Battlements and windows planner
Merlons and windows evenly spaced around your tower. Choose the size and the pattern, and see exactly which block becomes a merlon and where the windows go. Even when the edge does not divide evenly.
How many blocks of wall sit above the floor before the window starts.
The top rows of the wall, from the floor of the top room.
Top view
merlon gap window belowUnrolled wall
merlon wall windowThe ring from left to right, clockwise from north. The compass directions are below the wall, the window numbers inside the windows. Click a block once you have placed it.
Positions
Merlons
Angle measured from north, clockwise. x is east (+) and west (−), z is south (+) and north (−), measured from the centre of the tower. The table shows the middle of each merlon.
| No. | Angle | Ring | x | z | Width |
|---|
Windows
| No. | Angle | Ring | x | z | Direction |
|---|
Build tips
- Build the wall up to the top row first, then count around the ring from the block at north. Put a temporary block in another colour on every merlon position, so you see straight away whether it works out.
- If the ring does not divide evenly, a few gaps are one block wider or narrower. They are spread around the whole ring, so you barely notice the difference.
- A square tower has a merlon on every corner. That looks solid and keeps the sides symmetrical.
- Put windows between two merlons, or exactly below one. With a number of windows that divides the number of merlons, it often works out nicely.
- A row of slabs or stairs under the merlons gives an overhang, like on real castles.
3D and layer-by-layer build plan
To Minecraft
Download the top of the tower (wall, windows and merlons) as a schematic file and paste it into your world with WorldEdit, or rebuild it with a hologram in Litematica.
Shopping list
Add the amounts of this design to your list. There you see everything together, converted to stacks and shulker boxes.
How it is calculated
History and fun facts
What are battlements?
Battlements are the teeth on top of a wall or tower. The high parts are called merlons, and the open parts between them are called crenels or embrasures.
A defender could hide behind a merlon and shoot or throw stones through the gap. Then he stepped back into cover.
Very old
Battlements are thousands of years old. You can see them in pictures of Assyrian and Egyptian fortresses and on the walls of ancient cities.
The Romans placed battlements on their town walls and army camps. In the Middle Ages they became the mark of every castle.
Square or swallowtail
In Italy you see two shapes. Straight, square merlons are linked in stories to the Guelphs, the party of the pope. Swallowtail merlons with a V-shaped notch are linked to the Ghibellines, the party of the emperor.
Italian builders also brought the swallowtail to Moscow. The walls of the Kremlin, from the late 15th century, have this shape.
Windows and arrow slits
Lower in a tower there were narrow arrow slits. They were wide on the inside, so an archer could aim, and narrow on the outside, so he was hard to hit.
Later, when castles became more like homes, larger windows were added. They were often spread evenly around the tower, just like the battlements.
From defence to decoration
In medieval England you sometimes needed permission from the king to build your house with battlements: a 'licence to crenellate'.
Later, battlements became mainly decoration. You see them on church towers, town gates, country houses and even on 19th-century prisons and barracks.
Did you know?
- The word 'crenellation' comes from the Old French 'crenel', which means 'notch'.
- The walls of the Moscow Kremlin have about a thousand swallowtail merlons.
- The Scaliger Bridge in Verona, from the 14th century, has swallowtail merlons.
- In chess, the rook has battlements on top.
- In Minecraft, wall blocks and stairs are handy for making smaller battlements.
About this tool
With this battlements planner you spread battlements and windows evenly around a round or square tower in Minecraft. You see exactly which block becomes a merlon, where the gaps are and where the windows go. This also works when the ring does not divide evenly.
You choose a round or square tower, the diameter and a thin or thick edge. Then you set how wide a merlon and a gap are, and whether a merlon is 1 or 2 blocks high. For the windows you choose the number, where the first window starts (north or the corner), the width, the height and how much wall is below it.
The top view shows the ring from above. The unrolled wall lays the ring flat, from north going clockwise, with the compass directions and the window numbers. The table lists the angle, the place on the ring and the x and z position of every merlon and window. The counter tells you how many blocks you need.
In the 3D view and the layer-by-layer build plan you see the top of the tower. With the block palette you choose your blocks, and you can download the wall, windows and battlements as a .schem file.
Build the tower itself with the tower planner or the circle generator, and a whole castle with the castle planner.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make nice battlements on a round tower?
First build the wall up to the top row. Then count around the ring from the block on the north side and put a temporary block in another colour on each merlon position. Then you see right away if it works out.
What if my ring does not divide evenly?
Then the tool makes a few gaps one block wider or narrower. These differences are spread around the whole ring, so you hardly notice them. At the top you see how many blocks are left over.
How wide should battlements be?
On small towers, a merlon of 1 block and a gap of 1 block works. On larger towers, merlons of 2 or 3 blocks with a 1-block gap look sturdier. A merlon 2 blocks high gives more cover and looks heavier.
How many windows fit in my tower?
Choose a number that divides the number of merlons. Then the windows line up neatly under a merlon or a gap. Four windows on north, east, south and west is always a good start.
How do I make an overhang under the battlements?
Place a row of slabs or upside-down stairs just under the battlements, one block outwards. This gives an edge like on real castles.
Can I build this in Bedrock?
The unrolled wall and the table of positions work in every edition, including Bedrock. The .schem file is for Minecraft Java Edition, with WorldEdit or Litematica.