Nucleus

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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).

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

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.

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

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.

taken from the on-site information board:

Denghoog

A 5000 year old burial chamber from the Neolithic Age

You are standing in front of one of the most important attraction on the island of Sylt, the Denghoog, one of the most beautiful passage graves from the younger Stone Age (4100 – 1700 BC). A period of the Funnel Beaker Culture once known as the Denghoog stage was named after him. Even the interpretation of the name Denghoog is controversial. One theory translates it as a mound with an underground chamber, a more probable one as a mound in a meadow, since 100 years ago it stood completely free in the landscape. In Sylt-Frisian (Sölring) it is referred to as Thing mound or a mound for gathering. Did our ancestors come together here in the open air to speak justice? But why then on a burial mound?
But this hill was created in the 3rd millennium BC as a burial place. Today it still rises 3.50 meters above its surroundings. At the foot it measures about 32 meters in diameter. In 1868 the mound was examined by the professor of geology Ferdinand Wibel, who found the large burial chamber hidden underneath. At a depth of about 1.20 meters – measured from the surface of the mound – you come across the capstones of the chamber, into which you can now comfortably descend from above.

Let yourself be impressed by the size of the chamber, which is laid out in the shape of an ellipse and measures five meters in an east-west direction and three meters in a north-south direction. Twelve large supporting stones form the side walls. The gaps are sealed by dry masonry made of stone tiles stacked on top of each other. Three huge capstones close the chamber at the top. The stones are all boulders that were found in the penultimate Ice Age, the Salle Ice Age, 300,000 to 130,000 BC, were transported here from Scandinavia. The corner stone on the west side of the passage clearly shows glacier cut. A layer of solid blue clay, mud fluff from the east side of the island, mixed with bowl-shaped stone debris, almost completely prevents water from entering. Above this lies a layer of yellow sand, which is finally covered at the top by a layer of humus. A corridor about six meters long and one meter high led into the burial chamber.

In addition to a healthy clay vessel, Wibel found fragments from 24 other vessels. Other grave goods included numerous stone implements such as hatchets, flat chisels and gouges, twenty flint blades, a bulb of pebbles for firing and two circular, perforated discs of 10 and 12 cm in diameter, so-called disc maces. In addition, 6 amber pearls were found, one of them in the shape of an amazon ax as well as fragments of another amber pearl. The finds are exhibited today in the Archaeological State Museum Schleswig-Holstein at Gottort Castle.

You can see casts of the most beautiful pieces in the Sylt Heimatmuseum in Keitum.