Hohensyburg

Hohensyburg
View from the Vincketurm to the ruins of the Syburg
Alternative name (s):	Sigiburg, Syburg
Creation time :	around 700
Castle type :	Hilltop castle
Conservation status:	Preserved essential parts
Standing position :	Noble
Place:	Dortmund - Syburg
Geographical location	51 ° 25 '12 "  N , 7 ° 29' 13"  E Coordinates: 51 ° 25 '12 "  N , 7 ° 29' 13"  E

The Hohensyburg , also called Sigiburg or Syburg , is the ruin of a hilltop castle at around 245  m above sea level. NN high Syberg above the confluence of the Ruhr and Lenne rivers in the artificially created Hengsteysee in the southern Dortmund district of Syburg . The Hohensyburg is a popular destination. Other sights include the Vincketurm , the war memorial and the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial . The Hohensyburg natural theater has been nearby since 1952 and the Hohensyburg casino since 1985 . The surrounding area is designated and protected as a nature reserve Ruhr slopes Hohensyburg . The Syburger Bergbauweg opens up relics of modern mining.

Origins

Stone Age finds prove the early presence of humans in the Syburg area and the first traces of settlement lead to the Bronze Age around 700 BC. The first documented mention dates from the year 775, when, according to the Lorsch annals, the Frankish army of Charlemagne conquered the Saxon Sigiburg and used it as a defense against the Saxons . The Falen that settled there were a (western) Saxon tribal group. The Hohensyburg also got an important function for the Christianization of the Teutons. The castle garrison and Widukind were driven out by Charlemagne. According to a Christian source , a miracle should have helped him to conquer the castle.

The following year the Saxons besieged the now Franconian castle. However, the castle garrison was able to surprise the besiegers with a sortie and pursue the fleeing Saxons as far as the Lippe . The Franconian army pushed the Saxon troops back to the Aller , where there was a great massacre in Verden of those who did not want to be converted to Christianity.

Ruin of the stone Syburg (Hohensyburg)

In total there are remains of three castles on the mountain. The construction of the stone Syburg (Hohensyburg) is dated to 1150. It is a hilltop castle of the Archbishops of Cologne and is related to the state expansion in the 12th century. In 1235 the Lords of Syberg were first mentioned as Cologne ministerials. The other two castles are said to have been built in the early Middle Ages. A church is to be built by order of Charlemagne and by Pope Leo III. 799 to have been consecrated. The church , supposedly completed in 776, would have remained unconsecrated for 23 years. There is a contradiction in the sources here: While Leo is said to have fled Rome on the one hand , the Hohensyburg seems to have been waiting for the visit in order to have the church consecrated by the Pope himself. In addition, Leo III. consecrated a St. Peter fountain, which soon served as a place of pilgrimage .

Early medieval castles on the Syberg

The Hohensyburg on the Syberg above the Ruhr

The former archeology student Detlev Rothe called the two castle remains Sigiburg I and II. Both are by ring walls , are difficult to locate the remains, which is why most authors also speak loudly Rothe by only one castle. In fact, the historian Fiedler and the hobby archaeologist Kuhlmann only name one facility, the wall-ditch system of which is particularly easy to recognize. The wall can still be seen well in the southeast. This wall system had a total length of 1.7–2 km and enclosed the present area of ​​the Kaiser Wilhelm monument, the medieval castle and the casino as far north as the intersection of Hohensyburgstrasse and Westhofener Strasse. The size of this rampart alone suggests that the name Syburg was originally, also in the literal sense, Fliehburg. Essentially, it was a wood-earth construction. It only partly consists of rubble stones without mortar. Despite numerous reading shards, dating is difficult. Today researchers agree that Sigiburg I was built by members of the Saxon tribe at the time when Saxons conquered the surrounding area. From contemporary literature it can be deduced that the Saxons conquered the former Bruktererland south of the Lippe around the year 694 AD and that they attacked Franconian territory in 715. According to this, the Sigiburg is likely to have been built around 700 AD.

Ultimately, the dating of the Sigiburg is based solely on sources. According to the description, it is more of an earth wall, which refers to the 10th century, when the Hungarians threatened to invade the area and the growing volume of traffic also had to be protected. The Sigiburg II is said to have been built by the Franks, i.e. after 775. For the year 776, the Annales Laurissenses maiores report that the church was located inside the castle. In addition, the Lorsch annals from 776 mention an attempt to recapture the Saxons (basilica), as well as a partially wooden pre-construction until the final version was built in stone. A very interesting artifact is the tombstone recently recovered from a tree, which is a beautiful contemporary witness through multiple uses. The first dating can be estimated at approx. 550, since a diagonal cross (also called "missionary cross") was used; it has been on display in the Turmhof since 1999. The next use happened in the Merovingian period (lecture cross), the last one suggests the Carolingian period. This early grave slab supports the thesis that this sacred building is much older than mentioned in the sources.

A few pages later, however, Rothe shows in detail that the building, which is located under the Romanesque church destroyed in World War II, was not a church at all. The construction of a castle by Christian Franks without an associated church already appears dubious, and there are further indications for a dating to the 10th century. The construction of the Sigiburg II gate points to the Ottonian castle building period. In addition, a silver penny of Otto I was found in the northwest corner of the original cemetery , which had been minted during his reign from 936 to 964. Correspondingly, Rothe dates the building to the first half of the 10th century. The cemetery wall can also be dated to the early Middle Ages using pottery shards from Badorf and, above all, from Pingsdorf . The use of lime mortar in particular speaks in favor of a building after 955, when the Hungarians were defeated and the cultural and economic upswing could begin throughout the West . According to this, the Sigiburg II would have been built between 955 and 964. This would leave enough time for Sigiburg I at the beginning of the 10th century as a protective wall against the Hungarians.

The castle is entered as a ground monument in the list of monuments of the city of Dortmund .

The stone Hohensyburg

Part of the Hohensyburg ruins, 2012

The ruins of the Syburg around 1890.

The ruins of the Syburg around 1890.

The construction of the stone Syburg (Hohensyburg) is dated to 1150. It is a hilltop castle of the Archbishops of Cologne and is related to the state expansion in the 12th century. In 1235 the Lords of Syberg are mentioned for the first time as Cologne ministerials .

After the partial destruction in 1287 by Count Eberhard von der Mark , the family withdrew to their property Haus Busch in the county of Limburg . In 1300, Reichshof Westhofen and with it the castle passed into the feudal lordship of the Counts of the Mark . In 1496, Duke Johann von der Mark made Gerd Spee burgrave under the condition that he should "inhabit the borch to Sybergh". The castle was probably abandoned in the 16th or early 17th century. The war memorial erected in the castle dates from 1930.

The main building, which was surrounded by castle walls and two towers, can still be seen today.

The ruin of the castle is registered as a monument in Dortmund.

The church on the Syberg

St. Peter in Syburg

→ Main article : St. Peter zu Syburg

After the Romanesque church, whose beginnings were dated to the year 1169, was destroyed by an Allied air raid during the Second World War, the archaeologists had the opportunity to carry out excavations and search for the Carolingian church mentioned in a document. During these excavations in 1950, 1951 and again in 1976, remains of the foundations of a previous building were actually discovered and dated to 776 based on the mention in the documents. What is initially certain is that the previous building is older than the Romanesque church, as the lack of small finds makes it difficult to date it exactly. Due to the excavations in 1976, the interpretation as a Carolingian church can no longer be maintained. It is worth mentioning that, because of the remains of brown and black earthenware, the excavators refer the building either to the early Middle Ages , more precisely to the Saxon-Franconian period, or to the prehistoric period. The age of the building could not yet be determined by dendrochronological examinations and C14 . The square temple of Uppsala in southern Sweden, which, like the structure of holders, was used in Germanic cult activities, has a parallel to this floor plan . This temple was not built of stone and clay, but of wood. The temple of Uppsala belongs to the Nordic Late Period and was probably built in the 10th century. This parallel is a further indication that the previous building of the Romanesque St. Peter's Church is a Germanic cult building.

The Petersbrunnen

On the Syburg Pope Leo III. dedicated a fountain to St. Peter's during his visit in 799. Such an ordination suggests a Christianized earlier spring shrine. The complex, known today as Petersbrunnen, with its water basin carved out of the rock, contains its water secondarily from an adjacent well and cannot be considered the original pilgrimage station. The oldest tradition dates from 1472. However, this is implausible and only serves the purpose of glorifying the event. According to other sources, in addition to the Pope , the entire Curia was also present. The proof that the fountain is a Germanic place of worship is even more intensely carried out by Rothe than in the case of the alleged Carolingian church, but, unlike the church, can only provide evidence, since no remains have been preserved or found. He relies on comparisons of parallels and the like. a. with Uppsala , the Donar cult and old legends. But the reading finds in the immediate vicinity are more interesting. As early as 1887, the first of several stone axes that refer to the Neolithic was discovered . In addition to other finds from the Neolithic , later Bronze Age finds were made in the Wannebach valley north of the Syberg. Coin finds testify to the presence of Romans at least until the 3rd century. Although no finds of Teutons have been made, their existence in the entire area is well documented. In addition, a connection between a Germanic cult building and a Germanic cult site is more conclusive than that of Pope Leo III. consecrated fountain with no nearby church building. The Petersbrunnen could therefore have been a place of worship as early as late antiquity , after which the associated cult building made of stone was later built. In 1804 the Lutheran pastor Johann Friedrich Möller from Elsey near Hohen-Limburg wrote the text Ueber Hohensyburg, the old Saxon fortress, the subsequent castle, its ruins and other antiquities there .

The Petersbrunnen is registered as a ground monument in the list of monuments of the city of Dortmund.

Other sights

Vincketurm

→ Main article : Vincketurm

War memorial

The war memorial within the castle ruins

Inside the ruin is a war memorial designed by the sculptor Friedrich Bagdons around 1930. The memorial depicts a lying fallen soldier in the uniform of a German soldier from the First World War. An eagle, apparently lame-winged, watches over his left lower leg. In the immediate vicinity of the war memorial there are three stone plaques, set up by the Syburg community in memory of the Syburg war victims from the wars of 1870/71 , World War I and World War II .

Kaiser Wilhelm Monument

Next to the castle ruins is the monument erected in memory of Kaiser Wilhelm I on the Syberg , with originally four assistant statues. The monument was built from 1893 to 1902 and opened to the public on June 30, 1902. The architecture came from Hubert Stier , the sculptures from Adolf von Donndorf and his son Karl Donndorf .

The memorial was completely rebuilt in 1935 according to plans by the Dortmund sculptor Friedrich Bagdons and redesigned based on the National Socialist architecture . From the four flanking statues, those of Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm and Prince Friedrich Karl (both from Karl Donndorf) were removed, those of Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke (both from Adolf Donndorf) remained in a different arrangement. On an inscription removed after 1945, March 16, 1935 was given as the date of completion.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Monument is a listed building.

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  Kaiser Wilhelm Monument, picture postcard around 1905

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  Kaiser Wilhelm Monument, picture postcard around 1907

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  Kaiser Wilhelm Monument (2014)

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  Kaiser Wilhelm equestrian statue

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  Bismarck statue

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  Moltke still image

cable railway

The mountain railway around 1908

The cable car route on a picture postcard, February 1905

In 1903, a funicular operated by the Hörder Kreisbahn with two-way traffic opened its operation with a length of 487 meters and a height difference of 93 m. Two rail vehicles were driven by two AEG EG 800 type direct current shunt electric motors mounted on the mountain station , one vehicle moving uphill and the other moving synchronously downhill. Each vehicle could carry up to 45 people at a maximum speed of 2 m / s. Halfway up a switch was installed, a so-called Abt switch . The valley station was near "Haus Weitkamp", the mountain station at the site of today's casino. The manufacturer of the entire system was the Allgemeine Elektrizitätsgesellschaft Berlin. It is unclear whether driving was resumed after the First World War and how long it lasted; a source reports 1915 as the date of shutdown, although the facility had been granted a license until January 14, 1948. The final dismantling of the line was decided on February 14, 1923 by the district council of Schwerte. A stone bridge is still preserved today as a visible remnant of the mountain railway. The turnout was at this point. The former route can still be seen today on aerial photographs.

The mountain railway is entered as a ground monument in the monument list of the city of Dortmund.

Haunted House Hohensyburg

→ Main article : Haunted House Hohensyburg

Events

Kaiser Wilhelm Monument illuminated at night (2013)

• There is a medieval market at Easter.
• From 1995 to 2010, the music festival Rock in the ruins took place on April 30th on the meadow area below the ruins. In 2011 the festival changed the venue to the former Phoenixhütte in Hörde.
• Until 2014 the so-called Whitsun Fair took place at Whitsun .

See also

• List of sights in the Ruhr Valley
• Hohensyburg natural stage

literature

• Kai Olaf Arzinger: Finds in the Hohensyburg ramparts. Der Märker, 35th year, 1986, issue 4.
• Kai Olaf Arzinger: ramparts, castles, mansions , a historical hiking guide, 72 pages, with numerous sketches and photos, Hagen-Hohenlimburg 1991.
• Ralf Blank : The Vincke Tower on the Hohensyburg. In: Beate Hobein / Dietmar Osses (eds.): "Until the most distant, most distant time ..." Hagen and his monuments. Hagen 1996, ISBN 3-930217-21-X .
• Sybille Brakelmann-Bockermann: The Kaiser Wilhelm monument on the Hohensyburg. Landschaftsverband Westfalen-Lippe, Landesbildstelle Westfalen, Münster 1990 (Westphalia in the picture: series Kulturdenkmale in Westfalen, issue 4).
• Lutz Engelskirchen, Ralf Molkenthin: A bronze emperor over the Ruhr valley, the Kaiser Wilhelm monument on the Hohensyburg. In: Beate Hobein, Dietmar Osses (eds.): "Until the most distant, most distant time ..." Hagen and his monuments. Hagen 1996, pp. 85-95.
• Ingo Fiedler, Willi Kuhlmann: From Wallburg to Casino - Hohensyburg. In: Peter Döring u. a. (Ed.): Discover Dortmund - 25 city tours. Essen 1996, ISBN 3-88474-268-X , pp. 331-342.
• Philipp R. Hömberg: The Hohensyburg, district-free city of Dortmund. Early castles in Westphalia 15 (Münster 2000)
• Stephanie Marra : The Hohensyburg as a location for different forms of memory and memorials. Center of a Westphalian memory landscape? In: Home Dortmund. ISSN  0932-9757 , vol. 2007, H. 2, pp. 7-13.
• Reinhold Rau: Sources on the Carolingian empire history. The Reichsannals. Using d. Translated by O. Abel u. J. v. Jasmund; Selected sources on the German history of the Middle Ages, Vol. 5; Reprograph. Reprint d. Edition Darmstadt 1955, Wiss. Buchges., Darmstadt 1968.
• Detlev Rothe: The Hohensyburg in the light of new research on early history. Ges. For Vor u. Early history, Hückeswagen 1979.
• Walter Schmidts: The Kaiser Wilhelm monument on the Hohensyburg. In: Heimatbuch Hagen and Mark. ISSN  0173-2587 , 43. 2002 (2001), pp. 60-64.
• Ernst Jakob Broicher: The Kaiser Wilhelm Monument on Hohensyburg: Festschrift on the occasion of the unveiling of this monument. Baedeker, Essen 1901 ( digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Hohensyburg  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• Description of the sight and panorama point on the route of industrial culture
• Background information about Hohensyburg, u. a. Wallburg, castle ruins, Schultenhof, St. Peter church, Kaiser Wilhelm monument and Vincke tower
• The Reichsannals with additions from the so-called Einhard Annals (sources on the Carolingian history of the empire, Volume V)
• Entry on Hohensyburg in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute
• Hohensyburg castle ruins in the Westphalia cultural atlas
• Aerial view of the Hohensyburg castle ruins on Lost-Place.org

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e} List of monuments of the city of Dortmund. (PDF) (No longer available online.) In: dortmund.de - Das Dortmunder Stadtportal. Monument Authority of the City of Dortmund, April 6, 2018, archived from the original on November 14, 2018 ; accessed on November 14, 2018 (size: 814 kB). 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.  
2. ↑ ^{a b c d} Willi Kuhlmann: Hohensyburg. ( online )
3. ^ AK Hömberg: Between Rhine and Weser, Münster 1967, p. 81, quoted from Kuhlmann.
4. ^ Bull, Hubert . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General lexicon of fine artists from antiquity to the present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 32 : Stephens – Theodotos . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1938, p. 43 .
5. ^ Ernst Sigismund : Donndorf, Adolf (von) . In: Ulrich Thieme (Hrsg.): General Lexicon of Fine Artists from Antiquity to the Present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 9 : Delaulne-Dubois . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1913, p. 445-446 ( Text Archive - Internet Archive ).
6. ^ Donndorf, Karl August . In: Ulrich Thieme (Hrsg.): General Lexicon of Fine Artists from Antiquity to the Present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 9 : Delaulne-Dubois . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1913, p. 446-447 ( Text Archive - Internet Archive ).
7. ↑ tramtracks.de ( Memento of the original from March 21, 2009 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. 
8. ^ Osterspektakel Hohensyburg , accessed on February 3, 2018.
9. ↑ "Off" for Whitsun Fair. The traditional Whitsun fair at the Hohensyburg will no longer exist , accessed on February 3, 2018.