Monsilienburg

The Monsilienburg is a group of ancient earthworks in a wooded area halfway between Beverstedt and the village of Wellen in Lower Saxony. The site sits on a sandy ridge bordered by the Lune river on one side. Dense forest now covers the area, making it hard to judge the original size of the fortification.

Once one of the largest castles in northern Germany, the Monsilienburg had a square inner bailey measuring about 70 metres on each side. A wide rampart, once 21 metres thick and 3.2 metres high, surrounded the square space. In 1905 a ditch 12 metres wide and 2 metres deep ran outside the rampart, with a 5-metre-wide ledge called a berme between them. Three extra ramparts and ditches guarded the west and north sides, while the Lune’s marshy lowlands protected the east and south. A single gap in the defences on the south-western edge probably marked the entrance.

Today the Monsilienburg is a quiet woodland walk. Visitors follow paths through tall trees to reach the grassy ramparts and deep ditches. The central square is still recognisable, though partly filled by centuries of soil and leaves. The only visible trace of the entrance lies where the southern rampart meets the western side. The site tells the story of a powerful medieval fortress that once controlled the river crossing and was later destroyed in 1212.