Weiherberg

The Weiherberg is a limestone ridge rising 600 metres above sea level near Christgarten in Bavaria. It closes the Kartäusertal valley on its western side, towering up to 110 metres above the valley floor. The ridge lies within the municipality of Ederheim in the Donau-Ries district. Traces of prehistoric and medieval fortifications can still be seen on its slopes. The ridge is worth visiting for its well-preserved earthworks and archaeological finds. A 430-metre-long section of wall, up to 3.5 metres high, curves across the southern slope, defended by two outer ditches and lines of pits that once hindered attackers. Excavations in 1937 revealed two phases of dry-stone walling dating from the Urnfield and La Tène periods. Inside the enclosure archaeologists found burnt animal bones and pottery fragments from a late Bronze Age cremation site. Visitors walk over grassy plateaus and along rocky edges that drop steeply to the valley below. A small pond called the Hirschlache sits near the centre of the ridge, and a private wildlife enclosure is freely accessible. The whole area forms part of the Karthäusertal landscape protection zone. On the northern edge stands a later medieval ring ditch, while nearby Mühlberg and Rauhaus show similar small fortifications from the same early medieval period.