Struvenburg
Encyclopedia
The Struvenburg was a medieval castle immediately east of Benzingerode
, a village in the borough of Wernigerode
in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
. Today only a few earthworks remain. Very little is known about this castle. The name may be derived from the adjective struf = scrubby or rough.
. The castle is best reached from the western (village) side.
The ramparts, which are still recognisable today, clearly show the two adjacent rectangular wards of the castle. The eastern ward, with its deeper ditch to the west and its higher earthworks, is presumably the main, or upper, ward. The upper ward measures 70 × 100 metres, the lower ward 50 to 70 × 135 metres. Another outwork with a length of about 70 metres lies on the extreme western slope of the ridge.
The Struvenburg was a hillfort typical of the Harz.
Today there is a checkpoint (No. 83) on the Harzer Wandernadel
hiking network located between the Struvenberg and Ziegenberg.
era, because its archaeological finds date to the 9th century. Because other finds are clearly of Saxon origin, it is possible that the 9th century castle was built on the site of an even older hillfort.
Little is known of the significance of the castle. From its strategic location – the castle lay close to an important crossroads – it may have had a military purpose in connexion with the overthrow of the local Saxon population by the Franks.
Benzingerode
Benzingerode has been a village incorporated into the borough of Wernigerode since 1 April 1993. in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.- Location :...
, a village in the borough of Wernigerode
Wernigerode
Wernigerode is a town in the district of Harz, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Until 2007, it was the capital of the district of Wernigerode. Its population was 35,500 in 1999....
in the district of Harz in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt
Saxony-Anhalt is a landlocked state of Germany. Its capital is Magdeburg and it is surrounded by the German states of Lower Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia.Saxony-Anhalt covers an area of...
. Today only a few earthworks remain. Very little is known about this castle. The name may be derived from the adjective struf = scrubby or rough.
Location
The site of the castle is on an isolated east-west limestone ridge, the Struvenberg, that descends towards the west into the basin where the village is situated, and is continued eastwards by the ZiegenbergZiegenberg (Saxony-Anhalt)
The Ziegenberg ist a low ridge between the villages of Benzingerode and Heimburg on the northern edge of the Harz Mountains in central Germany. The ridge is a designated nature reserve. The reserve has an area of 88.4 hectares and has a variety of habitats including mesophytic grassland , bushes,...
. The castle is best reached from the western (village) side.
Layout
Whilst the steep 60º slope on the southern side of the ridge facing the Harz Mountains provided a good natural defence, the other sides were protected by straight ramparts with ditches in front of them.The ramparts, which are still recognisable today, clearly show the two adjacent rectangular wards of the castle. The eastern ward, with its deeper ditch to the west and its higher earthworks, is presumably the main, or upper, ward. The upper ward measures 70 × 100 metres, the lower ward 50 to 70 × 135 metres. Another outwork with a length of about 70 metres lies on the extreme western slope of the ridge.
The Struvenburg was a hillfort typical of the Harz.
Today there is a checkpoint (No. 83) on the Harzer Wandernadel
Harzer Wandernadel
The Harzer Wandernadel is a network of checkpoints for walkers in the Harz mountains in North Germany. It includes a system whereby the hiker can earn badges at different levels by walking to the various checkpoints in the network and recording them...
hiking network located between the Struvenberg and Ziegenberg.
History
The castle may date to the CarolingianCarolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
era, because its archaeological finds date to the 9th century. Because other finds are clearly of Saxon origin, it is possible that the 9th century castle was built on the site of an even older hillfort.
Little is known of the significance of the castle. From its strategic location – the castle lay close to an important crossroads – it may have had a military purpose in connexion with the overthrow of the local Saxon population by the Franks.
Sources
- Erich Schafranek: Blankenburg am Harz: Bodetal, Regenstein, Rübeländer Höhlen (Unser kleines Wanderheft 77). Leipzig 1958.
- Johann Christoph Stübner: Denkwürdigkeiten des Fürstenthums Blankenburg und des demselben inkorporirten Stiftsamts Walkenried. Wernigerode 1788-1790.
- Fritz Schlimmer: Die „Struvenburg“ bei Benzingerode, under Kultstätten A-Z, Benzingerode, Struvenburg, Texte at http://www.harzkult.de/auflistung/struvenburg.htm
External links
- Artist's impression by Wolfgang Braun