Ringwall Hünerberg

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Ringwall Hünerberg
Remains of the earth wall facing southeast

Remains of the earth wall facing southeast

Creation time : Early middle ages
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: Ground monument
Standing position : unknown
Place: Kronberg - Oberhöchstadt
Geographical location 50 ° 12 '3 "  N , 8 ° 31' 2"  E Coordinates: 50 ° 12 '3 "  N , 8 ° 31' 2"  E
Height: 375  m above sea level NHN
Ringwall Hünerberg (Hesse)
Ringwall Hünerberg

The ring wall Hünerberg is a presumably Franconian early medieval ring wall at 375  m above sea level. NHN high Hünerberg near Kronberg - Oberhöchstadt in the Hessian Hochtaunus district . According to old legends, the wall was once built by Hünen.

Location and description

View from Hünerberg to the Rhine-Main plain

On the rocky and isolated ridge of the wooded Hünerberg (formerly also called Hünerburg , Hühnerberg , Hünerkopf or Hühnerkopp ) with its up to 30 m high rockfalls, you will find the Hünerberg ring wall . The shape of the wall is adapted to the geological forms. Natural features, such as rocks, are integrated into the course of the wall . In its greatest extent it measures a length of 280 m and widths of eleven to 35 meters. In the west, the system encloses the rocky mountain plateau with the steep rock faces. The flatter eastern part extends out onto the mountainside. The ring wall is much more pronounced in the eastern part, which is probably related to the higher security requirements here due to the terrain-specific conditions. In the entire western area there are traces of a dry stone wall , the thickness of which was around 1.80 m. The rocks that are particularly present in the north were integrated into the wall. The main features of this wall are only weakly recognizable today, partly as a rampart, partly simply as a land ledge. The use of very large stones is striking.

The greater expansion of the eastern part is reflected in the semicircular wall with the moat . It connects to rock towers in the north and south . Allegedly there was a 6.40 m wide dry stone wall with wooden stiffeners. In the flatter east there are also clearly recognizable traces of the gate of the complex. The trench represents a bottom trench between 5 m and 6 m wide. Depending on the nature of the terrain, this trench runs directly on the wall or at a distance of up to 10 m.

Inside the plant there are a number of iron slags , which indicate metal processing.

Outside the facility, about 50 m northeast of the gate, there is a quarry about 50 m in diameter . It is not known whether and how this is connected to the ramparts.

Further to the northeast there are a number of trenches, the origin of which is unknown.

The Hauburgstein natural monument is located around 250 m east of the ring wall.

The plant is now through the trail Black point of the Taunus clubs opened.

Function and use

Little is known about the function and use of the system. It is certain that the complex has no prehistoric background, even if a large number of finds attest to the presence of people from the Urnfield Culture , the Hallstatt Culture and the Roman period on the Hünerberg. However, the mountain was not inhabited at that time.

The plant itself is probably of Franconian origin. Their existence in the Carolingian era is considered to be proven by relevant finds . It was definitely not a refuge. Rather, the facility was permanently inhabited. They probably ruled the foreland with royal estates in the vicinity of Oberhöchststadt. In addition, the road leading through the Taunus from Frankfurt to Waldems - Esch was presumably monitored and secured from here.

Exploration

The Gilboa Temple in the southwest area of ​​the complex

Excavations carried out by Karl August von Cohausen in 1886 and Christian Ludwig Thomas in 1909/10 could only clarify the main features of the fortification. In the course of these excavations, however, it was clarified that it was not a prehistoric fortification.

Gilboa temple

In the southwest of the complex is the Gilboa Temple , which was inaugurated in 2010 on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the friendly partnership between the Hochtaunuskreis and the Gilboa district in Israel . From here there is an excellent view of the Rhine-Main plain .

gallery

  • The more pronounced northeast wall of the complex

  • Remains of the dry stone wall in the west area

  • The nearby Hauburgstein on the old Feldbergstrasse

Monument protection

The area of ​​the ramparts is a ground monument according to the Hessian Monument Protection Act . Investigations and targeted collection of finds are subject to approval, and accidental finds are reported to the monument authorities.

Web links

Commons : Ringwall Hünerberg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  • Ulrich Dahmlos : Archaeological finds from the 4th to 9th centuries in Hessen (= studies and materials on constitutional and state history 7). Hessian State Office for Historical Regional Studies, Marburg 1979, ISBN 3-7708-0672-7 .
  • Fritz-Rudolf Herrmann : The ring wall on the Hünerberg in the Taunus. Leaflet for the early medieval castle near Kronberg-Oberhöchstadt, Hochtaunuskreis (= Archaeological Monuments in Hesse 44, ISSN  0936-1693 ). State Office for Monument Preservation Hesse - Department for Prehistory and Early History, Wiesbaden 1985.
  • Jörg Lindenthal: Cultural Discoveries. Archaeological monuments in Hessen. Jenior, Kassel 2004, ISBN 3-934377-73-4 , p. 133f.
  • Elias Neuhof: Map of the area near Homburg in front of the height and the surrounding mountains. In: Elias Neuhof: News of the antiquities in the area and on the mountains near Homburg in front of the height. Publishing house of the Protestant reformed orphanage, Hanau 1777 (reprint. Taunusklub , Frankfurt am Main 1985).