folwark

thumb|The term in its original sense: Bremervörde Castle with the fortified Vorwerk (marked B). thumb|Vorwerk (administrator's lodge) of Frauenstein Castle, Carinthia, Austria. Folwark is a Polish word derived from the German Vorwerk. A Folwark or Vorwerk is an agricultural estate or a separate branch operation of such an estate, historically a serfdom-based farm and agricultural enterprise (a type of latifundium), often very large. The term has changed its meaning several times throughout history and can therefore be used in various ways.

Originally, the associated agricultural estates were usually located outside fortifications or castles and directly in front of them, and were therefore often referred to as Folwark or, in German-speaking regions, Vorwerk, meaning advanced work or outwork, a kind of outlying defensive outpost. In place names and field names, the word can still be present in this meaning.