stand out.
The keep is in excellent condition.
I enjoyed reading your notes.
Kind regards, Jean.

ChrisJ (171822) 2022-01-03 20:51

Hello Luis,

A fantastic old castle with good sharpness and nice warm cold color contrasts with the blue sky. I like the crenelated towers and the repetition of the watchtowers and scaled design. Tfs!

fotka (8995) 2022-02-21 5:25

Hi Luis,
Beautiful tower almost looks like a small castle. From your description it appears that it could be because inside are the rooms in which they lived. I like the architectural details and the walls sort of covered with fish scales.
Well done with perfect quality as always.
Best regards,
Zbigniew