Hohe Schanze

The Hohe Schanze is an ancient hilltop fortification in the southern Sackwald hills of Lower Saxony. It stands 326 metres above sea level on a ridge that bends from north to west near Winzenburg. The site consists of several defensive lines built during the early Middle Ages, with walls and ditches still visible today. Archaeologists have dated the main defences to the 10th to 12th centuries. Earlier theories linked it to an 8th-century mission station, but recent research by the Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Denkmalpflege places it firmly in the Ottonian period. The excavator Carl Schuchhardt uncovered a stone gateway and traces of a chapel in the central area. Remains of timber buildings and a possible tower foundation were also found. Visitors follow a historical trail marked by ten information boards. The route passes the reconstructed gateways, the chapel foundations and sections of the outer walls. Shrubs partly cover the ramparts, yet the layout of the fortification remains clear. The surrounding woodland offers views across the Hildesheim region. Nearby lie other small hill forts such as the Eringaburg and the Tiebenburg.