Schloss

''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house.

Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate word ''slot''/''slott'' is normally used for what in English could be either a palace or a castle (instead of words in rarer use such as ''palats''/''palæ'', ''kastell'', or ''borg''). In Dutch, the word ''slot'' is considered to be more archaic. Nowadays, one commonly uses ''paleis'' or ''kasteel''. But in English, the term does not appear; for instance, in the United Kingdom, this type of structure would be known as a stately home or country house.

Most ''Schlösser'' were built after the Middle Ages as residences for the nobility, not as true fortresses, although originally, they often were fortified. The usual German term for a true castle is ''Burg'', while that for a fortress is ''Festung'' (sometimes also ''Veste'' or ''Feste''), and typically either ''Palast'' or ''Burg'' for a palace. However, the term ''Schloss'' is still used for many castles, especially those that were adapted as residences after they lost their defensive significance. Many adaptations took into account new tastes arising during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Like a castle, a ''Schloss'' may be surrounded by a moat; it is then called a ''Wasserschloss'' (water castle). Other related structure types include the ''Stadtschloss'' (a city palace), the ''Jagdschloss'' (a hunting lodge), and the ''Lustschloss'' (a pleasure palace or summer residence). Provided by Wikipedia