Hiking Highlight
This Highlight is in a protected area
Please check local regulations for: Biosphärenreservat Pfälzerwald-Vosges du Nord
Location: Deidesheim, Bad Dürkheim, Palatinate Forest, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
The Heidenlöcher are the ruins of a hilltop castle near the small Palatinate town of Deidesheim in Rhineland-Palatinate. The remains point to a refuge castle from Carolingian, possibly also from Ottonian times.
March 16, 2017
Very impressive, ancient ruins that invite you to play and be amazed. Attention: Archaeological finds here must be reported!
June 16, 2016
The potholes lie on the 347 m high Martensberg. They are surrounded by a rampart. Inside the wall you will find the remains of many dwellings. Presumably, this plant is the remains of a refuge from the inhabitants of the Rhine plain to flee from the predatory Normans and Huns. It was probably built in the 9th-10th. Century.
November 11, 2018
In the 1820s, so-called Heimatfreunde brought the Fliehburg into the consciousness of a wider public for the first time. The excavation was undertaken in 1907/08 under the direction of Friedrich Sprater of the Historical Museum of the Palatinate (Speyer). Sprater still believed that it was a settlement from the Celtic period, as evidenced by the first part of the name, which classifies the Celts as heathens. The complex was marked by the Ritterstein 260 at the beginning of the 20th century.
Recent research has shown that the plant is more than a thousand years younger. The second part of the name comes from the depressions that the collapsed buildings had left in the forest floor. According to current knowledge, it is not certain that the facility has ever been used in accordance with its purpose; at least it is believed that the heathen holes were never permanently inhabited. Although the building remains on a pronounced interior development, but it lacks both regularly operated fireplaces and landfills.
February 26, 2018
Foundations of a historic fortification from the time of the late Carolingian or Ottonen.
April 9, 2017
The heath holes (ruin of a cave castle) are very worth seeing.
February 12, 2017
Very interesting and mysterious. It was probably a refugee settlement before the Normans.
June 30, 2019
The Heidenlöcher near Deidesheim: About 2.5 km northwest of Deidesheim are the so-called Heidenlöcher on the summit of the Kirchberg or Martenberg. They were built in the 9th and 10th centuries as a refuge to protect against the raids of the Normans or Hungarians. A 450 m long dry wall, interrupted by two gates, moves around an area on which the foundations of 65 houses of different sizes were found.
January 6, 2020
Old castle grounds from which only foundations are visible.
May 16, 2018
The Heidenlöcher are the remains of a fleeing castle
May 5, 2020
Potholes, 9th-10th c. for the protection of the population from the Normans, important cultural asset, must see ...
July 2, 2019
It looks kinda weird and you wonder how it used to be. Definitely worth seeing.
July 16, 2017
An interesting area, you can feel history here!
October 7, 2020
This complex has 2 gate systems, i. H. 2 ways to enter them. You can then walk on a dry stone rampart or within this rampart and see the remains of many stone houses.
Without KOMOOT: If you don't want to get lost, then it's best to follow the "Palatinate Wine Trail" hiking sign.
January 14, 2022
Always interesting to look at, you always discover something new. Exciting for children too!
November 7, 2020
The entire facility is very exciting. A look into early history.
October 8, 2021
Very interesting facility. Unfortunately, no information can be found on site. It should definitely be possible to set up 1-2 information boards there.
March 21, 2022
A truly beautiful place to stay and enjoy the tranquility.
September 10, 2018
Fortifications were built in the Palatinate as early as 900 AD. They should serve the population with household effects and cattle as escape or refuge castles in case of an imminent danger. They were mainly located on the edge of the mountains and covered a larger area with ramparts and moats. It was built at the instigation of the Carolingian or Ottonian kings, since the Rhine plain was threatened by Norman raids in the 9th century and Hungarian advances in the 10th century. Despite the advance of the Normans and Hungarians, excavations show that the refuge castles were not used at all or were only inhabited for a short time.
Source: DallAgnol, D. The medieval hilltop castles in the Palatinate Forest Nature Park biosphere reserve.
May 25, 2020
Very interesting. It's fun for children too. It's unbelievable what effort people had to put in for fear of people.
October 30, 2020
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