“A Slavic castle they called it” whispered the old oak tree its leaves rustling secrets from centuries past. We stand before the Pöppendorfer Ringwall a remarkable ringwall near Lübeck.
This impressive structure is one of the best-preserved and most striking ramparts in East Holstein. Historians consider it a prime example of Slavic fortifications. It was built by the Wagrians in the 8th century on a small hill. This hill is surrounded on its northeastern side by a damp lowland.
The Pöppendorfer Ringwall boasts a diameter of about 100 meters. Its height ranges from 8 to 12 meters above the surrounding terrain. It is also 3 to 6 meters high above the inner space. Interestingly the wall’s height is lower in the northeast near the wet lowlands than in the southwest. The gate is aligned towards the northeast.
Around the year 1000 the Pöppendorfer Ringwall was abandoned. Archaeologists have found medieval Slavic pottery within the ringwall’s interior and near its western embankment. The wall fell into disuse sometime before or during the recording of Lübeck’s history in the 11th and 12th centuries.
According to scholar K Hucke the Slavic burial mounds on the “Pöppendorfer Hals” are connected to this ringwall. The settlement associated with the ringwall was located southwest of it. Excavations unearthed early medieval pottery. Beneath this layer archaeologists discovered deeply incised shards from the Neolithic period. This fuelled speculation about a possible megalithic structure hidden beneath the interior of the wall. Large boulders found during test excavations in the first half of the 19th century support this theory.
The Pöppendorfer Ringwall stands today as a protected monument. Nearby you’ll find the Pöppendorfer Großsteingrab a large dolmen. Both the ringwall and the dolmen are highlights of an archaeological and nature trail through the Waldhusener Forst. The Pöppendorfer Ringwall stands as a silent testament to a rich and fascinating past a glimpse into the lives of the Wagrians and the enduring legacy of Slavic culture in this region.