Other terms used in German are "Burg" (castle), "Festung" (fort/fortress) and "Palais"/"Palast" (palace). In France, the terms "château" or "manoir" are often used synonymously to describe a French manor-house. "Maison-forte" is another French word to describe a strongly fortified house, which may include two sets of enclosing walls, drawbridges, and a ground-floor hall or "salle basse" that was used to receive peasants and commoners. The "salle basse" was also the location of the manor court, with the steward or seigneur's seating location often marked by the presence of a "crédence de justice" or wall-cupboard (shelves built into the stone walls to hold documents and books associated with administration of the demesne or "droit de justice"). The "salle haute" or upper-hall, reserved for the seigneur and where he received his high-ranking guests, was often accessible by an external spiral staircase. It was commonly "open" up to the roof trusses, as in similar English homes. This larger and more finely decorated hall was usually located above the ground-floor hall. The seigneur and his family's private "chambres" were often located off of the upper first-floor hall, and invariably had their own fireplace (with finely decorated chimney-piece) and frequently a latrine. In addition to having both lower and upper halls, many French manor houses also had partly fortified gateways, watchtowers, and enclosing walls that were fitted with arrow or gun loops for added protection. Some larger 16th-century manors, such as the Château de Kerjean in Finistère, Brittany, were even outfitted with ditches and fore-works that included gun platforms for cannons. These defensive arrangements allowed "maisons-fortes", and rural manors to be safe from a "coup de main" perpetrated by an armed band as there was so many during the troubled times of the Hundred Years War and the wars of the Holy League; but it was difficult for them to resist a siege undertaken by a regular army equipped with (siege) engines. There are many historical manor houses throughout the Netherlands. Some have been converted into museums, hotels, conference centres, etc. Some are located on estates and in parks.