The Heunischenburg is a stone

fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

of the late

Urnfield period The Urnfield culture ( 1300 BC – 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age Europe, Bronze Age culture of Central Europe, often divided into several local cultures within a broader Urnfield tradition. The name comes from the custom of cremat ...

near the

Upper Franconia Upper Franconia (german: Oberfranken) is a ''Regierungsbezirk'' (administrative 'Regierungs''region 'bezirk'' of the state of Bavaria, southern Germany. It forms part of the historically significant region of Franconia, the others being Middle F ...

n town of

Kronach Kronach (East Franconian: ''Gronich'') is a town in Upper Franconia, Germany, located in the Frankenwald area. It is the capital of the district Kronach. Kronach is the birthplace of Lucas Cranach the Elder and Maximilian von Welsch, as well as ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Its heyday was in the 9th century BC, making it the oldest stone fortification north of the Alps that is known and

archaeologically Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

investigated.Haller, Micho (2018). "Der erste Oberfranke war Neandertaler" in ''ECHT Oberfranken'', Issue 45.

Topographical situation

The fort is located on a 486-metre-high

hill spur A spur is a lateral ridge or tongue of land descending from a hill, mountain or main crest of a ridge. It can also be defined as another hill or mountain range which projects in a lateral direction from a main hill or mountain range. Examples of ...

of the Wolfsberg, between the Kronach quarter of Gehülz and the village of Burgstall (

Mitwitz Mitwitz is a municipality in the district of Kronach in Bavaria in Germany. It lies on the Steinach river and the Föritz (which flows into the Steinach), on the edge of the Frankenwald on the route between Kronach and Coburg Coburg () is ...

). The fort probably guarded a copper and tin trading route in the

Fichtel Mountains The Fichtel MountainsRandlesome, C. et al. (2011). ''Business Cultures in Europe'', 2nd ed., Routledge, Abingdon and New York, p. 52. . (german: Fichtelgebirge, cs, Smrčiny), form a small horseshoe-shaped mountain range in northeastern Bavaria ...

. While a mighty, 110-metre-long rampart protected the vulnerable eastern flank of the military camp, on the other sides the steeply sloping sides of the spur offer a natural protection that was reinforced by a wooden

palisade A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a fence or defensive wall made from iron or wooden stakes, or tree trunks, and used as a defensive structure or enclosure. Palisades can form a stockade. Etymology ''Palisade' ...

. The typical features of a

pincer gate A pincer gate (german: Zangentor) is a gate in a fortification that is deeply embedded between two inward angled exterior walls. Those wishing to enter the fort have to approach what is in effect a sunken road and, if hostile, can be attacked fro ...

and

sally port A sally port is a secure, controlled entry way to an enclosure, e.g., a fortification or prison. The entrance is usually protected by some means, such as a fixed wall on the outside, parallel to the door, which must be circumvented to enter an ...

suggest a late Mycenaean influence, so that contacts to the Mediterranean civilisation can be assumed. The strong, but small fort and the many weapons found distinguish the Heunischenburg clearly from the great centres of settlement of the late Bronze Age.

Name

Two meanings have been proposed: # the term ''Heunen'' could refer to a grey, legendary thing from an earlier time. # the root word ''Heunen'' (''Hünen'' = "giant") could refer to legendary giant builders of the fortification imagined by the people of the Middle Ages.

History

Excavations indicate three periods of settlement: * In the first period (10th century BC) the Heunischenburg was constructed as a palisaded fortification. * In the second period (10th century BC) the defences were reinforced with a sandstone wall that probably burned down during a battle. * In the third period (9th century) the Heunischenburg was expanded into a strong hillfort. The northeastern flank was guarded by a 2.6-metre-wide, 3.5-metre-high and 110-metre long wall made of sandstone. This was in turn protected by a 3.5-metre-wide berm and a shallow ditch The wall on the inner side of the pincer gateway is only of single-leaf construction. The outer wall either side of the gateway approach on the hillside, was 2 metres wide and continued as a 55-metre-long wooden defensive breastwork. This probably enclosed the entire site. The gateway had a 1-metre-wide portal at the rear with a projecting wooden tower.

Excavations

The archaeological dating of the site is based on numerous bronze finds, about 70 per cent of which are weapons. There are also needles, rings, razors, decorative discs, fragments of wrought lead, pieces of swords, lance points and arrowheads. Because many arrowheads were found that had not been deburred, it is suspected that there were times when there was an extremely high consumption of munitions in the garrison. A helmet of the

was found at nearby Thonberg.

Reconstruction

In 1986 and 2000, based on clear evidence, a reconstruction was carried out of a section of wall of the final fortification phase with a berm in front, the gateway with its wooden tower and the gateway cul-de-sac which extended for some way into the interior of the fort.

References

Literature

* Björn-Uwe Abels: ''The Heunischenburg near Kronach. Eine späturnenfelderzeitliche Befestigung''. Univ.-Verl., Regensburg, 2002, .

External links

Documentation of the excavations
with many explanatory sketches
360° Panorama of the Heunischenburg
on 31 October 2010 {{Coord, 50.2426, N, 11.2654, E, display=title, format=dms Archaeological sites in Germany Hill forts in Germany Bronze Age Germany Kronach (district)