Arkeburg

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Exterior view of the wall ring of the Arkeburg with palisade
Palisade on the outer wall ring (east side), viewed from inside the complex

Arkeburg is the name of a hill fort in the municipality of Goldenstedt in the Lower Saxony district of Vechta . The complex, which until recently could not be classified with certainty, is the largest double ring wall in north-west Germany with an area of ​​7 hectares . According to the most recent excavations, it is assumed that it was built in the second half of the 8th century during the lifetime of the well-known Saxon Duke Widukind .

A directly adjacent Goldenstedt farmers were named after the Wallburg . Since 1980, the Arkeburg in lies the conservation area "Freese wood, Stubbe Kamp, Wetschenholz, Holter Hagen, Buchholz, Breitenbruch, Mr. Wood, Arkeburg and Buchenhorst (LSG VEC 0003)".

Location and function

The Arkeburg is located southwest of the center of Goldenstedt. It was built on a slightly raised area, which is bordered by the Goldenstedter Moor in the east and a fen in the west. The terrain at the end of a geest tongue was exploited. There are no written records of the construction of the fortifications. It was used for centuries and rebuilt several times. Today it is located in a wooded area on the southern edge of the Wildeshauser Geest Nature Park . The ramparts are clearly recognizable in the forest area; other relics from the time the castle was used are now overgrown by vegetation.

In the Middle Ages, the castle was located in the district of Holtwedehusen (Holtwede), the village center of which was in today's Herrenholz . This district with the double ring wall extended exactly from north to south on the watershed between Ems and Weser . At this point, a tongue of the Cloppenburger Geest extends far south to the edge of the Goldenstedter Moor . The Arkeburg was in the center of a network of old streets and historical court squares . In particular, the Pickerweg and an east-west connection that has probably existed since the Bronze Age cross at the Arkeburg, which was called the Kriegerpad at the Arkeburg Reuterweg , west of the Gogericht on the Desum Herzog-Erich-Weg , further west . According to Otto Hagena, railway director in Groß-Lichterfelde at the beginning of the 20th century , and professional researchers, the Reuterweg ran east towards the Folkweg , which crosses the Hunte at Bühren . According to the Vechta historian Bernd Ulrich Hucker , who was significantly involved in the most recent excavations, the Reuterweg ran in the direction of the Golden Bridge southeast of Goldenstedt.

The size of the facility indicates its former importance. It is underlined by the traditional name, Hertekenborch . It has worn out over the centuries to Harkenborch , Arkenborch , Arkeborg . The name suggests that a larger army gathered their army mark (= herteken) here. The main function of the castle was likely to have been to protect the strategically important Hunte crossing at Goldenstedt, over which a large part of the east-west long-distance traffic in north-west Germany ran. Bernhard Uhl assigns the fortifications Sierhauser Schanzen , Quatmannsburg bei Elsten , Heidenwall Dehlthun and Hünenburg in Stöttinghausen as supporting forts to the Arkeburg .

Previous figure

Outer ring wall (front) and inner ring wall (back) of the Arkeburg before the partial reconstruction

The 7-hectare castle complex consists of two concentric ring walls. The outer ring wall with an elliptical floor plan has a diameter of about 350 × 260 m. The inner ring wall has a diameter of around 220 × 160 m. It has an irregular ground plan on 1.8 hectares. The outer ring wall is flanked in the west and south-east by two further walls, which are now largely leveled by plowing over. The two entrances to the castle complex are in the north and south of the outer wall and in the east and west of the inner wall.

Older assumptions about the history of the castle

In 1803, Friederich Matthias Driver claims that the Arkeburg was created in the late 14th century by Bishop "Heinrich I" of Münster (= Heidenreich Wolf von Lüdinghausen ) in a dispute with the Counts of Diepholz . "It is difficult to believe that the Arkeburg", Driver judges in a comment, "comes from the Romans, because the complex seems to be too new for this and there is no trace that the Romans came as far as this."

Around 1900, however, Roman coins from the 1st century BC were found 1,600 meters south-east of the Arkeburg , which testify that the residents of the area had contact with Romans even before it was founded. This can, however, be "imported goods" that Teutons brought with them from Roman areas.

In 1889 Carl Ludwig Niemann assumed that the Arkeburg had been the main castle of the Lerigau during the Saxon period .

Before the recent excavations, the Don Bosco School in Lutten claimed on its website that the place owes its name to the “fact” that “the Roman legions invaded this area in the first centuries AD and settled here. They built their fortifications against the invading Germanic tribes, which ultimately also largely ousted the Romans. Such an attack by Alemannic warriors happened near Arkeburg, and the local general is said to have desperately exclaimed 'lutum' [= 'dirt'] in view of the damp and impassable area around Lutten. "

As before, many questions about the marching routes and camps of the Romans and about the settlements of the Teutons in today's northwest Germany during the time of the existence of the Roman Empire are still unanswered, so that there is no reliable knowledge about the stay of Romans in the Vechta area.

Archaeological research

Up until the 19th century, the castle grounds were "exploited" in a variety of ways by their owners and the residents of the surrounding peasantry, thereby changing its shape. In the course of the 19th century, the Arkeburg became “private property of Essemüller cellar on Bredemeyer's place in Goldenstedt, to whom it was allocated when the prospective timber Hollwege was divided into the Goldenstedter Mark [...] on the condition that the old works in the same are preserved. "

Excavations at the Arkeburg were carried out in 1906 and 2014. In 2003 the Jade University carried out a survey of the site using a "main survey exercise".

1906

In 1906 Bernhard Uhl carried out excavations on the site of the Arkeburg on behalf of the castle researcher Carl Schuchhardt . In general, during his investigations at the beginning of the 20th century, Schuchhardt only had random excavation cuts through the wall. On the Arkeburg (as on other sites) he had three to four workers dig for five to six days at a time, about ten hours a day. In total, this corresponded to around 190 to 213 man-hours. On the site of the Arkeburg , postings were observed at the west and east exits, which were regarded as a former gate system. In 1906 it was proven that both ring walls were enclosed by upstream ditches.

Uhl suspected that the Arkeburg of Saxony, either "as a fortress occasionally for the conquest of northwest Germany, or as a protective castle against the advance of the Franks ", was created. In view of the low cost of the excavations, it is not surprising that Uhl and Schuchhardt were wrong about the age of the Arkeburg .

2014

The aim of the excavations in summer 2014 was to identify the builders of the Arkeburg and their reasons. Plague and charcoal residues were examined during the excavations . The plagues come from the inner ring wall; Charcoal was recovered from a cut through the outer ring wall. It turned out that the oldest finds date from between 70 and 130 AD. The complex was probably built by a Germanic tribe against the advance of Roman troops. Since no nails or the like from the 1st or 2nd century were found on the castle grounds, Bernd Ulrich Hucker, supervisor of the excavations in 2014, assumes, contrary to other opinions, that the Arkeburg was not a Roman military camp.

2016

Soil samples and further investigations revealed that the Arkeburg was built around 760 AD and up to 10,000 people could be accommodated in it.

presentation

In 2016, the step-by-step implementation of the plan was started to make the castle grounds a tourist experience. Since the first half of 2017, a 1.3 km long hiking trail has been running through the area, on which various themed information boards are set up. Some transitions through the wall rings were highlighted by cobblestones. An approx. 15 meter long wall area has been partially reconstructed so that the dimensions of the wall and ditch are visible again.

In 2019, a wooden sculpture by Uwe Oswald depicting the Saxon Duke Widukind was set up in front of the palisade fence on the outer ring of the Arkeburg . In 2020, a gate made of Romanian acacia wood was set up on Arkeburger Strasse . At the same time, the reconstruction of a Sachsenhaus next to the Widukind statue began.

  • Sign at the entrance to the Arkeburg

  • Widukind sculpture by Uwe Oswald in front of the outer ring of the Arkeburg

  • Wooden skeleton of the "Sachsenhaus" in April 2020

  • “Sachsenhaus” with finished thatched roof (May 2020); in the background on the left the entrance gate

financing

The Anna-und-Heinz-von-Döllen-Stiftung is responsible for the expansion of the facility. Heinz von Döllen grew up in Goldenstedt and is a trained carpenter. In Schwerte near Dortmund, he built a company with 130 employees. According to statements made in October 2018, von Döllen invested millions in the projects in Arkeburg , Bredemeyers Hof and the extension of the Aschen local history museum .

Through the mediation of the district of Vechta, the European Union granted a grant of € 55,360 for the Arkeburg | project as part of the LEADER program in 2016 Historic ramparts .

The von Döllen Foundation is entitled to its activities through a lease agreement signed on December 23, 2015 with the owners of the castle property. Until the opening of the educational trail in 2017, she invested around € 300,000 in the Arkeburg project.

literature

  • The Arkeburg (legend). In: Oldenburg legends. Arrangement by Hermann Lübbing. Oldenburg: Holzberg, 1968. pp. 234–297 ( online )
  • Bernd Ulrich Hucker (Hrsg.): A castle in the moor - The Arkeburg. Kiel, Solivagus-Verlag 2015. ( Online )
  • History comes to life at Arkeburg . Oldenburg People's Newspaper . June 23, 2017 ( online )
  • Ann-Katrin Meyer, Frank Andraschko: Of ramparts and ways. Excavations on the Arkeburg near Goldenstedt, district of Vechta In: Frank Nikulka , Daniela Hofmann, Robert Schumann (ed.): People - Things - Places. Current research by the Institute for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archeology at the University of Hamburg. Hamburg, 2018, pp. 77–82. ( Online )

Web links

Commons : Arkeburg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Zweckverband Naturpark Wildeshauser Geest: Burgwall Arkeburg on steinzeitreise.de
  2. ^ Federal Agency for Nature Conservation : Map service river floodplains in Germany
  3. ^ Jade University: Topographical survey of the area in Arkeburg. Main survey exercise 2003
  4. ↑ Lars Chowanietz: Part of the riddle hidden in the forest floor . In: Kreiszeitung . March 14, 2014
  5. ^ Peter Linkert: New excavations at the Arkeburg. Archaeological team wants to continue work in June - first findings . Northwest Newspaper . May 31, 2014
  6. ^ Samtgemeinde Grafschaft Hoya - Municipality Schweringen: Village renewal planning for the localities Schweringen, Holtrup and Eiße . May 2009, p. 16
  7. ↑ O. Hagena: The Herzog-Erichsweg (with a map) . In: Yearbook for the history of the Duchy of Oldenburg . Vol. 11. 1902, p. 94 ( online )
  8. ↑ Theodor Mommsen: The locality of the Varus battle . Meeting reports of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences . Berlin. January 15, 1885. p. 28
  9. ↑ Peter Kratzmann: Historical hiking on the "Volkweg" . Northwest Newspaper . May 30, 2011
  10. ↑ Bernhard Uhl: Arkeburg and Sierhäuser Schanzen, two old fortifications of the Münsterland ( Memento of the original from December 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Yearbook for the history of the Duchy of Oldenburg, vol. 16. 1908. P. 348 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lb-oldenburg.de
  11. ^ Friederich Matthias Driver: Description and history of the former county, now the office of Vechte in the Niederstift Münster . Publishing house Peter Waldeck. Münster 1803, p. 61f. ( online . pdf. 61.4 MB)
  12. ↑ Karl Willoh: Finds of Roman coins near the Arkeburg ( Memento of the original from December 13, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Yearbook for the history of the Duchy of Oldenburg . 1902, pp. 1-6 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lb-oldenburg.de
  13. ^ Friends of Prehistory and Early History at the Lower Saxony State Museum Hanover (FUF): Iron Age. The Teutons in Lower Saxony. Roman import
  14. ^ Carl Ludwig Niemann: The Oldenburg Münsterland in its historical development . Schulzesche Hof bookstore and Hof book printing. Oldenburg 1889. Vol. 1 ( Until 1520 AD ). P. 14
  15. ↑ Don Bosco School Lutten: Municipality of Lutten. The historical development ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.don-bosco-schule-lutten.de
  16. ↑ Circle of Friends for Archeology in Lower Saxony (FAN): Römer in Nordwestdeutschland 2010. Report ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fan-niedersachsen.de
  17. ↑ Wilfried Haase: Once again: Römer in Nordwestdeutschland ( Memento of the original from December 20, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: FAN-Post (Ed .: Circle of Friends for Archeology in Lower Saxony). 2013. p. 4 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fan-niedersachsen.de
  18. ↑ The architectural and art monuments of the Duchy of Oldenburg . Oldenburg: Gerhard Stalling 1896, section The Office Vechta . P. 115 ff. ( Digitized version )
  19. ^ Jade University: Arkeburg, community Goldenstedt. Main survey exercise 2003 ( Memento of the original from December 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.jade-hs.de
  20. ↑ Bernhard Uhl: Arkeburg and Sierhäuser Schanzen, two old fortifications of the Münsterland ( Memento of the original from December 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . In: Yearbook for the history of the Duchy of Oldenburg, Vol. 16. 1908. P. 327–351. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lb-oldenburg.de
  21. ↑ Nils Müller-Scheeßel / Knut Rassmann / Siegmar von Schnurbein / Susanne Sievers: The excavations and field research of the Roman-Germanic Commission . In: Roman-Germanic Commission of the German Archaeological Institute: Report of the Roman-Germanic Commission . Vol. 82 2001, p. 318f.
  22. ↑ Arkeburg secret remains to be seen for the time being . Northwest Newspaper . June 25, 2014
  23. ^ Community of Goldenstedt: Over 200 visitors to the "Open Excavation Day". Archaeologists want to reveal the secret of the Arkeburg . July 2014
  24. ^ Lars Chowanietz: Mystery solved. Arkeburg is 1900 years old , In: Oldenburgische Volkszeitung . November 28, 2014
  25. ↑ Peter Linkert: Arkeburg will be opened after the holidays . nwzonline.de . June 24, 2017
  26. ↑ The Arkeburg gets a nature trail . Oldenburg People's Newspaper . November 5, 2016 ( online )
  27. ↑ A gate would do the Arkeburg well - and here it is . Oldenburg People's Newspaper . April 23, 2020, p. 14
  28. ↑ Anna and Heinz von Döllen realize historical projects . Kreiszeitung.de. 1st October 2018
  29. ↑ Arkeburg | Historic ramparts . leader-vechta.de.
  30. ↑ Long- term preservation of old cultural assets . Kreiszeitung.de. 5th January 2020
  31. ^ Community Goldenstedt: nature trail near the Arkeburg officially released . 2017

Coordinates: 52 ° 45 ′ 33.5 ″  N , 8 ° 23 ′ 9.4 ″  E