Altenburg (Heroldsbach)
former castle in Germany
The Altenburg fortification (German: Abschnittsbefestigung Altenburg) near Heroldsbach is a levelled early medieval fortified position at a height of 362 m above sea level (NHN), about 850 metres northwest of the church in Heroldsbach in the Upper Franconian county of Forchheim in the south German state of Bavaria. No historical or archaeological information is available for this sector fortification, but pottery finds from the interior of the site date to the Early Middle Ages. All that has survived is a double rampart system with a ditch. The site is protected by the state of Bavaria as monument number D-4-6331-0001: Frühmittelalterliche Abschnittsbefestigung "Altenburg".
Description
The fortification lies on the southeastern edge of a broad, east-west oriented hill ridge in the forested area of Altenburg. The east and south sides of the site drop fairly steeply to the valley floor of the Hirtenbach stream which lies at around 80 metres above sea level. To the west of the fortifications is a terrain saddle. The north side transitions almost on the level into the hill ridge. The two vulnerable sides, in the west and north, were protected by what is now a very low semi-circular rampart guarded by a ditch. The western end of the rampart transitions into a step in the terrain on the hillside.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Altenburg (Heroldsbach)” is former castle in Germany. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Altenburg, Heroldsbach and former, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “former castle in Germany” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q19258300. Authority coordinates are 49.699, 10.990. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Altenburg (Heroldsbach)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Altenburg (Heroldsbach) primary sources, Altenburg (Heroldsbach) archive and Altenburg research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Altenburg (Heroldsbach)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.