A fortified gateway is an element of a variety of fortified structures, such as a castle or walled town.[1] Fortified gates or gateways appear in the Bronze Age and reach into the modern times.[2]
In German, a "Torburg", lit. "gate castle", is a relatively autonomous and heavily fortified gateway of a castle or town. Medieval castle gateways of this type usually have additional fortifications in front of them. A common form is the tower gateway (German: Turmtorburg); a variant is the bastion gateway (German: Halbrundturmtorburg). They are common in Europe.