Pöppendorfer Ringwall: An Early Medieval Slavic Fortification in Germany

Visitor Information

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Country: Germany

Civilization: Unclassified

Remains: Military

History

The Pöppendorfer Ringwall is located in the municipality of Pöppendorf in modern-day Germany. It was constructed in the 8th century by the Wagrier tribe, a Slavic group that inhabited the region during the early Middle Ages.

The ringwall served as a fortified settlement and likely played a central role for the local Wagrier community throughout the 8th to 10th centuries. Archaeological evidence points to the site being actively used during this time, with a settlement positioned just southwest of the fortification itself. Around the year 1000, the Pöppendorfer Ringwall was abandoned. Its disuse predates the medieval chronicles that document the nearby town of Alt Lübeck in the 11th and 12th centuries, indicating the fortification had fallen out of use well before the later medieval period.

The cultural connections between the ringwall and nearby burial mounds on the “Pöppendorfer Hals” suggest that the site was not only a defensive position but also held ritual significance for the Wagriers. This link between fortification and local burial practices highlights a complex interplay of social and spiritual life in the region during the Slavic settlement period.

Beneath the layers associated with the fort, discoveries of Neolithic pottery and large stones indicate that the location had significance long before the Slavic fortification was built. These earlier finds suggest that a much older megalithic structure existed on the site prior to the 8th-century earthworks, revealing a continuity of human activity spanning several millennia.

Remains

The Pöppendorfer Ringwall is a circular fortified site constructed primarily as an earthwork on a small hill. Its defensive position is enhanced by a wet lowland that encircles the hill to the northeast, taking advantage of natural landscape features. The ring has a diameter of about 100 meters, with an earthen rampart rising 8 to 12 meters above the surrounding terrain and 3 to 6 meters above the interior ground level. On the northeast side, the rampart is lower where the entrance gate is situated, facing toward the wetland area.

Within the interior and along the western rampart, archaeologists uncovered Slavic ceramics, confirming the site’s occupation by the Wagrier tribe during the early medieval period. These finds help date the fortification and link it definitively to Slavic culture.

During test excavations in the 19th century, large boulders known as findlings were discovered beneath the ceramic layers. These stones point toward the existence of an earlier megalithic construction beneath the ringwall, possibly connected to Neolithic activity indicated by pottery shards with deeply incised designs. This combination of features marks the Pöppendorfer Ringwall as a rare site where prehistoric and early medieval elements overlap.

Today, the fortification’s earthworks remain well-preserved, displaying substantial height and clear form. Photographic records show internal areas, the raised rampart top, and access stairs that help visitors navigate the site. Together, these preserved features provide insight into early Slavic fortification techniques and the long-standing human presence in this part of northern Germany.