Wallburg Pöhlde

The Wallburg Pöhlde stands on the Rotenberg ridge, half a kilometre south of the village of Pöhlde in the Landkreis Göttingen. It was built as a refuge fortification between the 9th and 12th centuries, with a larger outer ward and a smaller inner stronghold. The steep northern slope gave natural protection, while the southern side needed a massive rampart, ditch and later a sandstone wall. Archaeologists found mainly 9th- to 10th-century pottery and dated timber from the outer rampart to between 750 and 1100. Excavations in 1934, 1951 and 1955–74 showed no traces of permanent buildings, confirming its role as a temporary refuge rather than a royal seat. A wide hollow-way still leads down to the village, marking the old road that once passed the site. Visitors walk along the well-preserved ramparts of the outer ward, which measures 220 by 120 metres. The main entrance was a double-gated passage 4.6 metres wide with walls two metres thick. Inside, the smaller inner stronghold has a diameter of about 100 metres and two elaborate gateways, one of them a 3.3-metre-wide passage with walls still standing a metre high. The ridge offers wide views over the surrounding countryside.