Itzehoe - Galgenberg Round Barrow(s) View all content for Itzehoe - Galgenberg

Originally 5.5 m high, the burial mound, known as Galgenberg, developed from two adjacent burial mounds, of which the southern hill I was the older and enclosed the founder's grave, the stone remains of which are now covered by the dome of the building. Elevated next to the western trade route to the north-western Dithmarschen, the location on a geest knoll was chosen so that it also enabled a view of the wide marshland of Stör and Elbe. Mound I had a diameter of 13 m, a height of 2.70 m and was surrounded by a wreath of head-sized stones and stone blocks. Subsequently to the south, the considerably smaller Mound II housed women's grave 2 with a tree coffin, stone packing and stone wreath as well as children's grave 3, which was foundless and consisted only of a tree coffin in a stone packing. These graves are now under the barrel vault of the entrance area. The following graves 4 and 4a were placed on Mound II and covered with Mound III, which was almost at the same height as the first one. So they now formed a burial mound complex with two knolls. The next two barrows docked on the ground in separate, overlapping mounds at this complex and expanded the area to the north. The following mound VI shaped the entire grave ensemble into a uniform mound system with a height of 3.75 m. Burials 8 and 9 were placed in a hollow (grave 8) or in a grave mound of only a small height on its top. After this simplistic departure from the old burial customs, the old burial mound culture in Mound VIII experienced an impressive renaissance: Above the conspicuously large grave 10, a new filling took place, which covered the entire tomb. The tomb had now reached a height of five and a half meters and a base area with a diameter of 30 m. Scientifically examined by Günther Haseloff in 1937 on behalf of the Heimatverband für den Kreis Steinburg and the Kieler Museums vaterländischer Alterthümer, as the preservation was endangered due to the increasing development of the surrounding area. After a search trench from the east uncovered two graves, a full excavation was undertaken. This unearthed 12 graves, ten of which were body burials in tree coffins and two contained the remains of cremation burials. Three men's and four women's graves could be identified from the grave goods. Eleven of the grave sites were burials of adult dead and one was that of a child. There are also reports of two later urn burials found in the mantle of the hill. Due to its unusual height, the large number of its burials and the undisturbed preservation of the twelve graves, the Galgenberg is one of the most highly regarded grave complexes in Schleswig-Holstein. The Galgenberg is located in a park directly to the west, opposite the Brunnenstrasse cemetery of Itzehoe. Access from the Brunnenstrasse is advisable, as there are also enough parking spaces here. From here the grave is only 60m in the park. If you visit the tumulus, also visit the the passage grave Warringholz, which lies directly in front of the mound. Visited September 2020

Posted by Nucleus 28th November 2020ce

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