Castelnau

A castelnau (from the Occitan words castèl nòu, meaning "new castle") is a type of village or town set up in the Middle Ages near a castle.

 History 
At the end of the Early Middle Ages, two buildings made people want to live in a town. These were the castle and the church. During this time period, there were types of towns called "castra," "castet," "forts," and "castelnaus". They were said to be fortified settlements with a stone castle inside. Castelnaus were usually made up of many houses in the center. Castelnaus were usually on defensive places at higher elevations.

 Layouts 
Many types of these 'towns' can be found: round villages like Fourcès in Gers, long street villages or on a high point like Biran in Gers, and villages with concentric circular arcs terraces dominated by the castle.Mairie de Mont-de-Marsan, service communication, Pascal Larrazet , sur le site montdemarsan.fr

References

Category:Buildings and structures in the Middle Ages