Heuneburg Viereckschanz
N 48° 05.644 E 009° 23.112
32U E 528681 N 5326827
The so-called Viereckschanz (four cornered enclosure) lies on the edge of a burial mound cemetery with more than 30 mounds from the early Celtic period, just to the east of the princely burial mound of Hohmichele.
Waymark Code: WM1CPJ
Location: Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Date Posted: 04/06/2007
Views: 79
The construction forms an irregular rectangle with a surface of 1 hectar. The sides measured on the north 115 m, on the east 100 m, on the south 98 m, and on the west 87 m. On the north and west sides, the remains of ramparts and ditches can be clearly recognized, as well as the slightly raised corner. The gate probably lay in the middle of the mostly worn down southern side. The east side is even more completely levelled. In 1921, a charred piece of wood, burned lime and several pre-Roman sherds were found upon probing the ditch before the east side.
These four cornered enclosures belonged to the period of the 2nd to 1st centuries B.C. They are spread from the river Inn in the east to the river Rhine, and from the foot of the Alps to the north up to the river Main. There are over 300 sites of such enclosures indentified up until now. Eight enclosures lie along the upper Danube between the town of Mengen and Riedlingen, five of which are located in the vacinity of Heuneburg. They shed some light on the importance of this region in the late Celtish period.
Various hypotheses regarding the function of the enclosures have been made over the last 100 years. The interpretations have ranged from Roman strongholds, to Celtic farming estates, to late Celtic places of worship. Up until a few years, the enclosures have been nearly unanimously considered to be sanctuaries. The majority of the present research is again leaning towards a secular purpose and sees in the enclosures the representation of rural estates from the late Celtic period.
This location is along the Heuneburg hiking trail which is about 8km long and leads from the Heuneburg Museum past the most important sites associated with the early Celtic settlement center along the upper Danube (Donau), returning the visitor to the Museum after a walk of about 2.5-3 hours.
Admission Fee (local currency): Free
Opening days/times:
24 x 7
Web Site: [Web Link]
Condition: Original function apparent in the remains
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Visit Instructions:
No special requirements.