The gate system
The entrance gate to the complex was on the western steep slope. Thanks to the excavations of the Trier Provincial Museum under the direction of Wolfgang Dehn in the 1930s, the gate and the adjacent wall areas could be researched. It was a two-wing gate 6m wide. Separated by the central posts into two 2.5m wide passages, the gate had an exit and an entrance. The footprints of the gate posts and the side posts supporting the walls were clearly visible during the excavations. The wooden posts sunk into the holes had been wedged. The oversized, thick center post of the gate supports the theory that the passage was covered by a wooden battlement. The battlement, which is set back slightly and the protruding wall corners, define the gate building as a kennel-like gate. This architectural feature meant that the attacking enemy could be fought from three sides at the same time. This was all the more important because the gate was naturally one of the most vulnerable points in the fortress. A layer of gravel covered the ground and the path leading up the slope into the castle interior. This ground cover ensured passage even in wet weather. Outside the gate, the access road probably led parallel to the fortress wall to the north onto the ridge. The side wall flanks were designed as a nailed wooden frame with stone filling (murus gallicus technique). To the right, below the gate, you can see the collapsed stones of the original outer wall, which encloses the so-called outer bailey area in the south of the fortress. The area, delimited with complex technology in the murus gallicus style, is considered unfavorable for settlement. The question of its significance for the fortress is still unclear. The forewall may have been used to secure water-bearing gaps to supply the fortress. Or the outer wall belonged to a phase in which the complex was once larger before the area was reduced somewhat and the upper fortress wall, which was easier to defend, was built. Source: Text information board - Dr. T Fritsch, Terrex gGmbH