A Celtic Heritage Site

Several Celtic entrenchments are to be found in southern Germany, one of the largest is only a few kilometers from where we live - but we always rode by and never bothered to stop and have a look. As far as I knew it was not much more than a mound of earth and grass and nothing much else to see. But today we stopped. It is a mound of earth, but a big one.

One side of the square is 110 - 120 meters long. Here is a translation of the information:

The importance of Celtic entrenchments was controversial for a long time, one thought of Roman defenses, cattle pens, etc. An investigation of the Celtic entrenchment at Holzhausen in 1957-62 proved its purpose as a place of worship. Traces of a small wooden temple with a covered walkway and 3 sacrificial shafts (with depths of 6.18 and 35 m) were discovered in which animal sacrifices were offered. These sites date from the Latene period (500-15 BC).
 
The site at Buchendorf is one of the best preserved in southern Germany. The ramparts with the slightly elevated corners are undisturbed, only the breakthrough in the southwest corner is from more recent times. The moat that adjoined the ramparts on the outside was probably already filled in when it was in use. The entrance on the west side, on the other hand, is well preserved. There is also evidence of a temple building in the north-west corner (at the same place as in Holzhausen).

"No statues there," I was told by a walker who had also stopped to read the information plaque. We got on our bikes and continued our ride.

Mounds of earth covered with grass

We are on our way

The rest of the ride was on some forest paths that we hadn't ridden before and then finishing the loop through Buchendorf to home.

Buchendorf: our palette of colors in early March