Section fortification Hohe Warte

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Section wall Hohe Warte
View of the staggered walls of the complex with the observation tower in the background (March 2013)

View of the staggered walls of the complex with the observation tower in the background (March 2013)

Creation time : Carolingian-Ottonian
Castle type : Section wall
Conservation status: Main wall and two ramparts
Construction: probably wooden box construction
Place: Bad Berneck
Geographical location 50 ° 2 '53.7 "  N , 11 ° 39' 59.8"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 2 '53.7 "  N , 11 ° 39' 59.8"  E
Section fortification Hohe Warte (Bavaria)
Section fortification Hohe Warte

The section fortification Hohe Warte is an early medieval hill fort on the Hohe Warte in the town of Bad Berneck in the Upper Franconian Fichtel Mountains .

History and dating

The castle was first mentioned as a castle stable in the city book of 1528. In 1790 it was still known as an abandoned castle. The dating caused some difficulties, but in modern literature the early medieval or Carolingian - Ottonian time is considered very likely due to the tradition and the historical surroundings of the castle.

Historical environment

The historical environment with the old streets and the villages that were built in the early Middle Ages.

The fortification lies on the Franconian Line , a geological fracture zone and natural settlement boundary. This limit was not exceeded until the 10th and 11th centuries. This extension of the settlement area can be proven by the place names and the Würzburg old tenth . Political boundaries also became clearer in the 11th century. This is where the border ran between the possessions of the diocese of Bamberg and the diocese of Regensburg as well as the ecclesiastical property around Marktschorgast and the secular property around Berneck. The Reichsstraße via imperii ran along the fortification section with a ford over the White Main and a pass over the Fichtelgebirge. This street already had a certain importance in Carolingian times. The reasons for the conditioning of the castle as a border fortification and road safety seem obvious, especially for the earlier datings than before - or prehistoric mounting a detectable historical settlement area is missing. It is possible that two other small fortifications can be seen in the vicinity of the Hohe Warte, Auf der Zottaschen and the Bernecker Berg ( Turmburg Alt-Berneck ) in connection with the castle on the Hohe Warte and could be interpreted as early waiting towers on the course of the via imperii.

description

The main wall of the fortification separates the plateau of the mountains from the mountain spur, which is bordered by the valleys of the White Main, the Ölschnitz and the Rimlasbach. The separated area covers an area of ​​around 2.5 hectares. The ramparts are more terraced, there are no indications of ditches. This is possibly due to the ground, which lies flat on the hard diabase rock. Hardly any fastening elements can be found on the steep slopes into the valleys. On the attack side, however, the main wall is still several meters high. There are still two promontories with a height of about one meter to be seen. On the western side of the main wall there are two further terraces between the inner wall and the main wall. It is unclear whether these originate from the construction period. The gate of the castle was probably at the eastern end, as the main wall does not reach the steep drop there. On the western side of the main wall there are no connections to a continuation of the fortifications on the slope side. The massive fortification on the attack side and the nonexistent on the slope side may indicate that the castle was built in the Hungarian period.

literature

  • Hellmut Kunstmann : Castles in Upper Franconia, Part II. The castles of the noble families in the Obermaing area . Publishing house EC Baumann, Kulmbach 1955.
  • Gustav Schmidt: Former castles around Bad Berneck . In: Local supplement to the Upper Franconian school gazette . Government of Upper Franconia, Bayreuth 2002.
  • Markus Thoma, Claus Rabsahl, Ingo Sördert: Bad Berneck and Gefrees - A search for traces from the origins to the High Middle Ages . Historical Forum Gefrees (Ed.), Gefrees 2013.
  • Joachim Zeune : Brief report on the castle landscape of Bad Berneck / Gefrees 2013, in the local files of the State Office for Monument Preservation, Bamberg, Seehof Castle.

Web links