Weilenscheid ramparts
The ramparts on the Weilenscheid are located about 1.2 km southwest of Elspe . Here rises a chain of hills consisting of several knolls, which is clearly delimited in the south-west from the Lennetal , in the north-east from the Elspetal and in the south-east from the Hachener Tal in connection via Hachen with the valley of the Meggmecke in the north-east. Three somewhat lower mountain peaks, the Wollberg (Wohlberg) (445 m NN) to the southwest, the Hollberg (446.7 m NN) to the west and the Drüpel (450.0 m NN) frame the higher Weilenscheid (481.4 m NN) ).
Geographical location of the Weilenscheid
Weilenscheid is located in the direct catchment area of major traffic routes. At its foot, Heidenstrasse runs through the Elspetal, one of the most important highways from Cologne to Kassel, which leads almost in a straight line through the Sauerland . Heidenstrasse deviates from Cologne-Kassel as the crow flies only twice to the south (5 km near Niedenstein and 2 km near Immekeppel ) and to the north no more than 5 km (near Oberelspe and Korbach ) or 7 km (near Marienheide ) and as an exception 9 km (in the Ebbe Mountains). It is therefore a symbol of determination and straightforwardness. This also applies to the so-called Römerweg , which, coming from the direction of Bonn , joins the Heidenstraße above Förde ( Grevenbrück ) and runs through Elspe to the Brilon plateau . The mountain road began about 2 km south of Elspe in Trockenbrück and led to Arnsberg . Coming from Siegen, the Kriegerweg crossed the Gleietal just a few kilometers east of Elspe and extended, leading over Bracht , to the Paderborn region .
The best conditions for a very early settlement offered the flat and fertile slopes of the limestone basins between Attendorn and Elspe. The mean annual precipitation in this Inner Sauerland depression is below 950 mm in the lowest range; the highest annual mean temperature of approx. 7–8 ° C is one of the highest values in the Olpe district. Favorable climatic conditions as well as the fertile soil suggest a very early settlement of this area. The geographical location at the crossroads of the major highways also speak for this fact.
Stone Age finds on the Hespecker and Sporker Plateau indicate an even earlier settlement. For the time being, it cannot be proven whether this area was continuously inhabited from the Stone Age to the early period.
Settlement of the Sauerland and the Elsper area
In the course of the Christianization of the Sauerland, so-called original parishes were founded along Heidenstrasse from Cologne to ensure church administration. In the first phase of the original parishes, the parishes of Attendorn and Wormbach were formed along Heidenstrasse . A little later, the parish of Elspe was split off from Attendorn and a part was also added from the parish of Wormbach. The extensive parish, which included Cobbenrode in the north-east until the 14th century and Förde in the south-west until 1663 and which must originally have included Oedingen , bears witness to the very old age of the parish.
The parishes of Kirchhundem , Kirchveischede and Schönholthausen must also have belonged to the Elspe parish, since it was the natural center of the valley at the confluence of the Elspe and the Lenne. Accordingly, the numerous tithes of these three parish districts were raised on the Jakobifest in the church of Elspe until the 16th century. According to a register of tithes from 1279 from the Wenne archive , the parish of Elspe, u. a. Burbecke , Halberbracht , Meggen , Nieder Melbecke , Oberelspe , Theten in the municipality of Elspe, Bonzel and Maumke in the municipality of Förde, Obermarpe in the municipality of Kobbenrode, Niedermarpe in the municipality of Eslohe , Oedingen, Bausenrode , Deutmecke , Fretter , Habbecke, Müllen, Ostentrop , Schönholthausen and the deserts of Corvenrode and Remberg in the municipality of Schönholthausen, Pettmecke in the municipality of Helden , Bilstein in the municipality of Veischede and Bettinghof, Böhminghausen, Emmlinghausen, Flape and Kickenbach in the municipality of Kirchhundem, to the parish of Elspe.
Archeology of the Weilenscheid
A sharp rock ridge crosses the hilltop in a south-west-north-east direction, which is surrounded by two concentric, parallel lines of fortification, which can be seen in the terrain as wall terraces. They are about 15–30 m apart. A third wall terrace or edge of the terrain is located in front of the farm road in the direction of Elspetal. This leads to the source of the "Vordersten Siepen". The interior of the facility has a length of 225 m and a width of 75 m.
So far, the ramparts have been dated to the Iron Age ring ramparts (7th century BC to around the birth of Christ) according to the type and shape as well as the topographic location . After three fibulae have been found, they can be classified more precisely in the early La Tène period (480–300 BC). The scientists can only report very little about the exact use of these massive earthworks. But one thing is certain: the concentric wall terraces around the hilltop at Weilenscheid were built by human hands. If you add all the terrace edges together, the result is a total length of approx. 1200 m of fastening lines. A large number of people were certainly necessary for the construction of this earth structure. It can be assumed that an entire tribe or clan was busy building it. The time frame in which the individual construction sections were erected and whether they were created at the same time cannot be answered either.
Daniel Berènger divides the Iron Age ramparts in Westphalia into six groups, whereby the topography and the ground plan are decisive as criteria for his typology. He differentiates between the structures “ring wall in the summit position (A), ring wall on the edge of a plateau (B), ring wall on the hilltop and on a slope (C), ring wall only partially closed (D), ring wall on spur (F) and section fastening on spur (E) ". The facility on the Weilenscheid belongs to the type A fortification and is therefore one of the most important landmarks in our region.
Internal structures within the fortifications have only been verified in a few cases. The systems are only suitable to a limited extent as a refuge against attackers. Even as a place where the most valuable of the time, the domestic animals, could be safely hidden from attackers and thieves, these facilities are unsuitable, as they are far too far from the actual settlement. In addition, water for humans and cattle would have to be available within the ramparts in order to withstand a larger onslaught of the enemy. They were unsuitable as explicit settlement areas, because in the Sauerland the protected valley areas near a stream on flood-free terrain were almost always inhabited. They are also ruled out as burial sites, as no corresponding archaeological finds have been made for this either. In addition, the rocky soil does not allow for body burial on the hilltop. The fact that they played an important role for the respective regions is also confirmed by the old settlements in the immediate vicinity. What remains is the use as a religious or cultic site. Perhaps the walls were also created to protect religious places from outside influences. This is the most likely option because it did not require any water or food supplies.
The question of who the builders were also remains unanswered. Some believe that they were Germanic tribes, others see the Celts as builders. The truth is perhaps somewhere in the middle, especially since the border between Celts and Teutons was certainly fluid.
The discovery of a brooch of the Münsinger type as well as a ring fragment with bulging ribs and a hollow hump ring fragment allow the rampart to be dated to the end of the 3rd and 2nd century BC. Chr. To.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Nicke: The Heidenstrasse. 2000, page 17
- ^ Geological map NRW 4814 Lennestadt, explanations on page 31
- ↑ HSO Olpe 8/1951 page 69
- ↑ HSO 9/1952 page 547 and 10 page 640 Zehenlös of the Mariengradenstift in Cologne in the old parent parish Elspe
- ^ Daniel Berènger 1998 and 1999
- ↑ http://www.lwl.org/pressemitteilungen/mitteilung.php?urlID=34102
- ↑ Berènger 1998, p. 60
literature
- S. Lukanow: Find chronicle for the Olpe district. 1984
- Daniel Berènger: Under lock and key. LWL , 1998
- Albert K. Hömberg : home chronicle of the district of Olpe. 1967
- Voices from the Olpe district.
- Poguntke, W., 2006, The Wallburg on the Weilenscheid
- Archeology in Westphalia-Lippe 2013 page 50ff.
Coordinates: 51 ° 8 '38.1 " N , 8 ° 2' 54" E
- Zeiler: A new Iron Age fortification in Westphalia - the Weilenscheid near Lennestadt. [1]