▁settlement ▁or ▁territory ▁against ▁attacks ▁by ▁neighb ours ▁or ▁enemies ▁in ▁fe ud s ▁or ▁war , ▁and ▁also ▁to ▁mark ▁out ▁the ▁legal ▁limits ▁of ▁an ▁area . ▁The ▁land wehr s ▁were ▁a ▁means ▁of ▁limit ing ▁the ▁lik elihood , ▁success , ▁effect iveness , ▁and ▁consequences ▁of ▁medieval ▁war fare , ▁and ▁thus ▁prevent ing ▁them . ▁They ▁also ▁h inder ed ▁bands ▁of ▁ro bb ers ▁entering ▁the ▁area ▁and ▁ham per ed ▁their ▁retre at ▁after ▁a ▁ra id . ▁The ▁combination ▁of ▁f encing ▁and ▁th orn ▁bush es ▁was ▁also ▁useful ▁in ▁en clos ing ▁cattle ▁past ure ▁and ▁as ▁a ▁guid eline ▁in ▁w olf ▁hunting . ▁Wolf ▁p its ▁are ▁often ▁found ▁along ▁the ▁line ▁of ▁a ▁land wehr . ▁ ▁Land wehr s ▁were ▁also ▁used ▁to ▁on ▁a ▁large - scale ▁to ▁enc lose ▁woods ▁and ▁agricult ural ▁areas ▁for ▁the ▁protection ▁of ▁the ▁local ▁population , ▁where ▁they ▁were ▁settled ▁in ▁dispers ed ▁dwell ings ▁and ▁farm st ead s ▁within ▁the ▁protected ▁area . ▁The ▁land wehr ▁offered ▁protection ▁for ▁the ▁pe asant ry , ▁in ▁a ▁way ▁analog ous ▁to ▁the ▁population ▁of ▁fort ified ▁towns ▁who ▁were ▁guard ed ▁by ▁a ▁town ▁wall . ▁O ften ▁too , ▁the ▁fields ▁and ▁out lying ▁areas ▁surrounding ▁many ▁towns ▁had ▁a ▁ring - sh aped ▁en closure , ▁a ▁so - called ▁Stadt land wehr ▁(" town ▁Land wehr "), ▁Stad th agen ▁or ▁Stad the ge ▁(" town