The fortified central settlement of Thunau
Historical sites
Description
The fortification on the Schanzberg in Thunau am Kamp is the most extensively archaeologically investigated early medieval site in Austria.
Early medieval finds were made on the so-called Schanzberg, a ridge above Thunau am Kamp, during construction work in the second half of the 19th century. The site was systematically archaeologically investigated from 1965, first by annual excavations under Herwig Friesinger from the Institute of Prehistory and Early History at the University of Vienna and subsequently by Erik Szameit and Martin Obenaus.
A well-protected site for thousands of years
The entire area on the Schanzberg is fortified by a surrounding rampart, which is partially faced with granulite slabs. A massive rampart from an older settlement phase from the Late Bronze Age is also integrated into the fortification. The complex is entered through gates with gate towers. The centerpiece is the manor house surrounded by palisades. It was used by the ruling family for residential purposes and for representation. A large cemetery with over 200 burials is also part of the complex. Some richly furnished graves and indications of an upscale, "courtly" lifestyle point to a concentration of power and prestige: Freshly hunted game meat was served on the table and bears were kept for amusement.
A central place on the border
A documentary record is also linked to Thunau: in 902/903 AD, a donation of estates in the lower Kamp Valley ("Kamptal" in German) to the diocese of Freising is mentioned. The donor is a "vir venerabilis" named Joseph, possibly a Slavic nobleman baptized as a Christian and based on the Schanzberg in Thunau. At this time, the Lower Austrian Danube region and above all the areas south of the Danube were under Carolingian rule as "Bavarian Ostland"; in the north, the Great Moravian Empire with its centers in South Moravia emerged.
The central town in Thunau presumably lost its importance when the trade routes were relocated in the 10th century. However, the large settlement at the foot of the Schanzberg continued to exist even after the decline of the fortifications, presumably until the foundation of Gars Castle in the early 11th century.
Tip: The excavations on the Schanzberg are the subject of the Zeitbrücke-Museum Gars.
