26 April 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

In Germany, a well-preserved octagonal tower unearthed, which may have been inspired by towers on the city walls of Constantinople

During excavations at Neuenburg Castle near the town of Freyburg (Burgenlandkreis) in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt, the extraordinarily well-preserved, imposing octagonal tower of the fortification system, dating from the castle’s initial expansion phase around 1100, has come to light.

A well-preserved octagonal tower dating to around 1100, which could have been inspired by the towers of the city walls of Constantinople.

The towers of the city wall of Constantinople could have served as a model for its layout, which was still extremely rare in the Holy Roman Empire at this time.

Castle Neuenburg (Freyburg an der Unstrut) was built at the end of the 11th century. The area of the nationally valuable cultural monument will be further developed by the Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt within the Special Investment Program (SIP) 1 of the Federal Government and the State of Saxony-Anhalt. The State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt has been conducting archaeological investigations on the castle grounds since 2022.

Castle of the Thuringian landgraves and nationally valuable cultural monument

The impressive Neuenburg Castle rises high above Freyburg an der Unstrut (Burgenland district). The complex was built by Count Ludwig the Springer at the end of the 11th century. It was the largest castle of the Thuringian landgraves, in no way inferior in importance to other important castles, such as the Wartburg, which was also founded by Ludwig the Springer. Today it is considered a nationally valuable cultural monument and an outstanding stop on the Romanesque Road.

Neuenburg Castle. The octagonal tower from the earliest phase of the fortifications, around 1100. Quelle: D. Höhne Photo: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt.

Archeology in the run-up to the planned construction work at the Neuenburg castle

In the coming years, the Kulturstiftung Sachsen-Anhalt will expand and further develop the grounds of Neuenburg Castle as part of the special investment program (SIP) 1 of the federal government and state of Saxony-Anhalt. The planned measures include, among other things, the creation of a new workshop and administration building as well as a new barrier-free entrance to the outer castle.

In the run-up to the planning of this extensive project, the tate Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt has been carrying out preparatory archaeological investigations on the Neuenburg since 2022. Since the 1990s, the archaeological monitoring of renovation and conversion measures on the castle site has provided fundamental insights into the history of construction and use of the important complex. The current soundings supplement these important insights and at the same time proof that important discoveries are still possible at the site.

In 2022, in the area of the outer bailey, which with its 11,500 square meters is one of the most extensive outer baileys in Germany, the structural remains of a tower were uncovered at the old main entrance to the castle, which was marked as the “old tower” in three maps from the 19th-20th century.

An outstanding discovery on the site of the core castle was made in connection with the preparatory investigation of the building site. A few years ago, when cables were being laid in the courtyard, an octagonal tower on the eastern ring wall of the castle was cut. Completely surprising, however current investigations found that the masonry of this imposing tower is still intact up to a height of 2.20 meters. Its diameter is about ten meters, the wall thickness is about 1.70 meters. In the circular interior of the tower, floor remains and offsets from a staircase could be identified. The mighty building was erected around 1100. Another comparable tower was documented about 50 meters to the south. Both belong to a fortification system from the first building phase of the castle and can be addressed as important elements of the defenses of the core castle. A rampart made of limestone gravel, an inner ring wall and another outer wall running parallel at a distance of about six to eight meters were built at almost the same time. In front of this a ditch of about ten meters depth was constructed. The mighty fortification with the two octagonal towers must have been an imposing sight.

Polygonal towers have long been associated with the Staufer period (1138 to 1254) and here especially with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II (born December 26, 1194 in Jesi near Ancona, Imperial Italy; died December 13, 1250 in Castel Fiorentino near Lucera, Kingdom Sicily) and his Castel del Monte in Apulia. However, its construction took place about 150 years later than the construction of the octagonal tower on the Neuenburg. Older examples from castle building in the Holy Roman Empire are rare. Worth mentioning are the fortification towers of Hilpoltstein in Franconia and Sulzbach in the Upper Palatinate, which also date from around 1100. Church towers may have been the inspiration for these early octagonal towers. But it is also conceivable that the towers of the city walls of Constantinople served as a model, which made a lasting impression on the first crusaders on their way to the Holy Land (1096 to 1099).

Press Release

Cover Photo: State Office for Heritage Management and Archaeology Saxony-Anhalt.

Related Articles

1,500-Year-Old Christian Ivory Reliquary Box Discovered in Austria

27 June 2024

27 June 2024

Archaeologists have discovered an exceptional Christian ancient ivory reliquary box in Austria that is thought to be around 1,500 years...

DNA from human remains found in medieval well shines new light into a significant historical crime and into Ashkenazi Jewish history

30 November 2022

30 November 2022

An analysis of DNA from 12th-century human remains has provided new insights into a significant historical crime and into Ashkenazi...

A rare 2,500-year-old shipwreck found off the Greek island of Kythera

5 November 2021

5 November 2021

A rare shipwreck from the ancient era was discovered during the maritime survey for the Crete-Peloponnese subsea link. The Independent...

A Child’s Skeleton was Unearthed During the Tozkoparan Mound Excavations

12 August 2021

12 August 2021

The skeleton of a child was unearthed during the rescue excavations carried out in the Tozkoparan mound located in Tozkoparan...

9 Synagogues in Izmir to Reopen as Museum

26 March 2022

26 March 2022

As part of a Jewish heritage project in Izmir, Turkey, nine historic synagogues will be reopened as museums. Built by...

Underwater excavations start at 1,700-year-old ancient Black Sea port Kerpe

20 September 2021

20 September 2021

The traces of the ancient harbor on the Black Sea coast of Kerpe, in Kocaeli’s Kandıra district, are being brought...

Mine-clearance divers discovered an ancient shipwreck dating from the 3rd century BC

25 June 2023

25 June 2023

As a result of collaborative training exercises between Croatian and Italian naval mine-clearance divers, one of the earliest fully preserved...

Ancient Arabic temple art depicts early camel hybrids

29 January 2022

29 January 2022

Evidence of early camel hybrids of dromedary and Bactrian camels has been uncovered by archaeologists who were working to restore...

Archaeologists discovered a mausoleum dating back to Golden Horde era in Kazakhstan

8 July 2023

8 July 2023

Remains of a mausoleum dating back to the Golden Horde in the 15th century were discovered on the territory of...

The Earliest Evidence of Christianity on Bulgarian Territory Found in Roman city of Deultum

13 July 2024

13 July 2024

A silver amulet was discovered during excavations of the Deultum-Debelt National Archaeological Reserve, near the village of Debelt in the...

An extremely Rare Half-Shekel Coin From Year Three of the Great Revolt discovered

21 December 2022

21 December 2022

Recent excavations by archaeologists from the Hebrew University in the Ophel area south of the Temple Mount uncovered the remains...

More than 1,300 prehistoric burial mounds in western Azerbaijan systematically surveyed for the first time

2 January 2025

2 January 2025

Over 1,300 archaeological sites in Azerbaijan were systematically surveyed and documented in two field campaigns in 2021 and 2023 by...

Extraordinary discovery in France: An unlooted 1800-year-old Roman Sarcophagus discovered

27 September 2023

27 September 2023

Archaeologists from France’s National Institute of Preventive Archeology (INRAP) have unearthed an unlooted ancient stone sarcophagus in the vast ancient...

Ancient Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologists have unearthed a fresco depicting the Greek mythological siblings Phrixus and Helle

2 March 2024

2 March 2024

Archaeologists excavating a house adjacent to the House of Leda in Insula 6, Regio V, in the ancient Roman city...

Two mysterious stone balls were found buried in a tomb dating to 3500 BC in Orkney

2 September 2021

2 September 2021

In Orkney, archaeologists discovered two carved stone balls in a tomb dating from 3500 BC. Archaeologists are on-site at Tresness,...