The Troldborg Ring is an

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

fortification in Vejle Municipality in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, west of the city of

Vejle Vejle () is a city in Denmark, in the southeast of the Jutland Peninsula at the head of Vejle Fjord, where the Vejle River and Grejs River and their valleys converge. It is the site of the councils of Vejle Municipality ('' kommune'') and the R ...

. It is located at a

natural spring A spring is a point of exit at which groundwater from an aquifer flows out on top of Earth's crust (pedosphere) and becomes surface water. It is a component of the hydrosphere. Springs have long been important for humans as a source of fresh w ...

on a high point overlooking the

Vejle River Valley Vejle River ( da, Vejle Å, also called Sønderåen, "South River") is an approximately river in Vejle Municipality in Denmark. Its source is Engelsholm Lake near the village of Nørup. It first runs south to converge with the Egtved River near ...

. The surrounding area is a steep ravine known as the Devil's Valley ( da, Fandens Dal). The site consists of a raised area of about surrounded by a

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 ...

( da, ringborg). One side is protected by a steep drop of to the valley floor, while the other side features a , moat. The Troldborg Ring was built around the years 100-200 during a period of turbulence in Denmark, and it was used until around the year 400. It likely served as a refuge during times of violence rather than a permanent dwelling. It is located north of the former

Ravning Bridge The Ravning Bridge (Danish: ''Ravningbroen'') was a former 760 m long timber bridge, built in Denmark in the 10th century during the Viking Age. Located 10 km south of Jelling near the village of Ravning, it crossed the meadows of Ravning E ...

over Vejle River, built in 979-980 during the

Viking Age The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the Ger ...

. Its placement suggests that the area was strategically important even before the bridge was built. A considerable amount of ash from massive fires has been found at the site, although the source and timing of these fires is unclear.

References

Archaeological sites in Denmark Former buildings and structures in Denmark Iron Age sites in Europe Forts in Denmark Vejle Municipality Buildings and structures completed in the 3rd century {{Europe-archaeology-stub