Castles on Öland

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Access to Ismantorps fornborg

The Iron Age castles on Öland ( Swedish Ölands fornborgar ) are about 20 mostly round or oval enclosures with a diameter of up to 210 m, made of dry stone , which are remarkable for their floor plans and other architectural elements. They differ from other prehistoric plants in Scandinavia in their construction. The somewhat younger Viking castles come close to them in shape . There are 16 systems that have been more or less well preserved or restored. On Öland and Gotland there are so-called lowland castles, which are different from those on the mainland. The most famous prehistoric hill forts are: Castle Barby , eketorp , Gråborg , Hässleby borg , Ismantorp Fortress , Sandby borg , Träby borg and Triberga . Only a few have been archaeologically examined so far.

The first reports about the castles were made by the country's archbishops in the 17th century. They were studied from the 1930s. Archaeological investigations were carried out by Sten Anjou (1895–1959), Arthur Nordén (1891–1965), Ivar Schnell (1904–1993) and Mårten Stenberger (1898–1973).

All 1200 castles registered in Sweden ( Swedish Fornborgar ) are built from limestone without mortar as a binding agent . The curtain walls were up to seven meters high. In some, a radial arrangement of stone cells (up to 88 - Ismantorp) can be found along the curtain wall. The facilities have up to nine gates (Ismantorp), which means that they are worthless in terms of fortification and must have had a different meaning.

It was the availability of limestone and the contact with the Roman Empire that enabled the inhabitants of Öland to build these structures, which, along with the Stone Age , are among the oldest preserved monumental architecture in the country.

There are several theories about how these systems function. Although the buildings suggest a defensive system, it is difficult to secure with up to nine gates. Therefore, the Fornborgar are compared with Slavic castles , which, like the later medieval cities, were protected dwelling places and religious centers. The function as a refuge is also considered for some, but it should be a uniform reason for use.

There are over 40 fornborgar on Gotland. In the north-west of Finland there are similar castle structures, which are called Jätinkirkko ( German  " giant churches " ) and come from the Stone Age .

The Norwegian variant is called Tunanlegg .

literature

  • Mårten Stenberger : Ölands fornborgar från air .
  • Michael Olausson (ed.): Det inneslutna rummet - om kultiska hägnader, fornborgar och befästa gårdar i Uppland från 1300 f. Kr. Till Kristi födelse . Riksantikvarieämbetet Arkeologiska undersökningar Skrifter No. 9. Stockholm, Riksantikvarieämbetet 1995.

Web links