Schwedenschanze (Haßberge)
The Schwedenschanze is a prehistoric and early historical ring wall at 487 m above sea level. NN high elevation on the ridge of the Haßberge near the Rottenstein castle stalls and the Rennweg in Lower Franconia .
The name "Schwedenschanze" recalls the time of the Thirty Years' War and has remained popular to this day. What is meant is a rampart overgrown by trees, heavily marked by weathering, which in its final stage of development probably goes back to the early Middle Ages .
It is possible that the relatively well-preserved ramparts once again served the population as shelter or cattle hide during the chaos of war in the 17th century. Perhaps later generations also mistakenly associated Burgplatz with the Thirty Years War. In Europe, numerous prehistoric and early historical weir systems bear the name "Schwedenschanze", and very few have any real connection with the Swedish times.
description
The Burgplatz is protected by steep slopes in the south, north and west. To the east, the terrain spur merges into the ridge. A small, semicircular outer bailey was placed in front of the ramparts in the west . The former gates are likely to have been located in the northwest at the junction of the main and outer walls and in the east.
The preserved ramparts are several meters high and are surrounded by deep outer trenches with low ramparts. The entire system is around 330 meters long and up to 170 meters wide. Archaeological research shows that the most recent fortification phase was a two-fronted wall made of wood and earth. This fortification probably replaced two proven older wood-earth-stone walls in the Carolingian - Ottonian times. However, the earliest traces of settlement date back to the Urnfield Period , and the area also served as a settlement site during the Hallstatt and early Latène periods .
The Schwedenschanze lies at the intersection of important medieval traffic routes. The Rennweg led from Fulda to Bamberg , the old long-distance road from Upper Swabia via Hofheim to Königshofen and Erfurt . The function of the ramparts as a protective castle for this road junction is, however, speculative (K. Schwarz).
Observation tower
In 1924 the Rhön Club built the first stone observation tower on the Schwedenschanze.
The tower was rebuilt several times. A wood-clad steel construction has stood on the stone substructure since autumn 2001. The tower is 29.13 meters high and offers three viewing platforms, the top of which towers above the treetops. The view from there extends far over the Grabfeld and the Haßberge to the Steigerwald , the Spessart , the Hohe Rhön and the Thuringian Forest .
literature
- Christian Pescheck: The Schwedenschanze in the Hassberge mountains near Hofheim. (Guide to prehistoric and early historical sites in Main Franconia, 4). Wuerzburg 1973.
- Christian Pescheck: The Schwedenschanze in the Haßberge near Hofheim i. Ufr. In: Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (Hrsg.): Guide to prehistoric and early historical monuments. Volume 28: Bad Kissingen, Franconian Saale, Grabfeld, southern Rhön. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz 1975, pp. 192–196.
Web links
- Schwedenschanze "with a description of the facility ( Memento from June 22, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
Coordinates: 50 ° 10 ′ N , 10 ° 31 ′ E