Viereckschanze

The late Iron Age Viereckschanze Buchendorf stands on a low spur of land 500 metres north-east of Buchendorf, a village in the Gauting district of Upper Bavaria. The earthwork is one of the best-preserved examples of its kind in southern Germany. Its four sides form a near-perfect square, each between 110 and 120 metres long. Archaeologists date the enclosure to the late La Tène period, though its exact purpose remains uncertain. Traditionally it was thought to be a ritual site, but since the 1990s scholars have debated other possible uses. The Bavarian State Office for Monument Conservation lists the site as a late Iron Age Viereckschanze under number D-1-7934-0013. Close by are early medieval row graves and the remains of a Roman road called the Via Julia. Visitors approach across open farmland to a grassy rampart up to 2.6 metres high. The original entrance gap in the western wall is still visible, while a later cut marks the south-west corner. The surrounding ditch was filled in ancient times. Nearby, the State Office has recorded a small early medieval cemetery and a settlement of unknown date. The site offers quiet views over gentle fields and the gentle rise of the land.