Pfarrerschanze (Todtenweis)

The pre- to early medieval ramparts Pfarrerschanze (Römerschanze) are located about 1000 meters northwest of Todtenweis ( Aichach-Friedberg district , Swabia ) on the Lechrain . The unusually extensive ground monument is interpreted in its last expansion stage as a Hungarian fortress of the 10th century AD.

history

The southern rampart of the outer bailey to the north

The northern part of the outer bailey from the east

View from the east of the staggered wall system of the main plant

The crown of the main wall to the south

The sparse finds (chert knife , burin, shattered vessels) prove the prehistoric use of the castle square. Apparently the hill served as an unpaved settlement area as early as the Neolithic Age . Some vessel fragments, however, are assigned to the early Bronze Age (approx. 1500–1300 BC). It was then that the first section fortifications were built , which in the 10th century AD became one of the most impressive Hungarian fortifications in the Augsburg area.

Just one kilometer to the south lies another large castle complex above the Lech Valley, whose complex suggests that it was built in the early Middle Ages . Whether there is a temporal or functional connection between the two castle complexes above the passage to the Lech plane remains to be speculated.

The large ramparts have not yet been archaeologically examined on a large scale . The few artifacts found allow only a rough reconstruction of the expansion phases. In the last decades of the 20th century, some sections of the fortification were planted with young forest, which makes the inspection of the ground monument almost impossible in some places. In addition, some wind breaks endanger the substance of the almost neglected hill. In the winter of 2007/08, some of the fortification sections were cleared and are now easier to see.

The ground monument was topographically recorded in 1981 by the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation (E. Ixmeier).

description

The ramparts are about 50 meters above the valley on a spur that juts out to the northeast. The outer rampart curves to the south. Today only the northern part is clearly visible, the southern part is almost inaccessible due to the vegetation with young forest. The earth wall with its ditch is about two to three meters high.

About 65 meters to the west, another wall system seals off the plateau. In front of the actual, about six meters high main wall, there is a low rampart with intermediate and outer trenches. To the northwest, the main wall continues only about two to three meters high on the moderately steep slope. The approx. 50 meter long slope wall in the south, whose dimensions correspond to those of the main wall on the plateau, is very easy to see. The main wall itself was densely planted with conifers, but it is easier to study than the southern parts of the pre-fortification.

The steep slopes on the north and west side probably only supported palisades or plank fences. The terrain seems to have slipped heavily, especially in the south.

On the plateau, a few pits point to pit houses, the timing of which can only be speculated until a professional archaeological investigation of the site.

The outward appearance of the ramparts can be assigned to the early Middle Ages, so that dating from the Hungarian period seems most plausible. The "Pfarrerschanze" should therefore be addressed as a troop meeting place and only temporarily used protective castle for the population. However, the appearance (staggered wall system, mighty earth pouring of the main wall) can sometimes deceive with such ramparts. However, the numerous other similar fortifications in the vicinity suggest that the Hungarian period of the last expansion stage was established. The ski jump would thus be a link in a line of fortifications on the Lechrain that was created on the highest order (Castle Building Code of Heinrich I ). It is possible that the early medieval fortifications on this ridge go back to the 8th century. From the middle of this century, the Lech was considered to be the border between the Alemanni and Bavarian tribes .

The Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation lists the ground monument as a medieval section fortification with prehistoric settlement finds under the monument number D 7-7431-0012.

literature

• Gustav Euringer: On close paths . Lampart, Augsburg 1903.
• Helmut Rischert: The three castles of Todtenweis . In: Old Bavaria in Swabia. Yearbook for History and Culture 2003, ISSN  0178-2878 , pp. 41–54.
• Wise to death. From the royal court and monastery village to the modern community . Todtenweis community, Todtenweis 2008.
• Franz Weber: On the prehistory and early history of the Lechrain . In: Journal of the Historisches Verein für Schwaben 23, 1896, ZDB -ID 958221-6 , pp. 101–114.

Topographical survey

• Medieval fortifications and castle stables in the Aichach-Friedberg district . In: Altbayern in Schwaben - Aichach-Friedberg district 1984-1987 . Aichach 1987, ISSN  0178-2878 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation: Entry ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 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. 

Web links

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

Coordinates: 48 ° 31 '25.3 "  N , 10 ° 55' 4.1"  E