Schwalenburg

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Schwalenburg
Remains of the Schwalenburg: View from the north of the inner wall

Remains of the Schwalenburg: View from the north of the inner wall

Creation time : 8-10 century
Castle type : Höhenburg, Wallburg
Conservation status: Wall remains, gates of the inner and middle ring
Standing position : Karolinger or Liudolfinger
Place: Willingen - Schwalefeld
Geographical location 51 ° 18 '54.3 "  N , 8 ° 37' 31.4"  E Coordinates: 51 ° 18 '54.3 "  N , 8 ° 37' 31.4"  E
Height: 630.2  m above sea level NHN
Schwalenburg (Hesse)
Schwalenburg

The Schwalenburg is the ruin of a hilltop castle near the Willingen district of Schwalefeld in the northern Hessian district of Waldeck-Frankenberg in the Upland . It is located on the southern slope of the Hegeberg ( 654  m above sea  level ) at about 630.2  m above sea level.

description

The castle complex was on the left of the middle of the picture, partially wooded hill above the town of Schwalefeld on the southwest side (on the left below the faintly recognizable observation tower today)
Information board with redrawing

The prehistoric hill fort with three wall rings was probably built between the late 8th and 10th centuries. The fortification encloses an area of ​​six hectares and is one of the most impressive prehistoric fortifications in Central Europe. The system has a diameter of 300 m and a circular rampart around 1700 m long .

The oldest part of the facility is the middle Bering, which covers an area of ​​two hectares. It has an approximately oval shape and appears today as a mighty wall with a ditch in front . In the northeast of the middle Bering there is a mighty pincer gate with a gate entrance that is now about 3 m wide. Another gate is located in the south of the ramparts. The inner, almost circular wall ring has a diameter of 75 to 90 m. In the north it has a 2.4 m wide gate lane and a steep-walled pit, which could be a well or the cellar of a tower.

From the southwest side of the inner Bering the mighty outer wall pulls south, crosses the middle wall ring and leads in a wide curve down the slope to the southeast to the southern tip of the facility and from there in a wide curve to the north. The ditch that lies in front of it is partially leveled. After reconstruction, the 2 m wide, wood-stiffened walls were about 5 m high.

The "Borgh zu Schwalefeld" is first mentioned in a document in the regional register of 1537. At that time it was already forested.

State and sponsorship group

The rampart is cleared of vegetation. Excavations were carried out at the beginning of the 20th century. The ruined wall fronts and the gates of the inner, middle and outer ring are visible today. From an 8.5 m high wooden observation tower , inaugurated in 2009, you can get a general overview of the mighty fortifications from the Carolingian or Ottonian times .

In 2012 the Friends of the Schwalenburg Association was founded and affiliated with the Willingen (Upland) Association of Local History, Culture and History. Its members are committed to the preservation, care and use of the medieval ramparts. Activities are the documentation of the condition of the archaeological monument, its preservation and use, monument conservation measures and historical research in cooperation with universities and colleges.

The Ringwallweg Schwalenburg has been running on site since 2016 , on whose signs the history of the castle is described at various locations of the historical complex. The signage was created on the initiative of the sponsorship group in collaboration with scientists and describes the latest findings and research on the ring wall system.

  • Remains of the pincer gate from the outside, behind the lookout tower

  • Remnants of the middle wall

  • Exterior view of the north passage of the outer wall.jpg

literature

  • Rolf Gensen: The Schwalenburg near Schwalefeld in the Upland. Leaflet on the prehistoric fortifications near Willingen-Schwalefeld, Waldeck-Frankenberg district. (Archaeological Monuments in Hesse, No. 11.) State Office for Monument Preservation Hesse, Wiesbaden, 1993, ISBN 3-89822-011-7

Web links

Commons : Schwalenburg  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Schwalenburg , plan of the castle grounds, on wandern-korbach.de
  2. ↑ The Schwalenburg im Upland , accessed on January 6, 2010, at willingen-info.de
  3. ↑ Schwalenburg ( Memento of 19 August 2013 Web archive archive.today ) in Attractions from willingen.de
  4. ↑ Lookout tower in the Schwalenburg Wallburg complex on naturpark-diemelsee.de