Bunkenburg
Encyclopedia
River Aller
The River Aller is a small river on Exmoor in Somerset, England.It rises as several small streams around Tivington and Huntscott and flows through the Holnicote Estate past Holnicote and through Allerford, where it passes under a packhorse bridge of medieval origin. It then joins the River Horner,...
opposite Ahlden
Ahlden
Ahlden is a municipality in the Heidekreis district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Aller, approx. 15 km southwest of Bad Fallingbostel, and 30 km southeast of Verden....
in north Germany. Only a section of the rampart, roughly 60 metres long and 3 metres high, exists today. The name of the castle is probably derived from the material, bog iron
Bog iron
Bog iron refers to impure iron deposits that develop in bogs or swamps by the chemical or biochemical oxidation of iron carried in the solutions. In general, bog ores consist primarily of iron oxyhydroxides, commonly goethite...
, used for its construction and known in common parlance as Bunke.
Location
Ahlden
Ahlden is a municipality in the Heidekreis district in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Aller, approx. 15 km southwest of Bad Fallingbostel, and 30 km southeast of Verden....
. The fortification was built in the glacial valley of the Aller. Since the 1980s it has been bisected by a state road.
Description
Circular rampart
A circular rampart is an embankment built in the shape of a circle that was used as part of the defences for a military fortification, hill fort or refuge, or was built for religious purposes or as a place of gathering....
, about 150 metres across. Today just a section of it remains, about 60 metres long, 20 metres wide and 3 metres high. It is covered with tall trees and lies north of the road. The rampart is likely to have originally been a wood and earth construction about 4 metres in height. There are no longer any ruins within the rampart; they were probably carted away in the 17th century to be used for the construction of Ahlden Castle. From the plan it appears not to have been a typical lowland castle
Lowland castle
The term lowland castle or plains castle describes a type of castle based that is situated on a lowland, plain or valley floor, as opposed to one built on higher ground such as a hill spur...
, but more like the residence of a number of Burgmann
Burgmann
A Burgmann was a member of the low aristocracy in the Middle Ages who guarded and defended castles. They were hired by a lord of the castle to take on the burghut, the guarding and defense of a castle....
en with several manorial seats within the ramparts.
In 1700, long after the demise of Bunkenburg, a brewery was built on the southern section of the rampart by the prince's household. Not privatised until the 19th century it served as a drinks business until the middle of the 20th century. Today it is a private residence.
Excavations
As a result of plans to build a road through the middle of the castle site, archaeological excavations took place in 1976 and 1982. These uncovered moats and a post hole. The pottery that was discovered was dated to the 13th and 14th century. Inside the rampart shards of pottery from the 9th to the 11th century were also found along with evidence of a storage building. This could have been related to Old Ahlden (Alt Ahlden) recorded in 1295, which fell into ruin and whose remains may later have been used to build the castle ramparts.History
Principality of Lüneburg
The Principality of Lüneburg was a territorial division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg within the Holy Roman Empire, immediately subordinate to the emperor. It existed from 1269 until 1705 and its territory lay within the modern-day state of Lower Saxony in Germany...
in the 14th century. At that time Ahlden was the part of the estate of the Bishopric of Minden
Bishopric of Minden
The Bishopric of Minden was a Roman Catholic diocese and a state, Prince-bishopric of Minden , of the Holy Roman Empire. Its capital was Minden which is in modern day Germany.-History:...
. Bunkenburg was built on the state border and secured the water route of the Aller. In 1431 Ahlden was captured by the Dukes of Lüneburg.
The castle receives only scant mention in the surviving records. In 1310 low-ranking Burgmann
Burgmann
A Burgmann was a member of the low aristocracy in the Middle Ages who guarded and defended castles. They were hired by a lord of the castle to take on the burghut, the guarding and defense of a castle....
en from the area were mentioned in connexion with it, including those from Ahlden. The knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
, Johann von Escherde, is named as the Burgvogt
Vogt
A Vogt ; plural Vögte; Dutch voogd; Danish foged; ; ultimately from Latin [ad]vocatus) in the Holy Roman Empire was the German title of a reeve or advocate, an overlord exerting guardianship or military protection as well as secular justice...
. The last mention of the castle is in 1340. During the 14th century it apparently lost its significance and the Burgmannen moved to Rethem
Rethem
Rethem is a town in the Heidekreis in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Aller, approx. 25 km southwest of Bad Fallingbostel, and 18 km southeast of Verden...
castle, where their family names are to be found again in the records.
Similar fortifications in the local area
Within the neighbourhood, in the valley of the AllerAller
The Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
, there is a number of other medieval castles, some of similar design. These fortifications include those in Bierde
Bierde
Bierde is a village in the municipality of Böhme, Lower Saxony, that is part of Heidekreis district in the German state of Lower Saxony.- Bierder Burg :...
, Essel
Essel
Essel is a municipality in the Heidekreis district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Most of the village is located on the southern bank of the river Aller. The A 7 motorway runs through the village.-Subdivisions:The municipality of Essel comprises 4 subdivisions:...
(Uhlenburg
Uhlenburg
Uhlenburg is the site of a lowland castle that was built in the 14th century close to the River Aller near Essel in the German state of Lower Saxony...
) (Blankenburg Castle
Blankenburg Castle
Blankenburg Castle was a small castle in the village of Engehausen in the municipality of Essel in the German state of Lower Saxony. It dates roughly to the 13th century. All that remains are parts of the surrounding rampart...
), Hodenhagen
Hodenhagen
Hodenhagen is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town was once the site of Hudemühlen Castle, which is now completely destroyed. The castle was famous as the home of the kobold Hinzelmann. The site of another medieval castle, Hodenhagen Castle on the River...
(Burg Hodenhagen), Rethem and Grethem
Grethem
Grethem is a municipality in the district of Heidekreis, in Lower Saxony, Germany....
(Blankenhagen Castle
Blankenhagen Castle
Blankenhagen Castle was a lowland castle , whose ruins are located by the River Aller near Grethem in Lower Saxony, Germany. The motte-and-bailey castle is believed to have been built around 1200...
).
Literature
- Rainer Hendricks: Geschichte des Fleckens Ahlden an der AllerAllerThe Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
, Hrsg.:Flecken Walsrode, 2006 - Burgen im Fluss, Herausgeber: Landkreis Soltau-Fallingbostel, Bad Fallingbostel, 2005, ISBN 3-00-017281-5