Wittekindsburg

The Wittekindsburg stands in the Nettetal valley near Rulle in the Osnabrück uplands. It was once the largest early medieval hillfort in Lower Saxony, covering about sixteen hectares. Today only low foundations remain above ground. Archaeologists date parts of the site to the late 7th or early 8th century. Radiocarbon samples from the inner stronghold point to use between AD 635 and 840. The main castle was occupied from the late 8th until the late 10th century. Carl Schuchhardt carried out the first digs around 1890, followed by larger excavations from 1966 to 1972 and again in 2001. Visitors walk among grassy ramparts and shallow ditches that once formed the defences. The eastern side still shows a mortared stone wall up to 1.15 m thick and a ditch 3.9 m deep. A square tower of 6.75 m side length stands at the north-east corner. The western front has a dry-stone wall 85 cm thick backed by an earthen rampart and a 3.15 m deep ditch. Remains of wooden and stone buildings lie scattered inside the former stronghold.