| Stromberg | |
|---|---|
| Ripsdorf | |
  Stromberg  Stromberg | |
| Coordinates | 50°23′39″N6°38′12″E / 50.39424°N 6.63668°E Coordinates: 50°23′39″N6°38′12″E / 50.39424°N 6.63668°E |
| Type | hill castle, motte |
| Code | DE-NW |
| Height | 559 m above sea level (NHN) |
| Site information | |
| Condition | Reste |
| Site history | |
| Materials | Sandstone and basalt |
The fortification on the Stromberg near Ripsdorf in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia is a circular rampart site, which may have been a Celtic refuge fort.
The Stromberg hillfort lies in the North Eifel in the area of the municipality of Blankenheim about 1.6 km northwest of the village of Ripsdorf and 1.8 km (each as the crow flies) northeast of Waldorf. The hillfort site is situated on the Stromberg (559 m above sea level (NHN) ) [1] , one of the highest hills of the upper Ahr valley. To the south, the Schaafbach stream runs past the Blankenheim hamlet of Ahrmühle and the Ripsdorf Mill. Maps give the height within the fort variously as 559.0 m [1] and 558.2 m. [2]
The almost circular rampart, which measures about 215 metres wide from west to east and 240 metres long from north to south, surrounds the plateau of the Stromberg which drops steeply away on all sides. The banks, which are made of sandstone and basalt blocks were uncovered when the Rhenish State Museum in Bonn picked up responsibility for area monuments in 1979, but it has not been further investigated. According to Herzog [3] they may be part of a prehistoric Celtic refuge fort.
Linked to this site, roughly 145 metres away to the north, is an artificial hill with a surrounding moat. The site, which is nearly 55 metres wide, is suggested by Herzog to be a medieval motte and bailey castle based on its dimensions. In the vicinity of both fortifications there are remains of a former ore mine.
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A hillfort is a type of earthwork used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze Age or Iron Age. Some were used in the post-Roman period. The fortification usually follows the contours of a hill and consists of one or more lines of earthworks, with stockades or defensive walls, and external ditches. Hillforts developed in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age, roughly the start of the first millennium BC, and were used in many Celtic areas of central and western Europe until the Roman conquest.
Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hill fort 1.6 mi (2.6 km) south west of Dorchester, in the English county of Dorset. Hill forts were fortified hill-top settlements constructed across Britain during the Iron Age.
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Prideaux Castle is a multivallate Iron Age hillfort situated atop a 133 m (435 ft) high conical hill near the southern boundary of the parish of Luxulyan, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is also sometimes referred to as Prideaux Warren, Prideaux War-Ring, or Prideaux Hillfort. The site is a scheduled monument and so protected from unauthorised works by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.
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The Celtic hill fort of Otzenhausen is one of the biggest fortifications the Celts ever constructed. It was built by Gauls of the Treveri tribe, who lived in the region north of the fort. The fort is located on top of the Dollberg, a hill near Otzenhausen in Germany, about 695 m above sea level. The only visible remains are two circular earth ramparts, covered with stones.
Maiden Castle is an Iron Age hill fort, one of many fortified hill-top settlements constructed across Britain during the Iron Age, but one of only seven in the county of Cheshire in northern England. The hill fort was probably occupied from its construction in 600 BC until the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century AD. At this time the Cornovii tribe are recorded to have occupied parts of the surrounding area but, because they left no distinctive pottery or metalworking, their occupation has not been verified. Since then it has been quarried and used for military exercises. It is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and is owned by the National Trust. The hill fort is open to visitors, but unrestricted access to the site has resulted in it being classified as "at high risk" from erosion.
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