Koberstadt
The Koberstadt is a Hallstatt-era burial mound group not far from the Hessian Langen in the Offenbach district . It is located in the "Koberstädter Wald" east of the city, named after it and also referred to as "Die Koberstadt" on older maps.
The name Koberstadt is derived from Kupferstätte , because metal finds were made here very early on.
The Hegbachaue nature reserve near Messel is located in the southern part of the Koberstädter Forest .
Burial mound group
The Koberstadt dates from the 8th and 7th centuries BC, from the Hallstatt period (Hallstatt level C) and comprises 29 burial mounds. Ten of these hills with a diameter of up to 21 meters and a height of up to 1.95 meters have been archaeologically examined since 1891. In some cases they contained very elaborate interior structures made of stone or hilltops with stone steles. Due to the grave equipment, the entire regional culture from the Hallstatt period is also referred to as the Koberstädter culture . Due to the protected location in the forest, the burial mounds are still well preserved. There was therefore no impairment from construction or agricultural work. The archaeological finds are exhibited in the Hessian State Museum in Darmstadt .
In the Offenbach district there are another 40 groups of burial mounds with over 400 mounds. There are also other smaller groups of burial mounds near Koberstadt.
settlement
In 1900 an earth fortification was uncovered on the western slope of a sand dune. This fortification was kidney-shaped and has a longitudinal diameter of 330 meters. In the center there was a settlement that was protected by a wall with parapet and double moat. In addition, the settlement was protected by a series of pointed piles and braided branches. There were five entrances that could be locked.
The outermost trench is 810 meters long and the enclosed area is 3.5 hectares. Around 1,000 men are said to have been necessary to secure this facility. Based on two skeleton finds, the settlement could be dated to around 800 BC.
Six round residential areas of the actual settlement could be identified.
The excavations in Koberstadt by the Hessian court advisor Friedrich Kofler from 1900 onwards caused a sensation and received a lot of attention from experts. The existence of the fortifications was questioned by some archaeologists after excavations in 1980. The remains of the settlements and finds from the burial mounds still testify to a large number of people who lived here in the Hallstatt period.
According to a traditional legend, a pagan king is said to have resided on the Koberstadt, who wandered through his city in the form of a deer. His city is said to have perished along with its inhabitants.
In the area of the Langen district numerous other finds were made, including from the Hallstatt and La Tène periods .
Further development
Nothing is known about the end of the Koberstadt. What is certain is that the Elbe-Germanic Suebi immigrated to the region from the middle of the first century . Some of the Celts , who probably emerged from the population of the Hallstatt period, continued to settle next to the Suebi and continued to inhabit their old settlements in some places in the region.
In the first century, the area (the so-called Dekumatland ) also came increasingly under Roman control and was organized no later than 125 AD as the Civitas Auderiensium in the province of Upper Germany . The nearby Langen probably came into being around 500–600 AD with settlement by Franconian immigrants.
Forest houses "Koberstadt" and "Koberstädter Falltor", castle planning
Nearby, at the north-western end of the forest, there is a building that has served as a forester's house since at least 1631 and was called the Forsthaus Koberstadt . The building is said to have been built on the foundations of an unfinished castle, which was planned by Count Wolfgang von Ysenburg-Ronneburg around 1565 . It should have a separate window for each day of the year. The count finally had his castle built near Kelsterbach and the construction work was canceled. The well room and the cellar of the forester's house are said to be remnants of the unfinished castle. Whether the foundation walls of the building actually go back to a planned Renaissance castle is debatable. The former forester's house has been privately owned since 1974.
With the “Koberstädter Falltor”, another forester's house referred to the Koberstadt by name. The building was erected in 1833 and expanded in 1868. In 1960/61 an extension and renovation took place, in 20017 the buildings were demolished. Until the connection to the water supply in 1960, the water had to be taken from a well with a pump. Today there is a resting place for hikers.
Marathon run
The Koberstädter Wald-Marathon has been taking place in the Koberstädter Wald since 1978 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ cf. Karl Nahrgang pp. 103-107
- ↑ The “Koberstädter Kultur” ( memento of the original from November 26, 2012 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. House of City History (Offenbach am Main)
- ↑ cf. Karl Nahrgang p. 107/108
- ↑ cf. Alfred Kurt p. 13
- ↑ cf. Karl Nahrgang pp. 97–122
- ↑ Article on the castle / forester's house Koberstadt in the online catalog of the Hessian Renaissance castles of the Germanic National Museum . Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- ↑ Information board of the Transport and Improvement Association 1877 Langen and the Langen Forestry Office at the location of the former forester's house Koberstädter Falltorhaus
- ↑ Where the forester once served bottles . Offenbach-Post , April 22, 2010. Accessed November 27, 2011.
- ↑ "Petrol station" with cult status . Offenbach-Post, June 5, 2010. Accessed November 27, 2011.
literature
- Karl Nahrgang : The archaeological finds of prehistory and early history in the city and district of Offenbach am Main , Verlag Waldemar Kramer, Frankfurt am Main 1967
- Alfred Kurt: City and district of Offenbach in history. Edited by Offenbach-Post, Bintz-Verlag, 1998, ISBN 3-87079-009-1
- Sunken castle on the outskirts of Langen . Press release from the City Council of Langen on February 12, 2009. Available online here , PDF file, 103 kB. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
- Jean Heyl: The Koberstadt - history and stories . Online on the website of the Geschichts- ud Heimatverein eV Dreieichenhain , accessed on August 31, 2020
Coordinates: 49 ° 58 ′ 50 " N , 8 ° 42 ′ 35.1" E