Dehmer Castle
| Dehmer Castle | |
|---|---|
 Wallrest, on the right the slope |
|
| Creation time : | La Tène period |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle |
| Conservation status: | Wall remains |
| Place: | Bad Oeynhausen - Dehme |
| Geographical location | 52 ° 14 '50.4 " N , 8 ° 51' 44.1" E |
The Dehmer Castle is a hill fort in the Wiehengebirge above the Dehme district of the city of Bad Oeynhausen in East Westphalia . It may have originated as early as the pre-Roman Iron Age (from 500 BC) and, according to archaeological research, was used until the early Middle Ages in the 7th century. The sparse finds and the construction suggest an original function as a refuge for the population.
description
The hill fort was a triangular ring wall on a hilltop at about 100 m above sea level on the southern slope of the Wiehen Mountains . It has dimensions of around 400 × 200 m and thus has an area of around 8 hectares. Two sides of the hilltop are protected by deep and steep brook gorges, one side faces the deeply sloping mountainside. The entrance with the entrance gate was on the southwest side facing the mountain. It could be reached through a deep ravine .
The complex was examined by archaeological excavations in 1904 and 1986. There were only sparse finds, which suggests that it was only occasionally used as a refuge . The pottery shards found came from around 500 BC. Remnants of the foundations of wooden palisades were also found. It is therefore assumed that the walls were covered with palisades. Likewise, access to the springs in the brook gorges is assumed to be fortified with palisades .
Due to these finds and the type of fortification technique, the fortifications were previously dated to the pre-Roman Iron Age. Radiocarbon dating from 1987/1988 also suggest that construction could start later in the Roman Empire . Charcoal remains have been dated to the 3rd to 7th centuries. The hill fort seems to have been used until the Carolingian era.
Today's remains of the fortifications consist of the earth walls, which are still about 1 m high. Today the complex is a ground monument .
literature
- Torsten Capelle: Wall castles in Westphalia-Lippe. Published by the Antiquities Commission for Westphalia, Münster 2010, ISSN 0939-4745 , p. 22 No. FBW9 ( Early Castles in Westphalia special volume 1 ).
- Klaus Günther: The Dehmer Castle, town of Bad Oeynhausen and Porta Westfalica, Minden-Lübbecke district. (= Early Castles in Westphalia, Vol. 9). Published by the Antiquities Commission for Westphalia, Münster 1986.
