You can not get into the apartment, can happen to each of us. Therefore, in such a case, you need to know how to open the lock without a key and what is needed for this.

If the key is missing

So, there are no keys anywhere, neither in your pocket, nor in your bag. What to do? After all, the lock on the door was specifically designed to prevent it from opening with bare hands.

Of course, the most reliable and easiest way to solve the problem is to call a service that specializes in opening doors. There are these in every city. In order for you to be helped to get into the apartment, you must present to the specialists any evidence of your residence in the dwelling. For example, a passport, which indicates the place of your registration, etc.

However, if for some reason you cannot use the services of professionals, it remains only to try to open the door lock without a key, using improvised means. For example, use a master key. Such a tool can be easily purchased at a specialized store, and anyone can use it, even those who have never tried to open locks. But not everyone carries a master key with them. But hairpins or paper clips are another matter.

We make a "master key"

In order to build a master key, you will need two regular paper clips.

Bend the long end of the paper clip and straighten it. You should end up with a straight wire. Some advise bending the tip of the wire to make it easier to press the pins. But this is optional.

Tensioner

Now you need to make a tensioner, the task of which is to turn the lock. With it, you will press on the cylinder, and with another paper clip - at the same time - put the pins in place. There are two ways to make a tensioner from a paper clip.

The first, simpler one: straighten the long end of the paper clip at a right angle. Thus, you will get the basis for a working tensioner, but not a very good master key.

The second, a little more difficult: completely unbend the ends of the paper clip so that the wire is bent in the middle and the ends converge. In this case, one of them should be slightly shorter than the other. Then the longer part must be bent again at a right angle, about a centimeter from the tip.

How to open a lock without a key with a pick

Insert the tensioner into the keyhole and press in a circle. You need to pull in the direction in which the lock turns. If you don't remember it, then the odds are 50:50. Try moving the paperclip to the right side first. As a rule, in most locks the key turns clockwise. But there are exceptions.

Those who have sensitive enough hands will be able to feel the right direction for themselves. If you do everything right, then when turning the paper clip will meet less resistance than if the wrong direction is chosen. Remember that it is very important that a slight tension is present during operation.

After deciding on the direction, fix the pressure, and try to find the pins with another paper clip. Most locks have five pins that, when properly set, open the mechanism.

Starting at the back of the keyhole, press the pins in order. You must record each of them. At the same time, slowly wind the tensioner. If the pin is in the correct position, a slight click will be heard. Or you will catch a slight movement. Gently wiggle the pick until you feel that all the pins are in place. After that, turn the tensioner in the right direction, and ... the lock will open.

Cylinder locks

How to open a lock without a key if you have a set of ordinary tools at hand? It all depends on the type and structure of the mechanism. So, if you have a conventional mortise lock in front of you, equipped with a cruciform cylinder, you need to use a drill. Start by drilling a small hole above the keyhole. Then, using a pick, lift the stopper and move the hook of the deadbolt.

Another lock with a simple mechanism is a cylinder with pins. If you have a drill at hand, then the matter becomes quite easy. Make a small hole in the cylinder itself, insert a master key into it and, turning, open the lock.

The padlock

Now let's talk about how to open a padlock. Without a key, there are two ways to deal with such a mechanism. The first is to try to line up all the pins with the help of a master key, as already described above, which is not easy enough for those who have never done this. The second way is to remove the lock. Let's consider a simpler option.

So, how to remove the lock without a key? To do this, you need a regular crowbar.

Direct all your strength to the weak point of the lock - where the shackle is attached to the body. Press down.

If there is not enough strength, you can use a special file for metal, a hacksaw or long wire cutters. Sawing a two-centimeter shackle takes about ten minutes, so you won't spend much time.

rack locks

Such locks are most often used in gates, fences, garages. Opening methods are universal, primitive and come down to shifting the rails in turn. There are several ways.

1. Use a fishing line or guitar string. Insert a screwdriver into the gap between the jamb and the door. Press the door hard. From a fishing line or string you need to make a loop. Slide it through the keyhole and circle around the pins (which are used to allow the lock to open from the inside). Then gently pull the loop towards you. The rails should move away and the door should open.
2. How to open a lock without a key with a pencil or a carrot? Easily! Lubricate the lock mechanism with any oil. Release the bolt. To do this, slightly press the door in the opposite direction to opening. Then drive a pencil or carrot into the keyhole and turn - the lock is open. The secret is that, thanks to the soft material of the "key", the rack teeth will leave on the pencil (carrot) the grooves necessary to open the lock.
3. Use a drill and a screwdriver. When using this method, you will not even damage the door leaf. First you need to determine where the closed bolt is located. To do this, slip a regular sheet of paper between the box and closed door. When you find the crossbar, take a drill. Drill a small slot in the door frame. Then use a screwdriver to move the bolt. All.

A few more ways to open the lock without a key

So, if you have a lock equipped with a tongue in front of you, proceed as follows. With a screwdriver or any other tool that can be inserted between the box and the canvas, press the tab. Then turn the handle and open the door. By the way, doors locked in this way can be opened even with a simple plastic card.

How to open a lever lock if it is built into a wooden door? To do this, press on the door and, as far as possible, pull it away from the box. Then, using a paper clip, screwdriver or any other tool, move the levers away.

If you have a latch-type lock, use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws that secure the handle. Delete her. Remove the metal panel that covers the mechanism, and with the help of improvised means, try to feel for the latch. When you feel that you have succeeded, press on it and, without releasing, turn the door handle.

If the key is stuck

The first step is to remove the broken key from the lock. In such a situation, you can use a jigsaw file. Insert it into the keyhole so that the prongs look up. Then slowly move the file to hook the key. When this succeeds, carefully remove the file along with the “prey”.

There are situations when the key is broken, but part of it sticks out of the keyhole. Use pliers. Get them a key. Just don't try to pull it out. This can only complicate matters. Just turn it in the direction you normally would when you open a door. And only after the door is open, pull out the key.

In general, the best way to solve a problem is to anticipate it. Today, there are special keyless door locks that do not have keyholes at all. Install yourself such mechanisms and forget about the extra headache.

And one last thing. If you still try to open the door without a key, then be conscientious. After all, opening other people's locks is prohibited by law. And there is punishment for that.

You write about the baron in the castle - if you please, at least roughly imagine how the castle was heated, how it was ventilated, how it was lit ...
From an interview with G. L. Oldie

At the word "castle" in our imagination, an image of a majestic fortress arises - business card fantasy genre. There is hardly any other architectural structure that would attract so much attention from historians, experts in military affairs, tourists, writers and fans of “fabulous” fantasy.

We play computer, board and role-playing games where we have to explore, build or capture impregnable castles. But do we know what these fortifications really are? What kind interesting stories connected with them? What are they hiding behind stone walls- witnesses of entire eras, grandiose battles, chivalrous nobility and vile betrayal?

Surprisingly, it is a fact - the fortified dwellings of feudal lords in different parts light (Japan, Asia, Europe) were built on very similar principles and had many common design features. But in this article we will talk first of all, about medieval European feudal fortresses, since it was they that served as the basis for the creation of a mass artistic image"medieval castle" in general.

The birth of a fortress

The Middle Ages in Europe was a turbulent time. The feudal lords, for any reason, arranged small wars among themselves - or rather, not even wars, but, in modern terms, armed “showdowns”. If a neighbor had money, they had to be taken away. Lots of land and peasants? It's just indecent, because God ordered to share. And if knightly honor is hurt, then here it was simply impossible to do without a small victorious war.

Under such circumstances, the large aristocratic landowners had no choice but to fortify their homes with the expectation that one day neighbors might come to visit them, whom you don’t feed with bread - let someone slaughter.

Initially, these fortifications were made of wood and did not resemble the castles known to us in any way - except that a moat was dug in front of the entrance and a wooden palisade was erected around the house.

The lordly courts of Hasterknaup and Elmendorv are the ancestors of castles.

However, progress did not stand still - with the development of military affairs, the feudal lords had to modernize their fortifications so that they could withstand a massive assault using stone cannonballs and rams.

The European castle has its roots in the era of antiquity. The earliest structures of this kind copied the Roman military camps (tents surrounded by a palisade). It is generally accepted that the tradition of building gigantic (by the standards of that time) stone structures began with the Normans, and classical castles appeared in the 12th century.

The besieged castle of Mortan (withstood the siege for 6 months).

Very simple requirements were imposed on the castle - it must be inaccessible to the enemy, provide observation of the area (including the nearest villages belonging to the owner of the castle), have its own water source (in case of a siege) and perform representative functions - that is, show the power, wealth of the feudal lord.

Beaumarie Castle, owned by Edward I.

Welcome

We are on our way to the castle, which stands on a ledge of a mountain slope, on the edge of a fertile valley. The road goes through a small settlement - one of those that usually grew up near the fortress wall. Common people live here - mostly artisans, and warriors guarding the outer perimeter of protection (in particular, guarding our road). This is the so-called "castle people".

Scheme of castle structures. Note - two gate towers, the largest stands separately.

The road is laid in such a way that the aliens always face the castle with their right side, not covered by a shield. Directly in front of the fortress wall there is a bare plateau, lying under a significant slope (the castle itself stands on a hill - natural or bulk). The vegetation here is low, so that there is no shelter for the attackers.

The first barrier is a deep ditch, and in front of it is a rampart of excavated earth. The moat can be transverse (separates the castle wall from the plateau), or sickle-shaped, curved forward. If the landscape allows, the moat encircles the entire castle in a circle.

Sometimes dividing ditches were dug inside the castle, making it difficult for the enemy to move through its territory.

The shape of the bottom of the ditches could be V-shaped and U-shaped (the latter is the most common). If the soil under the castle is rocky, then ditches were either not made at all, or they were cut down to a shallow depth, which only hindered the advancement of infantry (it is almost impossible to dig under the castle wall in the rock - therefore, the depth of the moat was not decisive).

The crest of an earthen rampart lying directly in front of the moat (which makes it seem even deeper) often carried a palisade - a fence of wooden stakes dug into the ground, pointed and tightly fitted to each other.

A bridge over the moat leads to the outer wall of the castle. Depending on the size of the moat and bridge, the latter supports one or more supports (huge logs). The outer part of the bridge is fixed, but its last segment (right next to the wall) is movable.

Scheme of the entrance to the castle: 2 - gallery on the wall, 3 - drawbridge, 4 - lattice.

Counterweights on the gate lift.

Castle gate.

This drawbridge is designed so that in a vertical position it closes the gate. The bridge is powered by mechanisms hidden in the building above them. From the bridge to the lifting machines, ropes or chains go into the wall holes. To facilitate the work of people servicing the bridge mechanism, the ropes were sometimes equipped with heavy counterweights that took part of the weight of this structure onto themselves.

Of particular interest is the bridge, which worked on the principle of a swing (it is called “overturning” or “swinging”). One half of it was inside - lying on the ground under the gate, and the other stretched across the moat. When the inner part rose, closing the entrance to the castle, the outer part (to which the attackers sometimes managed to run) fell down into the moat, where the so-called “wolf pit” was arranged (sharp stakes dug into the ground), invisible from the side, until the bridge is down.

To enter the castle with the gates closed, there was a side gate next to them, to which a separate lifting ladder was usually laid.

Gates - the most vulnerable part of the castle, were usually made not directly in its wall, but were arranged in the so-called "gate towers". Most often, the gates were double-leaf, and the wings were knocked together from two layers of boards. To protect against arson, they were upholstered with iron on the outside. At the same time, in one of the wings there was a small narrow door, which could be entered only by bending over. In addition to locks and iron bolts, the gate was closed by a transverse beam lying in the wall channel and sliding into opposite wall. The transverse beam could also be wound into hook-shaped slots on the walls. Its main purpose was to protect the gate from their landing attackers.

Behind the gate was usually a drop-down portcullis. Most often it was wooden, with iron-bound lower ends. But there were also iron gratings made of steel tetrahedral rods. The lattice could descend from a gap in the vault of the gate portal, or be behind them (on the inside of the gate tower), descending along the grooves in the walls.

The grate hung on ropes or chains, which, in case of danger, could be cut off so that it quickly fell down, blocking the way for the invaders.

Inside the gate tower there were rooms for guards. They kept watch on the upper platform of the tower, asked the guests for the purpose of their visit, opened the gates, and, if necessary, could hit all those who passed under them with a bow. For this purpose, there were vertical loopholes in the vault of the gate portal, as well as “tar noses” - holes for pouring hot resin on the attackers.

Resin noses.

All on the wall!

The most important defensive element of the castle was the outer wall - high, thick, sometimes on an inclined plinth. Worked stones or bricks made up her outer surface. Inside, it consisted of rubble stone and slaked lime. The walls were placed on a deep foundation, under which it was very difficult to dig.

Often double walls were built in castles - a high outer and a small inner one. An empty space appeared between them, which received the German name “zwinger”. The attackers, overcoming the outer wall, could not take with them additional assault devices (bulky ladders, poles and other things that cannot be moved inside the fortress). Once in the zwinger in front of another wall, they became an easy target (there were small loopholes for archers in the walls of the zwinger).

Zwinger at Laneck Castle.

On top of the wall was a gallery for defense soldiers. From the outside of the castle, they were protected by a solid parapet, half the height of a man, on which stone battlements were regularly arranged. Behind them could be full height and, for example, to load a crossbow. The shape of the teeth was extremely diverse - rectangular, rounded, in the form of a dovetail, decoratively decorated. In some castles, the galleries were covered (wooden canopy) to protect the warriors from bad weather.

In addition to the battlements, behind which it was convenient to hide, the walls of the castle were equipped with loopholes. The attackers were firing through them. Due to the peculiarities of the use of throwing weapons (freedom of movement and a certain shooting position), the loopholes for archers were long and narrow, and for crossbowmen - short, with expansion on the sides.

A special type of loophole - ball. It was a freely rotating wooden ball fixed in the wall with a slot for firing.

Pedestrian gallery on the wall.

Balconies (the so-called “mashikuli”) were arranged in the walls very rarely - for example, in the case when the wall was too narrow for the free passage of several soldiers, and, as a rule, performed only decorative functions.

At the corners of the castle, small towers were built on the walls, most often flanking (that is, protruding outward), which allowed the defenders to fire along the walls in two directions. In the late Middle Ages, they began to adapt to storage. The inner sides of such towers (facing the courtyard of the castle) were usually left open so that the enemy who broke into the wall could not gain a foothold inside them.

Flanking corner tower.

The castle from the inside

The internal structure of the castles was diverse. In addition to the mentioned zwingers, behind the main gate there could be a small rectangular courtyard with loopholes in the walls - a kind of “trap” for the attackers. Sometimes castles consisted of several "sections" separated by internal walls. But an indispensable attribute The castle had a large courtyard (outbuildings, a well, rooms for servants) and a central tower, also known as a donjon.

Donjon at the Château de Vincennes.

The life of all the inhabitants of the castle directly depended on the presence and location of the well. Problems often arose with him - after all, as mentioned above, castles were built on hills. Solid rocky soil also did not make it easier to supply the fortress with water. There are known cases of laying castle wells to a depth of more than 100 meters (for example, the Kuffhäuser castle in Thuringia or the Königstein fortress in Saxony had wells more than 140 meters deep). Digging a well took from one to five years. In some cases, this consumed as much money as all the interior buildings of the castle were worth.

Due to the fact that water had to be obtained with difficulty from deep wells, personal hygiene and sanitation issues faded into the background. Instead of washing themselves, people preferred to take care of animals - first of all, expensive horses. There is nothing surprising in the fact that the townspeople and villagers wrinkled their noses in the presence of the inhabitants of the castles.

The location of the water source depended primarily on natural causes. But if there was a choice, then the well was dug not in the square, but in a fortified room in order to provide it with water in case of shelter during the siege. If, due to the peculiarities of occurrence ground water a well was dug behind the castle wall, then a stone tower was built over it (if possible, with wooden passages to the castle).

When there was no way to dig a well, a cistern was built in the castle to collect rainwater from the roofs. Such water needed to be purified - it was filtered through gravel.

The combat garrison of castles in peacetime was minimal. So in 1425, two co-owners of the Reichelsberg castle in the Lower Franconian Aub entered into an agreement that each of them exposes one armed servant, and two gatekeepers and two guards are paid jointly.

The castle also had a number of buildings that ensured the autonomous life of its inhabitants in conditions of complete isolation (blockade): a bakery, a steam bath, a kitchen, etc.

Kitchen at Marksburg Castle.

The tower was the tallest structure in the entire castle. It provided the opportunity to observe the surroundings and served as a last refuge. When the enemies broke through all the lines of defense, the population of the castle took refuge in the donjon and withstood a long siege.

The exceptional thickness of the walls of this tower made it practically impossible to destroy it (in any case, it would take great amount time). The entrance to the tower was very narrow. It was located in the courtyard at a significant (6-12 meters) height. wooden stairs, leading inside, could be easily destroyed and thereby block the path of the attackers.

Donjon entrance.

Inside the tower there was sometimes a very high shaft going from top to bottom. It served as either a prison or a warehouse. The entrance to it was possible only through a hole in the vault of the upper floor - “Angstloch” (in German - a frightening hole). Depending on the purpose of the mine, the winch lowered prisoners or provisions there.

If there were no prison facilities in the castle, then the captives were placed in large wooden boxes from thick boards, too small to stand up to their full height. These boxes could be installed in any room of the castle.

Of course, they were taken prisoner, first of all, for a ransom or for using a prisoner in a political game. Therefore, VIP-persons were provided according to the highest class - guarded chambers in the tower were allocated for their maintenance. This is how Friedrich the Handsome “wrapped his term” in the Trausnitz castle on Pfeimd and Richard Lion Heart in Trifels.

Chamber in Marksburg Castle.

Abenberg castle tower (12th century) in section.

At the base of the tower there was a cellar, which could also be used as a dungeon, and a kitchen with a pantry. The main hall (dining room, common room) occupied an entire floor and was heated by a huge fireplace (it spread heat only a few meters, so that iron baskets with coals were placed further along the hall). Above were the chambers of the feudal lord's family, heated by small stoves.

At the very top of the tower there was an open (rarely covered, but if necessary, the roof could be dropped) platform where a catapult or other throwing weapon could be installed to fire at the enemy. The standard (banner) of the owner of the castle was also hoisted there.

Sometimes the donjon did not serve as living quarters. It could well be used only for military and economic purposes (observation posts on the tower, dungeon, provisions storage). In such cases, the feudal lord's family lived in the "palace" - the living quarters of the castle, standing apart from the tower. The palaces were built of stone and had several floors in height.

It should be noted that the living conditions in the castles were far from the most pleasant. Only the largest carpets had a large knight's hall for celebrations. It was very cold in the donjons and carpets. Fireplace heating helped out, but the walls were still covered with thick tapestries and carpets - not for decoration, but to keep warm.

The windows let in very little sunlight(the fortification character of the castle architecture affected), not all of them were glazed. Toilets were arranged in the form of a bay window in the wall. They were unheated, so visiting the outhouse in winter left people with simply unique sensations.

Castle toilet.

Concluding our “tour” around the castle, one cannot fail to mention that it always had a room for worship (temple, chapel). Among the indispensable inhabitants of the castle was a chaplain or priest, who, in addition to his main duties, played the role of a clerk and teacher. In the most modest fortresses, the role of the temple was performed by a wall niche, where a small altar stood.

Large temples had two floors. The common people prayed below, and the gentlemen gathered in the warm (sometimes glazed) choir on the second tier. The decoration of such premises was rather modest - an altar, benches and wall paintings. Sometimes the temple played the role of a tomb for the family living in the castle. Less commonly, it was used as a shelter (along with a donjon).

Many tales are told about underground passages in castles. There were moves, of course. But only very few of them led from the castle somewhere into the neighboring forest and could be used as an escape route. As a rule, there were no long moves at all. Most often there were short tunnels between individual buildings, or from the donjon to the complex of caves under the castle (additional shelter, warehouse or treasury).

War on earth and underground

Contrary to popular belief, the average military garrison of an ordinary castle during active hostilities rarely exceeded 30 people. This was quite enough for defense, since the inhabitants of the fortress were in relative safety behind its walls and did not suffer such losses as the attackers.

To take the castle, it was necessary to isolate it - that is, to block all the ways of supplying food. That is why the attacking armies were much larger than the defending ones - about 150 people (this is true for the war of mediocre feudal lords).

The issue of provisions was the most painful. A person can live without water for several days, without food - for about a month (in this case, one should take into account his low combat capability during a hunger strike). Therefore, the owners of the castle, preparing for the siege, often went to extreme measures - they drove out of it all commoners who could not benefit the defense. As mentioned above, the garrison of the castles was small - it was impossible to feed the whole army under the siege.

The inhabitants of the castle infrequently launched counterattacks. This simply did not make sense - there were fewer of them than the attackers, and behind the walls they felt much calmer. Food outings are a special case. The latter were carried out, as a rule, at night, in small groups that walked along poorly guarded paths to the nearest villages.

Not less problems the attackers had. The siege of castles sometimes dragged on for years (for example, the German Turant defended itself from 1245 to 1248), so the question of supplying the rear of an army of several hundred people was particularly acute.

In the case of the siege of Turant, the chroniclers claim that during all this time the soldiers of the attacking army drank 300 fouders of wine (a fuder is a huge barrel). This is about 2.8 million liters. Either the scribe made a mistake, or the constant number of besiegers was over 1,000.

The most preferred season for taking the castle by starvation was summer - it rains less than in spring or autumn (in winter, the inhabitants of the castle could get water by melting the snow), the harvest has not yet ripened, and the old stocks have already run out.

The attackers tried to deprive the castle of a source of water (for example, they built dams on the river). In the most extreme cases, "biological weapons" were used - corpses were thrown into the water, which could provoke outbreaks of epidemics throughout the district. Those inhabitants of the castle who were taken prisoner were mutilated by the attackers and released. Those returned back, and became unwitting freeloaders. They might not have been accepted in the castle, but if they were the wives or children of the besieged, then the voice of the heart outweighed considerations of tactical expediency.

No less brutally treated the inhabitants of the surrounding villages, who tried to deliver supplies to the castle. In 1161, during the siege of Milan, Frederick Barbarossa ordered the hands of 25 citizens of Piacenza, who were trying to supply the enemy with provisions, to be cut off.

The besiegers set up a permanent camp near the castle. It also had some simple fortifications (palisades, earth ramparts) in case of a sudden sortie by the defenders of the fortress. For protracted sieges, a so-called “counter-castle” was erected next to the castle. Usually it was located higher than the besieged one, which made it possible to conduct effective observation of the besieged from its walls and, if the distance allowed, to fire at them from throwing guns.

View of the castle Eltz from the counter-castle Trutz-Eltz.

The war against castles had its own specifics. After all, any more or less high stone fortification was a serious obstacle for conventional armies. Direct infantry attacks on the fortress could well have been successful, which, however, came at the cost of heavy casualties.

That is why a whole range of military measures was necessary for the successful capture of the castle (it was already mentioned above about the siege and starvation). Among the most labor-intensive, but at the same time extremely successful ways overcoming the protection of the castle was undermining.

Undermining was done with two goals - to provide troops with direct access to the courtyard of the castle, or to destroy a section of its wall.

So, during the siege of Altwindstein Castle in Northern Alsace in 1332, a sapper brigade of 80 (!) People took advantage of the distracting maneuvers of their troops (periodic short attacks on the castle) and for 10 weeks made a long passage in solid rock to the southeastern part of the fortress .

If the castle wall was not too large and had an unreliable foundation, then a tunnel broke through under its foundation, the walls of which were reinforced with wooden struts. Next, the spacers were set on fire - just under the wall. The tunnel collapsed, the base of the foundation sagged, and the wall above this place crumbled into pieces.

Storming of the castle (miniature of the 14th century).

Later, with the advent of gunpowder weapons, bombs were planted in tunnels under the walls of castles. To neutralize the tunnel, the besieged sometimes dug counterdigs. Enemy sappers were poured with boiling water, launched into the tunnel of bees, poured feces there (and in ancient time Carthaginians launched live crocodiles into Roman mines).

Curious devices were used to detect tunnels. For example, large copper bowls with balls inside were placed throughout the castle. If the ball in any bowl began to tremble, this was a sure sign that a mine was being dug nearby.

But the main argument in the attack on the castle were siege machines - catapults and battering rams. The first ones were not much different from those catapults that were used by the Romans. These devices were equipped with a counterweight, giving the throwing arm the greatest force. With proper dexterity of the “gun crew”, catapults were quite accurate weapons. They threw large, smoothly hewn stones, and the combat range (on average, several hundred meters) was regulated by the weight of the shells.

A type of catapult is a trebuchet.

Sometimes barrels filled with combustible materials were loaded into catapults. To deliver a couple of pleasant minutes to the defenders of the castle, the catapults threw the severed heads of captives to them (especially powerful machines could even throw whole corpses over the wall).

Assault the castle with a mobile tower.

In addition to the usual ram, pendulum ones were also used. They were mounted on high mobile frames with a canopy and were a log suspended on a chain. The besiegers hid inside the tower and swung the chain, forcing the log to hit the wall.

In response, the besieged lowered a rope from the wall, at the end of which steel hooks were fixed. With this rope, they caught a ram and tried to lift it up, depriving it of mobility. Sometimes a gaping soldier could get caught on such hooks.

Having overcome the shaft, breaking the palisades and filling up the moat, the attackers either stormed the castle with the help of ladders, or used high wooden towers, the upper platform of which was on the same level with the wall (or even higher than it). These gigantic structures were doused with water to prevent arson by the defenders and rolled up to the castle along the flooring of the boards. A heavy platform was thrown over the wall. The assault group climbed up the internal stairs, went out onto the platform and with a fight invaded the gallery of the fortress wall. Usually this meant that in a couple of minutes the castle would be taken.

Silent glanders

Sapa (from the French sape, literally - a hoe, saper - to dig) - a method of extracting a moat, trench or tunnel to approach its fortifications, used in the 16-19 centuries. Flip-flop (quiet, secretive) and flying glanders are known. The work of the crossover glanders was carried out from the bottom of the original ditch without the workers coming to the surface, and the flying glanders were carried out from the surface of the earth under the cover of a pre-prepared protective mound of barrels and bags of earth. In the second half of the 17th century, specialists - sappers - appeared in the armies of a number of countries to perform such work.

The expression to act "on the sly" means: sneak, slowly, imperceptibly go, penetrate somewhere.

Fights on the stairs of the castle

It was possible to get from one floor of the tower to another only along a narrow and steep spiral staircase. The ascent along it was carried out only one after another - it was so narrow. At the same time, the warrior who went first could only rely on his own ability to fight, because the steepness of the turn of the turn was chosen in such a way that it was impossible to use a spear or a long sword from behind the leader. Therefore, the fights on the stairs were reduced to single combat between the defenders of the castle and one of the attackers. It was the defenders, because they could easily replace each other, since a special extended area was located behind their backs.

In all castles, the stairs are twisted clockwise. There is only one castle with a reverse twist - the fortress of the Wallenstein counts. When studying the history of this family, it turned out that most of the men in it were left-handed. Thanks to this, historians realized that such a design of stairs greatly facilitates the work of the defenders. Most swipe with a sword, you can strike towards your left shoulder, and a shield in your left hand covers the body best from this direction. All these advantages are available only to the defender. The attacker, on the other hand, can only strike to the right side, but his striking arm will be pressed against the wall. If he puts forward a shield, he will almost lose the ability to use weapons.

samurai castles

Himeji Castle.

We know the least about exotic castles - for example, Japanese ones.

Initially, the samurai and their overlords lived on their estates, where, apart from the watchtower “yagura” and a small moat around the dwelling, there were no other defensive structures. In case of a protracted war, fortifications were erected on hard-to-reach areas of the mountains, where it was possible to defend against superior enemy forces.

Stone castles began to be built at the end of the 16th century, taking into account European achievements in fortification. An indispensable attribute of a Japanese castle is wide and deep artificial ditches with steep slopes that surrounded it from all sides. Usually they were filled with water, but sometimes this function was performed by a natural water barrier - a river, a lake, a swamp.

Inside the castle was complex system protective structures, consisting of several rows of walls with courtyards and gates, underground corridors and labyrinths. All these structures were located around the central square of the honmaru, on which the feudal lord's palace and the high central tenshukaku tower were erected. The latter consisted of several rectangular tiers gradually decreasing upwards with protruding tiled roofs and gables.

Japanese castles, as a rule, were small - about 200 meters long and 500 wide. But among them there were also real giants. Thus, Odawara Castle occupied an area of ​​170 hectares, and the total length of its fortress walls reached 5 kilometers, which is twice the length of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin.

The charm of antiquity

Castles are being built to this day. Those of them that were in state ownership are often returned to the descendants of ancient families. Castles are a symbol of the influence of their owners. They are an example of an ideal compositional solution that combines unity (defense considerations did not allow picturesque distribution of buildings across the territory), multi-level buildings (main and secondary) and the ultimate functionality of all components. Elements of the castle's architecture have already become archetypes - for example, castle tower with teeth: her image sits in the subconscious of any more or less educated person.

Saumur French castle (14th century miniature).

And finally, we love castles because they are simply romantic. Knight Tournaments, solemn receptions, vile conspiracies, secret passages, ghosts, treasures - in relation to castles, all this ceases to be a legend and turns into history. Here, the expression “walls remember” fits perfectly: it seems that every stone of the castle breathes and hides a secret. I would like to believe that medieval castles and will continue to maintain an aura of mystery - because without it, sooner or later they will turn into an old pile of stones.

The door lock must meet the required reliability criteria. The internal structure of the door lock is one of the main factors to consider when choosing a locking mechanism.

Types of modern castles

Before proceeding to the study of the lock device, it is necessary to decide on the types of locking devices that can be purchased in stores at the present time.

All locks can be divided into several types:

• mechanical devices that can be opened with keys;

• electronic locks that open when the locking mechanism is exposed to a signal issued by a key fob, card or other device;

• electromechanical, combining the possibility of opening with a key and a special device that gives a certain signal;

• combination locks that open when a specific code is entered. Most commonly used for .

Each lock can be made from various materials, and have different degrees of protection. All locks can be divided according to one more feature, namely, according to the method of installation on the door. There are such types:

• mortise locks. The main body of the lock is located inside the door leaf. Such locks are used for entrance doors to rooms, on interior doors, and so on. Mortise locks are considered the most resistant to burglary, since getting close to working structure without removing the door is impossible;

• overhead locks. The lock body is installed on the door leaf. From the outside, the lock opens with a key, and from the inside with a latching mechanism;

• padlocks. Mainly used for doors utility rooms, . Two metal arches are locked, one of which is attached to the door leaf, and the other to the door jamb.

All types of locks can be combination, mechanical, electronic or electromechanical.

Types of modern locks and their device

Types of locks are determined based on the design of the locking mechanism, while distinguishing between:

• cylinder locks;
• lever locks;
• rack locks.

Cylinder locks

Cylinder locks got their name based on the type of working mechanism that has the shape of a cylinder. Scheme door lock cylinder type is shown in the figure below.

The cylinder mechanism consists of a number of elements:

• case made of high-strength steel;
• key holes;
• the core in which the pins are located;
• locking and code pins.

Cylinder locking mechanisms, depending on the location of the pins inside the cylinder, can be:

• single-row - the pins in the locking cylinder are located in one row;
• double-sided - locking pins are arranged in two rows. The key to such a lock has two-sided notches;
• devices with rotating pins. Unlike previous types, pins can not only go up and down, but also rotate around their axis;
• cruciform - the keyhole and the key to the lock resemble the shape of a cross. Inside the cylinder, the pins are arranged in three or four rows;
• wrench devices. The pins in the locking cylinder are located in several planes, which gives the device an increased degree of secrecy.

More information about the device and the choice of a cylinder lock can be viewed on the video.

Cylinder locks are considered quite reliable. The main advantage of this type of locking device is the ability to change the cylinder when it fails or the keys are lost. There is no need to change the entire lock.

Lever locks

The work of the lever lock is based on the placement of plates called levers in a certain order. The lever type door lock device includes:

• crossbar bolts, which are activated when the levers are set in a certain order;
• a plate to which levers are attached;
• key hole;
• the plates themselves.

How large quantity lever has a lock, the higher the degree of its reliability.

Currently, two types of lever locks are produced:

• with single keys. They are the least reliable, so they gradually cease to be produced;
• with double keys. The key, interacting with the locking plates, becomes active either on the right or on the left side, which significantly increases the secrecy of the device.

A reliable lever lock must have:

• at least 6 locking plates. Six levers can be arranged in about 100,000 different combinations, and eight have about 250,000 variations;
• additional pads that protect the working mechanism from drilling;
• reinforced crossbars, not amenable to sawing;
• false grooves that guide the burglar to an incorrect definition of the intended design;
• a replaceable lever block in case of loss of keys or an additional recoding option. Recoding can be done without the participation of specialists. To do this, the lock set must include a special key made in the form of the letter L and a spare set of keys.

rack locks

Rack locks do not have a high degree of secrecy. They are used for garage doors, gates, utility rooms.

The scheme of rack-type door locks includes:

1. springs actuating the locking bolt;
2. crossbar. The device is a rectangular metal bar on both sides, on which grooves are made;
3. hole into which the key is inserted;
4. external lock.

The bolt lock opens when the grooves on the key and the locking bolt match. If a match occurs, then when pressed, the bolt is, as it were, pulled out with a key. Otherwise, the locking mechanism cannot be moved from its place.

Depending on the type of lock, it may have one, two or three bolts. Predominantly, mechanisms with two locking bars are used.

by the most big disadvantages bolt locks are low resistance to burglary and the high cost of making duplicate keys.

Thus, when choosing a lock, one should be guided by the definition internal device locking mechanism that affects the degree of secrecy. For the greatest protection, experts recommend using several locks and be sure to different type. The optimal combination is the installation of a lever and cylinder lock, and one of them can be mortise, and the other can be laid on.

Locking locks appeared along with the construction of dwellings and the emergence of property stratification in society. As soon as private property arose, it became necessary to protect it. Of course, there are still small settlements of people where there is no talk of locking doors, but this is rather an exception. For long period the mechanisms blocking the door frame were modified, manufacturers tried to make the lock more reliable, increasing its blocking properties. But the function of the locking device did not change - locking doors and protecting property.

The structure of the lock mechanism

If you look at various photos door structures, you can see that the locks are installed not only on the front doors, but also the interior structures are sometimes also locked.

Any locking device consists of a locking mechanism, a special metal box for locking, a latch and a key to move the bolt.

Depending on the device of the locking device, its functionality is determined. According to the method of attachment to door structure blocking mechanisms can be:

• overhead, fixed on the inside of the door;
• mortise, installed inside the door plate.

The most common door lock device is a mortise lock, the organization of which is built from:

1. Corps;
2. Front plank detail;
3. drive lever;
4. Bolt with a special latch;
5. Hasp with main action.

Regardless of the attachment to the door, the design of modern locking devices includes two components: a secret and an actuator.

Using the secret system, the key to the lock is recognized, and the actuator performs the locking.

Types of secrets

1. Mechanical secrets are made in different options Here are the most important of them:
2. Cylindrical. This option is based on a special part - a cylinder. It is in its core that there are elements that prevent the lock from breaking - pins. A lock with such a secret is called English and is the most common.
3. Lever - consists of several cloves on the key, which determine the number of levers.
4. Code - opens a structure on a set of numbers while entering the key.
5. Electronic - based on a drive that is built inside.

Types of actuators

The following systems are used as an executive device:

1. Electromechanical - a deadbolt with an electric drive.
2. Electromagnetic - a magnet as a locking mechanism.
3. Mechanical - locking is carried out by a metal rod included in a special groove.

Organization of the level lock

The reliability of such a locking system depends on the number of plates, the more there are, the more effective the protective function will be.

The suval type system consists of the following elements:

1. Transverse bolt mechanism - crossbar;
2. Metal plate - lever;
3. Special keyhole.

The principle of operation of this system is to occupy certain positions with all plates, after which it becomes possible to turn the key.

The structure of the cylinder lock system

Such a lock design can be mortise and overhead, it is a secret mechanism in the core - the larva. Locks of this type can be one-sided and two-sided. The first type can be opened with a key from one side only, the second contains two cylinders. It cannot be opened from the inside without a key.

The work of locking the room with a cylindrical device is reduced to certain actions: the key is inserted into a groove with a limited protrusion, which is located in the cylinder. Part of the cylinder is always rotating. But only if the correct key is inserted. The rest of the structure remains motionless - this is the body. The actuating mechanism is the pins that the key raises. Depending on the position of the pins, our lock will be open or closed. The opening of the mechanism occurs only when all the encryption elements match.

Interior door locking system

In the interior version, locking is not particularly in demand, but if such a design is required, then a special beautiful lock built into the door leaf is selected, which consists of a rotary plate, a shutter, a spring, a holding lever, a latch, a case cover.

A person, leaving his apartment, used to close it with a special mechanism - a lock. If earlier lock systems were simple, then today, in the days of computer technology, stealth locks appear that can protect any apartment from burglary. cheap lock mechanisms they are easy to drill and knock out, and the locking system hidden in the canvas works only from the radio frequencies of a special key fob. The lock design can be complex or simple, but experience has shown that it is better to choose one good quality lock for the door panel than several cheap and simple ones.