Thyraburg -
an enigmatic fortress
The Thyraburg fortress is located at a strategic corner point of the Danevirke. The site on a rectangular plateau lies at the end of the Main Rampart and adjoins the now dried-up bed of Lake Danewerk. Can you see traces of the former lakeside in the fields? The skilful planning of the Danevirke incorporated the lake as a natural border. The North Rampart and the Connection Rampart meet on the other side of the lake.
In close proximity to this location, a section of the Main Rampart has been dated to 737 A.D., showing that it existed before the Viking Age. But the age of the fortress is unknown.
It was later named after Queen Thyra Danebod. She was Harald Bluetooth’s mother and wife of Gorm, the Danish kings from Jelling. The mound was probably the site of some kind of fortress. A ditch surrounded by a low rampart protected the fortress on its three landward facing sides. But no archaeological evidence from the Viking Age has been found here. Thyraburg’s significance for the Danevirke remains a mystery.
Further information at: www.kuladig.de
Thyraburg -
an enigmatic fortress
The Thyraburg fortress is located at a strategic corner point of the Danevirke. The site on a rectangular plateau lies at the end of the Main Rampart and adjoins the now dried-up bed of Lake Danewerk. Can you see traces of the former lakeside in the fields? The skilful planning of the Danevirke incorporated the lake as a natural border. The North Rampart and the Connection Rampart meet on the other side of the lake.
In close proximity to this location, a section of the Main Rampart has been dated to 737 A.D., showing that it existed before the Viking Age. But the age of the fortress is unknown.
It was later named after Queen Thyra Danebod. She was Harald Bluetooth’s mother and wife of Gorm, the Danish kings from Jelling. The mound was probably the site of some kind of fortress. A ditch surrounded by a low rampart protected the fortress on its three landward facing sides. But no archaeological evidence from the Viking Age has been found here. Thyraburg’s significance for the Danevirke remains a mystery.