In the middle of one of the most expensive residential areas in Germany on Hoboken-Weg in Kampen lies the Soonjihoog, a Bronze Age burial mound.
The Soonjihoog was almost completely destroyed in the Second World War by the construction of a flak position, and was restored in the 1950s. Two stone boxes were found during an excavation.
The Soonjihoog is located directly on a beaten path between the Heideweg and Hoboken-Weg and can only be reached on foot.
Visited September 2020
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taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information board:
Soonjihoog
The Bronze Age burial mound was almost completely destroyed in 1940 when a flak position was built. In 1954 it was restored by the Schleswig youth development organization (picture below).
During excavations, two stone cists were found as graves. Among other things, blades of bronze razors were found as grave goods.
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The Krockhooger (Frisian for the yellow flowering plant charlock) is the most beautifully preserved group of burial mounds on Sylt. The burial mounds are located at the northeast end of Kampen between the L24 to List and the lighthouse Quermarkenfeuer Rotes Kliff.
The group consists of a total of seven burial mounds from the Bronze Age (1500 BC). Buried bodies, cremated remains and many grave goods, such as magnificent bronze swords, were found.
Visited September 2020
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taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information boards:
Krockhooger
Die Krockhooger sind die schönste noch erhaltene Grabhügelgruppe auf Sylt. Einige der Hügel wurden aber für den Bau der Inselbahn abgetragen. Heute sind noch sieben Hügel deutlich sichtbar. Sie wurden 1952/53 wiederhergestellt.
Die Grabhügel stammen aus der Bronzezeit, ein Langhügel vermutlich bereits aus dem Mittelneolithikum. In den Hügeln fand man sowohl bestattete Körper als auch verbrannte Leichenreste. Die Krockhooger enthielten die reichsten Männergräber der Insel. Gefunden wurden viele Grabbeigaben, darunter prächtige Bronzeschwerter.
The Krockhooger are the most beautiful group of burial mounds still preserved on Sylt. However, some of the mounds were removed for the construction of the island railway. Seven mounds are still clearly visible today. They were restored in 1952/53.
The burial mounds date from the Bronze Age, a long mound probably from the Middle Neolithic. Both buried bodies and cremated remains were found in the mounds. The Krockhooger contained the richest male graves on the island. Many grave goods were found, including magnificent bronze swords.
Bronze age
With the emergence of the new material bronze, the New Stone Age (Neolithic) passed into the Bronze Age. A mixture of 90% copper and 10% tin gave bronze. Its malleability and resistance to corrosion and wear have made bronze a sought-after material for equipment and weapons. First, finished bronze objects were introduced. Imported bronze was later processed further. Since bronze was still very valuable, the flint stone initially remained the most important material.
The Bronze Age began here around 1,800 BC. And lasted about 1,000 years. The mighty burial mounds of this time dominated the landscape of Sylt for thousands of years. More than 420 burial mounds from the Bronze Age can be found on Sylt (right image). The picture (left) shows the Tiideringshooger in Kampen before their destruction.
Settlement in the Bronze Age
As in the previous Neolithic, Sylt was densely populated in the Bronze Age. This was probably also due to the island's importance for sea trade on the west coast as a station between the Elbe estuary and North Jutland. Their wealth at that time was based on this importance.
When trade, presumably from the younger Bronze Age, increasingly shifted towards the Baltic Sea, this wealth declined.
The graves of the Bronze Age
At the beginning of the Bronze Age, the bodies of the deceased continued to be buried in stone boxes or tree coffins, as in the previous Neolithic (New Stone Age). Subsequently, the cremation of the corpses increasingly prevailed. Urns were now buried, still in stone boxes or stone packs. Later the urns were also buried in the mound. For subsequent burials, the grave mounds were usually enlarged and raised. For example, 35 graves were found in a burial mound in Morsum.
The most valuable grave goods during the heyday of the Older Bronze Age were magnificent bronze swords. The sword was one of the most important innovations of the Bronze Age. It was a weapon of tremendous superiority, but it could not be made from flint. Particularly beautiful swords from this period were found in rich men's graves in Kampen, for example in the Krockhoogern.
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Kampen 3 (aka Steingrab 180 / Stone Grave 180), a so-called extended dolmen, was originally located on the Rotes Kliff (Red Cliff) and was exposed by a storm in the 1950s. When the dolmen threatened to fall onto the beach, it was relocated to the footpath that leads from Kampen to the Rotes Kliff or the Hotel Sturmhaube.
The 3.1 m long chamber has three large supporting stones on each long side, which are strongly inclined inward. The width is 1.10 m at the bottom, but only 0.3–0.5 m at the top. On the narrow side, instead of a supporting stone, a large stone slab is leaning against the chamber at an angle. Above it lay a fragment of a large stone slab that may originally have belonged to the cover.
Half of the access side is closed with an upright stone, and there was a low threshold stone in the remaining entrance opening. A somewhat irregularly built passage made of two or three supporting stones connects to the access opening. It is about 1.4 m long and 0.5 m wide. No capstones could be detected for the passage corridor and the eastern part of the chamber.
The gaps between the supporting stones were very carefully filled with stone slabs, especially at the transition to the passage corridor, and covered with clay. All supporting stones were encased on the outside with fist-sized to double-fist-sized or larger rolling stones, which were embedded in clay, so that the cover packing was very firm.
Visited September 2020
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taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information board:
Stone Grave 180 & Wachtmannshoog
The Neolithic "Stone Grave 180" was originally located on the Red Cliff west of the former Curehouse (German Kurhaus - picture below). It was blown free by storms in 1956/57. There was a stone chamber in the flat burial mound. Bones were found in the chamber. The remains of Bronze Age urn burials lay in the hill. When the grave threatened to fall onto the beach, it was moved to its current location.
In the middle of the heather is the probably Bronze Age Wachtsmannshoog. The formerly completely excavated burial mound was restored in 1952 by the youth development work.
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Kampen 1 (aka Steingrab 2 / Stone grave 2) is a relatively small, oval passage grave, which is not a polygonal dolmen only because it has two instead of one capstone. The tomb is located on the edge of the dune belt, west of the Westerweg. All seven supporting stones and two cap stones of the chamber as well as a short corridor have been preserved. The eastern capstone is broken, according to the information board, probably since the Bronze Age. The passage in the south-westerly direction consisted of two pairs of supporting stones, one of them and the cap stones are missing here.
To get to the tomb drive through Kampen towards List (north). Right in the middle of Kampen turn left (at a traffice light) into the road Zur Düne Uwe. Drive to the end of the road and turn right into the road Westerweg and park here. The tomb is located around 65m from the road and there is an offical sign on the cycle path, so it is easy to locate.
Visited September 2020
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taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information board:
Stone grave 2
While digging trenches in 1915, a megalithic tomb from the Middle Neolithic was discovered under the dunes.
It is one of the few well-preserved megalithic tombs from Sylt. The polygonal passage grave was located in a round mound made of yellowish sand, and subsequent burials were still carried out there in the Bronze Age. During the excavation some grave goods and urns were found. The eastern capstone has probably already broken in ancient times, perhaps during a subsequent burial for which the capstone had to be lifted. In 1951 the grave was finally uncovered by scouts (picture below).
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Nuuderst Brödihoog is one of the smaller burial mounds on the island of Sylt. It lies north of Wenningstedt-Braderup right on the road Braderuper Weg (K118) to Kampen at a parking lot.
On the opposite side of the street there are more burial mounds on the grounds of the Golf-Club Sylt e. V. (Raisihoog, Lünghoog, Buatskenhoog, ...). Therefore you cannot visit this sites unless you play a round of golf ;-).
Not a must see place, but a parking lot directly beside the burial mound and information boards makes this an easy to visit site.
Visited September 2020
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taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information board:
Nuuderst Brödihoog & Raisihoog
Directly at the parking lot lies the Bronze Age nuuderst (northern) Brödihoog.
» According to legend, a resident is said to have hidden a treasure there. Every night he or his sons wandered to the treasure and guarded it. One night the mound collapsed with his sons. The father then committed suicide and has been known as a Brödihoog ghost ever since. «
In 1844 the mound was searched but no treasure was found. A bronze sword was found as a grave goods. The neighboring süderst (southern) Brödihoog was removed in 1939.
Opposite on the golf course is the Raisihoog from the Bronze Age. It was also partially dismantled in 1939 for the planned airfield construction and restored in 1974. During excavations in 1870 "only" a few stone cists were found. According to legend, the dwarf king Finn lived in the Raisihoog.
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taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information board:
Nuuderst Brödihoog & Raisihoog
Directly at the parking lot lies the Bronze Age nuuderst (northern) Brödihoog.
» According to legend, a resident is said to have hidden a treasure there. Every night he or his sons wandered to the treasure and guarded it. One night the mound collapsed with his sons. The father then committed suicide and has been known as a Brödihoog ghost ever since. «
In 1844 the mound was searched but no treasure was found. A bronze sword was found as a grave goods. The neighboring süderst (southern) Brödihoog was removed in 1939.
Opposite on the golf course is the Raisihoog from the Bronze Age. It was also partially dismantled in 1939 for the planned airfield construction and restored in 1974. During excavations in 1870 "only" a few stone cists were found. According to legend, the dwarf king Finn lived in the Raisihoog.
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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
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taken from the on-site information board:
City of Itzehoe
- "Germanic grave" on the Galgenberg (Gallows hill) -
In 1937 the burial mound known as "Galgenberg" was excavated, one of the largest Bronze Age burial mounds in Schleswig-Holstein (around 1600 - 1200 BC).
It emerged from two mounds lying close together (I and II), which became a mound through further burials, which was then enlarged so that it ultimately contained 12 graves and had 9 construction periods. The dead were buried in tree coffins, 2 deceased (graves 4a and 7a) were cremated.
The numerous additions in the graves included costume accessories, daggers, an ax and a sword, as well as pieces of flint for striking fire and ceramic vessels.
The current dimensions correspond roughly to the size of the mound before the excavation.
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taken from the Heimtverband für den Kreis Steinburg (Home association for the Steinburg district) information board:
Galgenberg (Gallows hill) or "Germanic grave"
In the Middle Ages and in the early modern period, the Bronze Age burial mound served as the place of execution for the Itzehoe monastery under the name Galgenberg (Gallows Hill).
In 1937, on the 700th anniversary of the founding of the city of Itzehoe in 1938, the mound, one of the largest barrows in Schleswig-Holstein, was expertly opened up under the direction of the archaeologist and professor G. Hasselhoff and called it the "Germanengrab" (Germanic grave).
In the 12 undisturbed graves, the archaeologists found objects from which they could examine the cultural development in the years of the early Bronze Age - 1500 - 1250 BC.
After the excavation, the three lower graves were vaulted with a dome made of sand-lime brick. Urban planning officer Rudolph had the planning and construction management.
In a similar way, a Viking grave was made accessible in 1936 near Kereminde on Funen. Due to the dome construction, the site retained its former appearance and has since been an outstanding monument to a prehistoric culture of our country.
In line with the National Socialist ancestor veneration, a consecration site was to be built in 1937, expanded by a parade area. In the post-war period, the celebrations for National Mourning Day were held here.
The remains of a burial chamber from the Neolithic Age from the Warringholz community have been rebuilt next to the burial mound. The archaeological significance of the "Germanic grave" was the reason for the protection as a ground monument by the Upper Monument Protection Authority.
Visitors please contact the Prinzesshof District Museum, phone 04821/6 40 68,
the joint archive of the Steinburg district and the city of Itzehoe, phone 04821/ 603-242 or Mr. Ingo Lafrentz, phone 04821/9 29 53
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Winjshoog
The Winjshoog is a small burial mound in the northwest of Keitum. It lies close to the road from Keitum to the Sankt Severin church beside a field track.
The Biike fire on the mound used to be lit on February 21, the evening before Petri Day. The Frisian word Biike (German Bake) means sign, sea mark (beacon) or fire mark. The origin of the festival is unclear; probably the fire in the Middle Ages was supposed to drive away evil spirits and protect the new seeds.
To visit the mound take the road to Munkmarsch at the roundabout in Keitum. About 325 m after you leave the roundabout, right behind a house to the left, there is a field track (the street Am Mühlenhof branches off to the right opposite). Winjshoog lies only 190 m along this track on the left.
Visited September 2020
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taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information board:
Winjshoog
The Winjshoog is the only surviving burial mound on this striking ridge, the "Weenk", with a wide view of the marshland. In the old days, the Keitum biike was burned down every year on Winjshoog. In 1954 the hill was restored.
According to C.P. Hansen it was also the Wedns mound. It was dedicated to Wedn, Weda or Wodan. The Frisians thought of the Weda as the supreme god of war, who not only gave the sea warriors luck in battles, but also good wind on their journeys. Before they set out on their sea expeditions in spring, they sacrificed tar barrels to him on the Wedns or Winj mounds and lit a great straw fire on these hills.
This custom is continued today as a biike (bonfires).
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The Tinnum-Burg (in Sylt Frisian: Borig) is an abandoned circular rampart near the community of Tinnum on the island of Sylt.
While the Archsum-Burg was destroyed and the Rantum-Burg is buried under dunes, it is the best preserved of the three Sylt circular ramparts. In the northwest it is bounded by a tidal stream flowing into the Wadden Sea, in the southeast by the flat marsh. The narrow channel was possibly navigable in the Viking Age, so that the castle had access to the sea. In the east the enclosure was connected to the Geest by a land bridge.
The circular rampart was built around the birth of Christ. The ring wall has a diameter of 120 meters. The rampart is up to seven meters high and has a circumference of around 440 meters. The base of the enclosure is about two meters above sea level. Before the marshes were dyed in 1938, the enclosure towered out of the water like an island during storm surges. The fortress had at least two gates (in the east and south), possibly a third gate in the west.
Excavations in 1870, 1948 and 1976 provided evidence that the Tinnum-Burg was one of the circular ramparts built on the North Frisian islands in the early Roman Empire. The excavation results showed that this was a Germanic cult site. After lying fallow and muddy for a while, it was used again in the 8th to 10th centuries. The interior development consisted of sod wall houses. The wall visible today, which was built over the wall around the time of Christ's birth, also dates from this time.
The same old Lembecksburg on Föhr brought comparative finds to the Tinnum-Burg.
To get to Tinnum-Burg, drive from Westerland on the Keitumer Landstrasse in the direction of Keitum. Shortly after the buildings end on the left side, turn right into Königskamp road and cross the railroad tracks. At the end of the street, turn right into Silwai street and after another 50 m turn left again into Borigwai street. After around 100 m the road bends at right angles. Here you park the car and follow the dirt road south, which leads straight to the Tinnum-Burg in 500 m.
Visited September 2020
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taken from the on-site information board:
Community of Sylt-Ost
- Tinnum-Burg -
The Tinnum-Burg (Burg means fortress or castle) was built on the oldest clay layer of the Sylt Südermarsch around the time of the birth of Christ. The enclosure is located on a marsh priel which was connected to a channel in the Westerland Geest. The lowland to the west and north of the enclosure shown on maps from the 18th and 19th centuries as a more or less contiguous silt up lake area. Whether the channel was ever navigable is debatable. Before the marshes were dyed in 1938, the enclosure jutted out of the water like an island during storm surges.
Excavations in 1870, 1948 and 1976 provided evidence that the Tinnum fortress was one of the circular rampart built on the North Frisian islands in the early Roman Empire. It was used again in the 8th to 10th century after a phase in which it lay fallow and mossed up inside (interior construction with sod wall houses). The rampart visible today, which was built over the rampart from the time of the birth of Christ, also dates from this time.
The circular rampart built in the early Roman Empire are interpreted as local Germanic places of worship (sacrificial sites) after a detailed analysis of the excavation results of the Archsum fortress. Except for the Tinnum-Burg and the Lembecksburg on Föhr, there are no comparable monuments of this type in Schleswig-Holstein.
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Denghoog
The Denghoog (one possible interpretation could be Thing mound) is an approximately 5000 year old, accessible passage grave in Wenningstedt on the island of Sylt. The grave lies under a 3.20 m high mound with a diameter of around 32 m. The chamber measures about 5 x 3 m and is formed by twelve large supporting stones on which three huge capstones are resting. The burial chamber can be reached via a corridor about six meters long and one meter high. Similar to other well-known passage tombs (e.g. Newgrange) the sun shines on the winter solstice down the passage into the grave chamber.
To make access to the grave easier, the ceiling was opened and a ladder was installed. This fact and the fact that benches were set up in the burial chamber diminishes the atmosphere of the otherwise completely preserved passage grave.
The grave is north of the Friesenkapelle and the village pond in Wennigstedt. You drive on the bypass road L24 from Westerland to Kampen. At the roundabout, take the third exit to get to Wenningstedt. Here you take the first street to the right (Kampener Weg) and follow it for about 330 m. Here the street turns left at a right angle and after another 130 m you will find some parking spaces on the right hand side at a children's playground. Park here and follow the path between the playground and the church to the north. The Denhoog is only approx. 100 m from here. The grave is operated by the Sölring Museum Association and can only be viewed from April to October. Check the provided link for further information.
Visited September 2020
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taken from the on-site hünen.kulTOUR information board:
Denghoog
The Denghoog is one of the most beautiful megalithic tombs from the Neolithic (New Stone Age). It was probably built around 5,200 years ago and stood completely free in the landscape. In the imposing burial mound there is a northern passage grave with an approx. 6 m long passage and an approx. 5 x 3 m large chamber. This is closed at the top by three mighty cap stones. The largest of these capstones weighs around 20 tons. The grave was wrapped in a thick layer of clay and rubble.
The Denghoog was originally surrounded by a circle of boulders. When it was excavated in 1868, the burial chamber was still completely untouched. In addition to the remains of an unburned corpse, the remains of other burials and many grave goods were found.
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During my first trip to Ireland back in 2006, I was bitten by the 'megalithic' bug and since then I seek for every opportunity to visit as much sites as possible, with a bias for stone circles.
As I live in the southwest of Germany (not an area famous for megaliths), I rely on my holidays to be able to visit these sites.
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