Ringwall Waldems

The Ringwall Waldems is an ancient hilltop fortification in the Taunus hills of Hesse. It stands on a wooded ridge 459 metres above sea level between the villages of Reichenbach, Niederems and Wüstems, all part of Waldems. The site’s name, Burg, marks the remains of earthen ramparts that once enclosed a settlement of several hundred metres across. Archaeologists disagree about its origins. Local signs describe it as a probable Celtic refuge fort built around 500 BC. Other studies place its main features in the early Middle Ages, when it served as the centre of a church-owned clearing landscape. By 1850 the ramparts were still clear, but farming and forestry have since lowered them. Visitors walk the quiet woodland paths where the southern ramparts still rise above the forest floor. Information boards explain the conflicting theories about the site’s builders and purpose. The air is filled with birdsong and the scent of pine as the ridge offers wide views over the surrounding valleys.