# Homburg Watchtower

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Observation tower on the site of a Germanic refuge castle (Fliehburg) in Germany

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The Homburg Watchtower

The **Homburg Watchtower** ([German](/source/German_language): *Homburgswarte*) is an [observation tower](/source/Observation_tower) on the site of a Germanic [refuge castle](/source/Refuge_castle) (*Fliehburg*) near the [Hexentanzplatz](/source/Hexentanzplatz_(Harz)) above the town of [Thale](/source/Thale) in the [Harz Mountains](/source/Harz_Mountains) of central Germany.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*]

## Location

The Sachsenwall Way (*Sachsenwallweg*) runs through open oak woods to the Homburg Watchtower about 250 m northeast of the [Harz Mountain Theatre](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Thale_Mountain_Theatre&action=edit&redlink=1) on the *Hexentanzplatz*. It is sited on the terrain of an old castle, the Homburg.

## History

The Homburg – like the Winzenburg on the [Rosstrappe](/source/Rosstrappe) on the other side of the gorge – acted as a [refuge castle](/source/Refuge_castle) for [Germanic](/source/Germanic_peoples) tribes. It was built between 750 and 450 B. C. and was protected by the rampart system and the Sachsenwall[a] in the immediate vicinity.[1] In the southern part of the rampart system is a gap with a ditch in front of it; behind the eastern rampart is a walkway-like inner ditch.

It appears that clandestine Germanic customs and rituals may have been practised here in the period following [Christianisation](/source/Christianisation), as indicated, for example, by the discovery of a sacrifice stone with a swastika in 1901.

In 1901, the [Harz Club](/source/Harz_Club) built an observation tower, which fell into disrepair and could no longer be accessed after the [Second World War](/source/Second_World_War).[2] The tower was rebuilt in 1993 and is now open to the public.[2]

## Views

The view to the south and east is restricted due to the low height of the tower. Towards the west, however, the vista opens up over the [Bode Gorge](/source/Bode_Gorge) as far as the [Brocken](/source/Brocken). Ton the north the towns of [Blankenburg](/source/Blankenburg_(Harz)), [Halberstadt](/source/Halberstadt) and [Quedlinburg](/source/Quedlinburg) may be made out. The town of Thale spreads out immediately below the tower.

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** The Sachsenwall referred to here is not the Limes Saxoniae, but the remains of a more-than-1500-year-old granite wall on the Hexentanzplatz

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Wagner, Kirsten (2014). [*77 schönste Orte Harz: Ausflüge zu Burgen, Wäldern & Sehenswürdigkeiten. Mit Einkehr, Einkaufen & Unterkunft*](https://books.google.com/books?id=h3fIEAAAQBAJ&dq=Homburgswarte&pg=PA153) (in German). pmv Peter Meyer Verlag. p. 153. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9783898590525](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9783898590525).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_3-1) Braun, Wolfgang; Sternal, Bernd (2016). [*Burgen und Schlösser der Harzregion*](https://books.google.com/books?id=EtJhCwAAQBAJ&dq=Homburgswarte&pg=PA18) (in German). Vol. 3. Books on Demand. pp. 17–18. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9783844899238](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9783844899238). Retrieved 2024-07-21.

[51°44′18″N 11°01′55″E / 51.738201°N 11.031995°E / 51.738201; 11.031995](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Homburg_Watchtower&params=51.738201_N_11.031995_E_type:landmark_region:DE-ST)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Homburg Watchtower](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homburg_Watchtower) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homburg_Watchtower?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.