Burgstall Rappershausen: A Probable Early Medieval Mound Castle in Germany
Site at a Glance
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Germany
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
History
Burgstall Rappershausen lies in the Burgkeller field south of Rappershausen, Germany. It is probably an early medieval mound castle, a fortification built around a raised earth mound, often with a tower on top.
A local legend tells of a young woman who worked on holy Sundays and, after her death, was made to haunt the castle for profaning the day. The tale says she frightened travelers at the witching hour even after the castle had fallen into ruin.
Remains
Mound and defensive earthworks
The earthwork stands about 50 metres east of the deserted medieval settlement of Uttenhausen. It occupies a natural slope that descends south into a valley hollow. The mound’s summit platform is approximately rectangular, measuring 22 metres from west to east and 19 metres from north to south. A ditch turns at a right angle along its north and east sides, reaching up to 20 metres wide and 2–3 metres deep. It helped defend the site against nearby level ground at roughly the same elevation, with somewhat higher ground farther away. Soil from the ditch appears to have been used to raise the mound. On the south and west, existing slopes, about six metres and four metres high respectively, were made steeper. A hollow near the platform’s centre contains numerous stones and some brick fragments. The lost tower is thought to have stood in or near the hollow. Scattered modern mineral waste may have resulted from illegal dumping on the lower part of the mound.
