Editing Romanesque architecture (section)

==Romanesque castles, houses and other buildings==
{{Main|Romanesque secular and domestic architecture}}
The Romanesque period was a time of great development in the design and construction of defensive architecture. After churches and the monastic buildings with which they are often associated, castles are the most numerous type of building of the period. While most are in ruins through the action of war and politics, others, like William the Conqueror's White Tower within the [[Tower of London]] have remained almost intact.

In some regions, particularly Germany, large [[palace]]s were built for rulers and bishops. Local lords built [[great hall]]s in the countryside, while rich merchants built grand [[town house]]s. In Italy, city councils constructed [[town hall]]s (called [[Broletto]] or [[Arengario]]), while wealthy cities of Northern Europe protected their trading interests with [[warehouse]]s and commercial premises. All over Europe, dwellers of the town and country built houses to live in, some of which, sturdily constructed in stone, have remained to this day with sufficient of their form and details intact to give a picture of the style of domestic architecture that was in fashion at the time.

Examples of all these types of buildings can be found scattered across Europe, sometimes as isolated survivals like the two merchants' houses on opposite sides of Steep Hill in [[Lincoln, England]], and sometimes giving form to a whole medieval city like [[San Gimignano]] in Tuscany, Italy. These buildings are the subject of a separate article.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="170" widths="220" caption="Secular and domestic architecture">
File:London Tower (1).JPG|alt=A huge square tower of grey stone is seen beyond fortifications on the edge of a river.|[[Tower of London]] (1078); [[William the Conqueror]] built the central White Tower as his stronghold and residence.
File:Great Hall, Oakham Castle - geograph.org.uk - 92787.jpg|alt=A tidy building like a large barn, of red brick with long sloping roofs, dormer windows and a low arched doorway.|The Great Hall of [[Oakham Castle]], England, once part of the fortified manor of a Norman [[baron]]
File:Krak des chevaliers15(js).jpg|alt=An enormous castle with encircling walls, on a rise in barren country with distant mountains.|[[Crusades|Crusader]] castle, [[Krak des Chevaliers]], [[Syria]], was mainly constructed in this period, with the outer walls being later.
File:PvBroletto.jpg|alt=A massive brick courtyard with porch and loggia, also used for public assemblies.|The courtyard of the [[Broletto, Pavia|Broletto]] in [[Pavia]].
</gallery>