Hague (Melbach)
The Hague (also Haak ) is an artificially raised hill with a height of up to 12 meters. It is considered to be the landmark of Melbach and was formerly 15 meters high.
It is located in the northeastern Wetterau and consists of clayey loess . Since a ramp has been found, it is known that the hill was raised by ancestors. It has a diameter of 80 to 100 meters.
Over time, the Hague has gone through changes. A sign of this is a dent. This was created through largely unsuccessful excavations by the local mayor in 1828. On the eastern edge there are still remains of a chapel wall. After it was mentioned in 1825 as Ottilienberg , it may have been consecrated to St. Odilia , but at that time it was already in ruins. In 1843 the Hague was described by the Friedberg homeland researcher Johann Philipp Dieffenbach . The Hague has been used in various forms over time. The grass-covered hill was planted in the 18th century.
Based on southern German parallels, Werner Jorns suspected in 1960 that it could be a Celtic princely grave mound. This assumption has been taken up especially since the discovery of the nearby princely grave on Glauberg . In 2003, before construction work began, a small probe took place at the foot of the hill, which only resulted in a relatively sterile earthfill with a few prehistoric fragments.
Today a working group takes care of the maintenance and care of the hill.
literature
- Jörg Lindenthal: Cultural Discoveries. Archaeological monuments in Hessen. Jenior, Kassel 2004, ISBN 3-934377-73-4 , pp. 203f.
- Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann and Otto-Herman Frey : The Celtic princes from Glauberg. An early Celtic princely grave mound on the slope of the Glauberg near Glauburg-Glauberg, Wetteraukreis. Wiesbaden 1996, ISBN 3-89822-129-6 ( Archaeological Monuments in Hesse 128/129 ), pp. 50–52.
Web links
- Video on the history of the Hague on the homepage of the municipality of Wölfersheim
- Description at DenkXweb.denkmalpflege-hessen.de
Coordinates: 50 ° 22 ′ 36.8 " N , 8 ° 48 ′ 33.5" E