"Fixed Fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man"

So said George S. Patton, third of that name, and famous American General of the 2nd world war.

Though I am an avid historian and amateur archeologist, as I looked at the castles of Ehrenberg, Schlosskopf, and Claudia, even ruined it was apparent that they were monstrous structures, the medieval equivalent of constructing the Maginot Line.

Though they all had their hey days, they were over by the time the 19th century rolled around, and now they are merely tourist attractions, in my opinion an ignoble end for such a grand series of stonework. Pouring over the old maps it is apparent that they were all much, much larger, and had many palisades and trenchworks surrounding them, that are now lost to time.

But still, though I am interested in them, they still seem such a magnificent waste of men, time, and materiel. How many hospitals or houses could have been built with all that stone, or how much more food could have been harvested in the fall with the young men working with scythes instead of hammers and axes? How many noble and simple men were slaughtered in the many raids, counter-raids, sorties and assaults upon these fortifications? Billions of florins are reported to have been sunk into these stone forts, and one was not even completed when an edict in the 19th century proclaimed that all such fortifications should be abandoned; another, earlier built castle was upgraded repeatedly over a period of 600 years, sucking up money and time like a black hole. (For those that are interested, a florin is a type of medieval coin, I think about 75% silver or gold. Worth a fair amount in todays market.)

It irritates me to know that for so long we have been so careless with our time and wealth, even though it is my wanted profession that uncovers these things.