Explore the historic highlights of Dresden
Dresden, Germany
1738-1751
Dresden, Germany
1726-1743
Dresden, Germany
c. 1200
Dresden, Germany
1710-1728
Dresden, Germany
1841/1878
Dresden, Germany
1884-1887
Dresden, Germany
2011
Dresden, Germany
1770
Dresden, Germany
1854
Dresden, Germany
1715
Dresden, Germany
1893-1900
Dresden, Germany
1543
The Broch of Gurness is an Iron Age broch village. Settlement here began sometime between 500 and 200 BC. At the centre of the settlement is a stone tower or broch, which once probably reached a height of around 10 metres. Its interior is divided into sections by upright slabs. The tower features two skins of drystone walls, with stone-floored galleries in between. These are accessed by steps. Stone ledges suggest that there was once an upper storey with a timber floor. The roof would have been thatched, surrounded by a wall walk linked by stairs to the ground floor. The broch features two hearths and a subterranean stone cistern with steps leading down into it. It is thought to have some religious significance, relating to an Iron Age cult of the underground.
The remains of the central tower are up to 3.6 metres high, and the stone walls are up to 4.1 metres thick.