Hill fort

As Wallburg (. Schanze or nickname Wall; engl technical term: Hill Fort ) are called in German-speaking ramparts of prehistoric and early historic times, including the early Middle Ages, including earthworks and Viereckschanzen and castles and ringwalls. Depending on the region and time period distinguishes different types, such as Celtic oppida, migrations Temporal hilltop settlements, Slavic castle walls or ramparts Hungary. The Wall castles are now found mostly as a floor monument.

• 6.1 Germany (without Slavic ramparts )
• 6.2 British Isles
• 6.3 Western and Northern North Sea coast

Naming

Many of these plants are popularly referred to as Huns castles, Hünenburg etc.. Since the 19th century, the systems were most often called Schanze (of hide ), and often several recent war events attributed ( Huns jump, Römerschanze, Sweden Schanze, etc.).

Plants of the pre - and early history

Early systems

Characteristic of the Wall is preserved as an essential part of the former containment. The ramparts consisted of the Wall as such or incorporated therein a wall made of stones or logs. Pure stone walls are rare in Central Europe, but already occupied since the urnfield time. The up to several meters high wall prevented from entering the ramparts. In general, existing ditches are now filled by erosion.

In its simplest version, the Wallburg consists only of a natural increase, the crown may have been leveled and possibly completed with an earthen wall or a wall. An example is the Torsburg on Gotland. Within the ramparts sometimes lay an open space that was large enough to accommodate a village together with the animals ( ½ to 4 hectares ), although traces of buildings are very rare. In general, the location of the main gate or gates, the respective topographical conditions or the compass has been adjusted.

The size of many ramparts suggests that they served as refuges. Relatively well-preserved so-called jumps are found in Upper Lusatia, such as the ski jump near Ostroer Panschwitz -Kuckau, but also in most other Altsiedellandschaften Europe. Individual ramparts encircle villages and many acres. Almost always, the material used for the wall was immediately removed, so that a trench in front of (or behind ) came to the Wall, which is often evidenced by archaeological excavations. A sensor mounted on Wall crowns picket fence shows in younger plants the smooth transition to the castle. Remains of the wall systems of this type can be found for example in what is now Russia and Ukraine.

The Iron Age hill fort

The function of the castle ramparts is something difficult to determine. The so-called Viereckschanzen the late Iron Age (La Tene culture) in southern Germany, eastern France and Switzerland, probably served as a temple or were simple settlements. Indication of this is the low wall heights and depths as well as the grave defense technically unfavorable topographical situation of some plants.

For larger Iron Age investments, however, may have acted to permanent settlements, the central functions such as the administration took over and in which trade and commerce concentrated. A special development represent the late Iron Age oppida, leave their fortifications might recognize Mediterranean influence. An outstanding, impressively preserved example of a large Latène attachment is the largely treeless Ipf at Bopfingen ( Ries ). A little later plant is the famous English Maiden Castle.

In Germanic cultural area of the attachment type was common. Hill forts were of very different sizes. Throughout history functions are used both as refuges, as well as the ruler seats and temples in question.

In a broader sense, the term Wallburg is used to denote Rhaetian hill forts, which at times had no mound or a short Erdwallabschnitt.

The moat around the summit plateau of Ipf. East side to the south with the rampart the overcast

Moitzfeld, North Rhine -Westphalia, Iron Age, reconstruction drawing

Grotenburg " Big giant ring ". Wall with a reconstructed wooden palisade

Reconstruction of Wallburg on the Tönsberg

Migration Period

During the Late Antiquity or the migration period incurred both on Roman imperial soil as well as on Germanic territory a number of migrations temporal hilltop settlements. This term is quite different settlements to increased lying places are called. Also in the Germanic area were provided with at least some fortifications. Unlike the Romans, the Germans still used at this time but no mortar. Among the most famous mountain settlements in Germany include the round near Bad Urach and yellow guarantees at Dittenheim. Even in areas far away from the Roman Empire, such as in southern Sweden many plants this time are known.

Wall Castles in the Early Middle Ages

In the Westphalian room this is about a plant with wood and earth wall on the Gaulskopf at Warburg, whose rich finds in the middle of the 7th century. Other facilities in this area that were probably used in the 7th century, the Babilonie at Luebbecke that Eresburg in Obermarsberg and Oldenburg on the Fürstenberg at Ense. Also in the Alemannic region some Völkerwanderunsgzeitliche hill settlements, as the Round Mountain in the 7th century were reactivated. Around the middle of the 7th century originated in Germany and the first post-Roman mortared castles. One of the first systems was the Amoeneburg in present-day Hesse.

Often in the early Middle Ages were also mixed types of solid castle and castle wall. Often the local rulers could build a wooden (castle type moth ) or stone tower house on a raised mound of earth and surrounded the main hill again with an existing outer bailey of earthworks and palisades. A special form is the Slavic castle ramparts as a typical medieval form of settlement of East Central Europe dar.

In the 9th and 10th century threatened the Hungarians south and southwest Germany. As a protective castles, numerous older fortifications were reinforced or raised new, partly formidable hill forts. The largest of these Hungary walls have an inner surface of several acres, so were hundreds and thousands of people to serve as a refuge. Sometimes there are the castles protection from double or triple grave Wall systems, 10 to 15 meters high ramparts with corresponding trenches submitted and sophisticated horsemen approaching obstacles in advance. In 955, the Hungarians were defeated at Lechfeld near Augsburg, the danger was eliminated. Several of the large systems have been widely utilized as a heritage Gaugrafenburgen, others abandoned partially unfinished. Some of the most impressive castles of this type can be found in the vicinity of the battlefield. Were particularly interested in the castle at Wagesenberg ( Pottmes ), the stockpile castle recommended for Schwabmunchen and Tufts Mountain near Fischach. Countless smaller ramparts have unique characteristics of their function as hungary temporal protection castles. Often this last expansion was the end of a thousand-year- long development. Meaning of all these facilities was to force the attacker to unfamiliar Fußkampf.

Wall castles in the classic sense were - although rare - built or expanded even in the late Middle Ages. The den Burg Stein an der Traun in Bavaria about is connected by a several hundreds meter long walk -way to the upper castle, whose rampart was strengthened in the 14th century. The ancient hill forts were used but even to modern times as a cattle mountains and hiding in times of need (Sweden jumps ). Many high and late medieval castles are built into older, much larger area ramparts. The old ramparts have been here often used as an additional approach obstacles.

Monuments

The number of preserved ramparts in Europe is in the thousands. Sometimes the examples are only a few hundred meters apart. Often these testimonies of the history even of the local population are unknown. The official Bodendenkmalpflege operates to this day a policy of " hiding " these monuments, hoping to protect them thereby. The opposite is the case, the trenches of the ramparts are often abused by the forestry as dumping grounds for waste wood, logging roads are pushed into the castle grounds and removed material for road construction. Numerous castles were Wall and even planted with dense young forest, particularly in state forest areas. From motocross riders they are misused as a training ground.

Significant castle ramparts

Germany (without Slavic ramparts )

Iron Age:

• Iron Age fixing Moitzfeld in North Rhine-Westphalia
• Iron Age hill fort on the Weil Scheid at Elspe
• The late Iron Age fortification on the Houbirg, a mountain near Happurg in Middle Franconia
• Hill forts from the Iron Age and the Middle Ages on the Wilzenberg to Schmallenberg in North Rhine -Westphalia
• Celtic ring wall on the Altkönig im Taunus

Early Middle Ages:

British Isles

Fort Hill is the engl. Name for Surrounded by ramparts facilities are located on hills. There are approximately adapted to round or irregular, the geomorphology of the landscape combined Wall and grave sites. Half- round, drop-offs or to or on promontories placed ( then also Promontory Fort and Coastal Hill forts called ) systems are used and most frequently in the British Isles before in Ireland.

Western and Northern North Sea coast

• Germany Schleswig -Holstein: Tinnumburg, Lembecksburg, Stellerburg, Bökelnburg, Kaaksburg, castle Esesfeld
• Lower Saxony: Bokelerburg at Rastede, Pippinsburg at Sievern, Hollburg at Midlum, Sweden ski jump at Stade

• Holland: Den Burg and Rijnsburg
• Zeeland: ring walls in Oost- Souburg, Pittsburgh, Domburg, Middelburg and Oostburg