Burgrecht

As a castle law ( ius Burgense, ius civile), one called in the Middle Ages, especially in southern Germany and in the Swiss cantons, a contractual relationship between a city and its surrounding villages.

The villages had to pay a small annual percentage rate to the city and performed services for the maintenance of the city walls, ditches and roads. For the city in times of danger granted the villagers with belongings in their walls protecting and facilitating the adoption of peace through traffic charges sales of their products.

In many cities, the castle law also meant as much as Wurtzins, ie interest rate, the citizens paid the city's governors for use of the site.