Burgus Hollenburg

Burgus Hollenburg
Alternative name	Unknown
limes	Limes Noricus
section	Route 1
Dating (occupancy)	5th century AD (?)
Type	Watchtower, small fort (?)
unit	limitanei (burgarii)  ?
size	Unknown
Construction	Stone construction
State of preservation	Destroyed during road construction in 1981
place	Hollenburg
Geographical location	48 ° 22 '48 "  N , 15 ° 40' 49"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 22 '48 "  N , 15 ° 40' 49"  E
Previous	Fort Favianis (west)
Subsequently	Traismauer Fort (east)

Ruins of Bertholdstein Castle

The Burgus von Hollenburg was part of the Roman Danube Limes in Austria , federal state Lower Austria , district Krems-Stadt , city Krems an der Donau / district Hollenburg.

The watchtower was on the south bank of the Danube , by what was once the northern outskirts of Bertholdstein Castle . On a frustoconical ledge there were remains of Roman walls on which the foundations of the castle were mothballed. There are no visible remains today as the site was destroyed during road construction in the early 1980s. The grave fields in the south-west and south-east of the Burgus are mostly from late antiquity and mark the course of the ancient Limes road via Kleedorf in a south-west direction and further west through Hollenburg.

Research history

Roman fortifications have been suspected at this point since the 18th century. This was confirmed during the construction of the S 33 expressway when, in 1981, ancient masonry was actually uncovered below the castle walls. The extensive wall sections, carefully mortared right down to the foundations, were viewed by the archaeologist Hannsjörg Ubl ( Austrian Federal Monuments Office [BDA]) as the remains of a small Roman fort with a double ditch system in front (pointed and trapezoidal ditch). In 2001 the remains of another Roman building came to light under the parish church in Hollenburg. However , it is uncertain whether this finding can also be regarded as a burgus .

Further traces of the presence of the Romans were also found in the vicinity of the castle. In 1938 a stone box grave in a field in the Kleedorf corridor was examined which contained two skeletons buried close together, a glass fragment and a balsamar (i.e. a small glass vessel for essential oils or resins that were used, among other things, at funeral ceremonies; such balsamars are often used as grave goods found). As early as 1932 and 1934, two similar graves were also found on neighboring parcels. Heinrich Zabehlicky dated the graves in the second half of the 4th century to the 5th century.

In 1970 two stone slab graves were recovered from road works in Kleedorf ( Herma Stiglitz ). In grave 2, in addition to the skeleton, bone remains from two older burials were found. A bronze arm ring can be traced back to the 3rd to 4th centuries. Century (BDA, Gustav Melzer).

During leveling work in 1975, a stone box burial and two previously disturbed body graves were recovered on plot 697. The location was documented by the BDA (Alois Gattringer).

In 1981, Ubl examined a spur to the north-east of the Bertholdstein ruins, sloping about 20 m on three sides, which was already partially removed during the construction of the Altenwörth Danube power plant . The rock was blasted in the southern area and a truncated cone lying directly on the high plateau was removed with an excavator. There were only two days left for the excavations due to the rapid construction progress of the S 33. The Vorwerk (tower hill) or an older predecessor of the Bertholdstein ruins once stood here, which was additionally protected from the hinterland by a semicircular ditch. At its base masonry came to light from medieval to modern embankments, which the excavator classified as Roman times. In the eastern part of the excavation profile, a double trench system was also found. Several pit objects with ceramic remains that could be dated back to the 5th century were also cut. Today the site is covered with a thick cement coat against landslides. Immediately next to the ruins of the castle, Ubl again found remains of masonry when excavating, which in his opinion could also come from Roman times. An ancient stone-lined well shaft was cut further to the west.

In 2001 the ASINOE association examined the presbytery at the parish church of Hollenburg . In the Floriani chapel, the remains of a Roman building were cut in a medieval excavation pit. A brick stamp found there dates the masonry to the late 4th century.

In 2005, several stone box burials were discovered again in an embankment in the local area of ​​Hollenburg during road widening work. The ASINOE (F. Pieler) association carried out their recovery and documentation on behalf of the Federal Monuments Office. The examination of the neighboring property did not produce any further results.

Monument protection

The facilities are ground monuments within the meaning of the Monument Protection Act. Investigations and targeted collection of finds without the approval of the Federal Monuments Office constitute a criminal offense. Accidental finds of archaeological objects (ceramics, metal, bones, etc.), as well as all measures affecting the soil, must be reported to the Federal Monuments Office (Department for Ground Monuments).

See also

• List of forts in Noricum and Upper Pannonia

literature

• Manfred Kandler, Hermann Vetters (ed.): The Roman Limes in Austria. A leader . Vienna 1989, pp. 140-141.
• Rene Ployer: Hollenburg - Burgus. In: Verena Gassner, Andreas Pülz (Hrsg.): The Roman Limes in Austria. Guide to the archaeological monuments. Publishing house of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 2015, ISBN 978-3-7001-7787-6 , pp. 218–219.
• Heinrich Zabehlicky: The late antiquity and migration period body graves from the Noric part of Lower Austria . Vienna 1976 (dissertation).
• Find reports from Austria . Volume 20, 1981, pp. 159-160.
• René Ployer: The Norwegian Limes in Austria. Find reports from Austria, Materialhefte series B 3, Österr. Federal Monuments Office, Vienna 2013.

Web links

• Burgus Hollenburg - The Roman Limes in Austria
• Location of the Burgus on Vici.org

Remarks

1. ↑ Hannsjörg Ubl. In: Find reports from Austria . Volume 20, 1981, p. 159.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Find reports from Austria . Volume 40, 2001, p. 17.
3. ^ Find reports from Austria . Volume 3, 1938-1939, p. 65, and Heinrich Zabehlicky: 1976, 45 A1, A2, A3.
4. ^ Find reports from Austria . Volume 9, 1966-70, p. 280
5. ^ Find reports from Austria . Volume 14, 1975, p. 156.
6. ^ Find reports from Austria . Volume 44, 2005, p. 24.
7. ↑ Monument Protection Act ( Memento of the original dated November 15, 2010 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. on the side of the Federal Monuments Office.