The pagan wall at the Palatine town of Bad Durkheim in Rhineland-Palatinate is a two and a half kilometers long ring wall, which was built around the year BC 500 by Celts like a Murus Gallicus and not thereafter resigned long back. The wooden portions of the wall disappeared over time by rotting, the stones have been preserved.
The pagan wall is a cultural monument after monument protection law of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate.
The ring wall of the pagan wall consists of a wall -like appearing laid down wall. It surrounds settlement remains which were partially open for centuries or only came to light during excavations .
The Wall is a total of two and a half kilometers long and encloses an area of ??26 hectares. From the northernmost point to the southernmost corner just 700 meters from the western to the eastern corner about 600 meters . In plan, the plant has the shape of an arc with the shot strained tendon. The arc extends from the west on the north to the East, the string forms a nearly right-angled tip to the south. Where in the east at the lowest point of the system ( 260 meters) arc and chord collide , an approximately seven meters wide gate was with about nine meters long Torgasse that still has two electrodes separated by a row of stones " roadways " . The gate was probably provided with a wooden superstructure.
The wall itself , a so-called Murus Gallicus , consisted of a wooden skeleton that is constructed of vertical posts and horizontal cross bar and was filled with rubble stones without mortar . The smooth sides of the stones formed the exterior facade. The gaps were largely filled with sand. Since the wooden parts are gone from little remains (hence the technical term post slot wall is used) , can only be indirectly inferred from the ground to the height of the intact wall. The profile of today's Stone Walls tapers upwards at the base he is 15-20 meters thick , at the apex of three to four meters . Its height is between three and ten meters.
About 80 meters south of the door and above the Kriemhild chair suspect archaeologists a bastion : There, the stones of the wall are offset inward , suggesting that , at this point , which allows a wide view over the Rhine valley and the entrance to the Isenach a wooden tower was fitted , which towered over the wall.
Before the northwestern wall arch, the upper range ( 285-300 meters ) runs the hilltop , there is an approximately 500 meters long and 15 meters wide moat , which should be on the right ridge to enlarge apparently the level difference to coping . The trench bends at the northernmost point of the wall almost at right angles to the northeast and runs downhill before it ends after about 100 meters. In this way, the water from the ditch was during heavy rain derived and prevent the undermining of the wall. The vernacular was to another - fabulous - Come interpretation . Hans von Trotha (around 1450-1503 ) , regional subsequently as robber barons " Hans Trapp " verschriener Burgherr on the southern Palatinate Bert Wartstein ( certainly never visits the then derelict since 2000 years Heidenmauer system) , is said to have deposited a larger sausage stock in the trench , according to this myth, the popular name sausage ditch was built.
The area enclosed by the wall area has numerous small hills of various sizes. It is likely to be the remains of the residential development that is not yet explored , with only a fragment floor of beaten clay has been exposed. For this reason, no conclusions can still be drawn on the number of people of the settlement. However, in view of the commodities found to start from a two-dimensional colonization.
In the northern region, a source comes to the surface , perhaps also their excess water flowed towards the northeast ditch. During the period of colonization, the area was probably largely treeless , in the 20th Century it was deliberately planted.
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