Cultural heritage D-2-7339-0004 in Ergoldsbach

The section fortification at Ergoldsbach stands on the Kapellenberg above the Goldbach stream in the market town of Ergoldsbach, Lower Bavaria. The hilltop site once guarded the eastern edge of the valley, with steep slopes on the west and a narrow valley on the east. Inside the roughly square ramparts, measuring about 100 metres each way, traces of earlier buildings lie buried beneath the grass. A deep ditch and high earthen bank defend the northern front, rising four metres from the trench floor. At the north-eastern corner the outer slope of the ditch forms a dam-like ridge, marking where a bridge once crossed into the fort. The fort’s defences curve southwards from the north-east corner, the bank merging into a middle terrace halfway down the slope. A former neck ditch appears between two upper terraces on the southern side, where the ground drops away gently. The entire earthwork is now part of a spacious park, and on the outer northern rampart stands the Lourdes Chapel. The chapel’s position shows where the main entrance once bridged the outer ditch and cut through the wall. Remains of older phases and demolished buildings lie hidden beneath the turf inside the square. Visitors walk a broad path that follows the old ramparts around the northern and eastern sides. From the chapel terrace there is a wide view across the valley towards the parish church of St Peter and Paul. The park’s gentle slopes and mature trees frame the earthworks, making the fort easy to explore on foot. Information boards along the route describe the early medieval origins and later medieval changes. The site offers a quiet place to stand on the same ground where guards once stood a thousand years ago.