Kronenburg Castle, Dahlem, Germany

The ruins of the Kronenburg and the almost completely preserved Burgbering from the 13th century still leave their mark on the village today. In the 18th and 19th century the castle fell into disrepair. Of the main building only two semi-circular towers of the north gate and the ruins of the keep can be seen. The dimensions of the original grounds are recognizable from the the remains of the surrounding wall and of a semi-circular Bastion. There are also remains of the working quarters in the courtyard, situated further down.

Next to the Bergbering the well-preserved and restored half-timbered houses are worth visiting. The greatest attraction for sight-seers is the late-gothic parish church of St.John, with its interior. It was built around 1500, included in the wall surrounding the castle. As there is only one buttress in the middle to hold up the fine vault, it is called a single support church.

References:

Kreis Euskirchen

User Reviews

Bram Delfosse (5 months ago)
Very small but lovely old village. There are'nt many places to drink something, although not out of season. Very Nice to make a small stop, walk in the village and walk in the nearby nature

Angela Versteeg (9 months ago)
Beautiful ruin with an amazing view. Easy to find in the old streets of Kronenburg. Be aware that this burg is nog Ideal of you are in a wheelchair, because there are some stairs.

Ingo Huth (16 months ago)
Top

Marius Smet (2 years ago)
Cosy and nice scenery

Cathy Mason (3 years ago)
Very picturesque! Great views over lake and countryside. Buildings so well kept.Worth a visit.Will come again!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright joiseyshowaa

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Broch of Gurness

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. The tower was likely inhabited by the principal family or clan of the area but also served as a last resort for the village in case of an attack.

The broch continued to be inhabited while it began to collapse and the original structures were altered. The cistern was filled in and the interior was repartitioned. The ruin visible today reflects this secondary phase of the broch's use.

The site is surrounded by three ditches cut out of the rock with stone ramparts, encircling an area of around 45 metres diameter. The remains of numerous small stone dwellings with small yards and sheds can be found between the inner ditch and the tower. These were built after the tower, but were a part of the settlement's initial conception. A 'main street' connects the outer entrance to the broch. The settlement is the best-preserved of all broch villages.

Pieces of a Roman amphora dating to before 60 AD were found here, lending weight to the record that a 'King of Orkney' submitted to Emperor Claudius at Colchester in 43 AD.

At some point after 100 AD the broch was abandoned and the ditches filled in. It is thought that settlement at the broch continued into the 5th century AD, the period known as Pictish times. By that time the broch was not used anymore and some of its stones were reused to build smaller dwellings on top of the earlier buildings. Until about the 8th century, the site was just a single farmstead.

In the 9th century, a Norse woman was buried at the site in a stone-lined grave with two bronze brooches and a sickle and knife made from iron. Other finds suggest that Norse men were buried here too.

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