The Milseburg is an extinct
volcano
A volcano is a rupture in the Crust (geology), crust of a Planet#Planetary-mass objects, planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface.
On Ear ...
and at above sea level the second highest elevation in the
Hessian part of the
Rhön Mountains,
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 ...
. The hill is located east of
Fulda, near the villages of Kleinsassen and Danzwiesen. It is a popular destination for hikers and bikers. Scientifically, Milseburg is most notable for the remains of a large
Celtic oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
. It also features several other structures on the peak, including a chapel dedicated to
St Gangulphus.
Geography
The Milseburg is located in the municipality of
Hofbieber, east of
Fulda in the
Rhön hills of
Hesse
Hesse (, , ) or Hessia (, ; german: Hessen ), officially the State of Hessen (german: links=no, Land Hessen), is a state in Germany. Its capital city is Wiesbaden, and the largest urban area is Frankfurt. Two other major historic cities are Dar ...
,
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 ...
. It is made up of volcanic
basalt
Basalt (; ) is an aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the surface of a rocky planet or moon. More than 90 ...
.
The headwaters of the creek
Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter B ...
, a contributor to the
Haune
The Haune is a 67 km long river in Hesse, Germany, right tributary of the Fulda. Its source is near Dietershausen, southeast of the town Fulda, in the Rhön Mountains. The Haune flows generally north through the towns Hünfeld, Burghaun and ...
are located immediately to the south of the Milseburg. It flows around Milseburg to the west.
Milseburg is the highest elevation in the ''Western Küppenrhön'' and the second highest in the Hessian part of the hill range. It rises around over the surrounding landscape. It has quite steep slopes on all sides except to the northwest, which offers the only easy access to the top.
A
nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...
of around 26 hectares (created in the 1970s) covers most of the hill.
Oppidum
The Milseburg is most notable, aside from being a landmark, for having been the site of an important
Celtic oppidum
An ''oppidum'' (plural ''oppida'') is a large fortified Iron Age settlement or town. ''Oppida'' are primarily associated with the Celtic late La Tène culture, emerging during the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, spread across Europe, stretchi ...
. It was likely occupied from around 1200 to 800 BC and again from 450 BC to around the turn of the eras. The ''Ringwall'' (
circular rampart
A circular rampart (German: ''Ringwall'') is an embankment built in the shape of a circle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification, hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering.
The ...
) was one of the largest and most elevated in eastern Hesse. It originally had three gates, only one of which — the ''Tor am Kälberhutstein'' — was passable by wagons.
The main fortification was a long stone wall that surrounded the north, east and south sides of the hill at its base. It was discovered as ancient in origin by R. Virchow (1821-1902). However, for a long time it was locally thought to be a modern field border. As a result, when the nearby railway line was built in 1896 most of the wall to the north and northeast was removed and used to make gravel. The wall begins at the scree slope of the ''Kälberhutstein'' to the north, slopes in an arch to the southeast and encompasses the whole eastern side of the hill at a distance of to from its base. The three gates were located to the northeast, east and south. Ch. L. Thomas identified the wall as a ''
pfostenschlitzmauer
A ''Pfostenschlitzmauer'' (German for "post-slot wall") is the name for defensive walls protecting Iron Age hill forts and '' oppida'' in Central Europe, especially in Bavaria and the Czech Republic. They are characterized by vertical wooden pos ...
'' in 1906.
An inner wall surrounded the long by wide plateau. Natural formations (the ''Kälberhutstein'' to the north, cliffs up to high to the west, scree slopes to the south and the rock formation known as ''Kleine Milseburg'' to the east) limited the need for artificial fortifications to a few stretches. Several springs are located on the plateau and would have supplied drinking water for the residents.
Research on the Milseburg included excavations by J. Vondreau (1863-1951) and the ''Landesmuseum Kassel'' (J. Bohleau, G. Eisentraut, W. Lange) in the years between 1900 and 1906. Many traces of settlements were found on the hill top, especially near the springs. One of them, near the ''Kleine Milseburg'' consisted of around 30 circular living "pods" of roughly to diameter, delimited by stones and protected by additional walls. This "village" yielded various findings from the
La Tène period, but no information on the possible type of house erected on the circular plans was discovered. Although only very limited in scale, the excavations yielded several hundred pounds worth of pottery shards. These indicate intensive use as a settlement during the late
Hallstatt
Hallstatt ( , , ) is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammergut ...
to the late La Tène periods (6th/5th century to 1st century BC). The oppidum likely served as a nexus for the region where Celtic and Germanic cultures met. It was the largest circular rampart in the Rhön region. Other findings show that the hill was inhabited or at least visited during earlier periods: a bronze spearhead from the
Urnfield culture
The Urnfield culture ( 1300 BC – 750 BC) was a late Bronze Age culture of Central Europe, often divided into several local cultures within a broader Urnfield tradition. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and p ...
(1200 to 800 BC) and a shard from the
Corded Ware culture
The Corded Ware culture comprises a broad archaeological horizon of Europe between ca. 3000 BC – 2350 BC, thus from the late Neolithic, through the Copper Age, and ending in the early Bronze Age. Corded Ware culture encompassed a v ...
(roughly 2500 to 1800 BC).
Later history and name
One of several different versions of a Christian legend claims that the giant "Mils" who had allied himself to the devil used to live here. Saint
Gangulphus
Saint Gangulphus of Burgundy (died May 11, 760 AD) is venerated as a martyr by the Catholic Church. Gangulphus was a Burgundian courtier whose historical existence can only be attested by a single document: a deed from the court of Pepin the Sho ...
vanquished the giant, who died. The devil then built a cairn for him with stones that outlined the giant's shape, feet to the north, head to the south. That supposedly created the
trapezoid
A quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides is called a trapezoid () in American and Canadian English. In British and other forms of English, it is called a trapezium ().
A trapezoid is necessarily a convex quadrilateral in Eu ...
hill of Milseburg.
The origin of the name ''Mils'' is not known for certain. In a document by Emperor
Otto II
Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Ita ...
from 980, the hill is already called ''Milsiburg''. There was a small medieval castle on the western slope beneath the peak. Although it is only mentioned in a written document in 1119, it could have been built significantly earlier and given rise to the hill's name.
Today
The hill was the property of
Johann von und zu Guttenberg until 2005. That year, he sold it to the town of Hofbieber for €200,000. The State of Hesse contributed €52,000, the
Fulda district another €10,000 to the purchase. The balance was made up by local businesses and individual donors. The ''Rhönklub'' has maintained a mountain cabin on the peak for over 100 years.
Nearby is the ''Gangolfskapelle'' a chapel dedicated to Saint Gangulphus. It is close to the location where the holy site of the Celts was likely situated. Since that area has not yet been excavated, no evidence of its existence has yet been found. Some small remains of the medieval castle are also still visible. At the highest point, there is a group of statues, showing a
Crucifixion scene.
The Milseburg also features Germany's longest cycling tunnel, a former part of the ' railway.
Milseburg is a popular destination for bikers and hikers.
See also
*
List of volcanoes in Germany
This is a list of active and extinct volcanoes.
See also
*Volcanic Eifel
References
{{Global Volcanism Program
Germany
*
Volcanoes
Volcanoes
A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that al ...
References
External links
Milseburg Hütte (German)Milseburg cycling trail (German)
{{Authority control
Mountains of Hesse
Mountains and hills of the Rhön
Oppida
Archaeological sites in Germany
Former populated places in Germany