A mighty trench system is hidden here in the Rimburger Forest. A trench approximately four metres wide encloses an area of more than one hectare and can be clearly seen in laser scan images. This method allows the terrain relief to be measured meticulously from the air, even in forest areas.
The relief maps created by the state surveying offices have been intensively evaluated for several years for the purpose of recording archaeological monuments.
At this point, the elevation mapping provides a clear view of a fortification measuring approximately 170 x 85 metres, which is roughly rectangular in plan.
Only the eastern end of the entire complex has a more trapezoidal outline. The outer ditch is adjoined by an inner rampart. The ring fort in the Rimburger Forest still poses a mystery to researchers today: its age cannot be determined from its layout alone. Similar fortified hilltop settlements were already being built in the pre-Roman Iron Age. The Romans introduced the term "oppidum" for larger structures of this type.
However, the local trench system could also date from a much more recent period, as such fortifications were still being built in the Middle Ages, for example as refuge castles to which the local population could retreat in the event of war. There is no dating material for the Rimburger ring wall, as no archaeological excavations have ever taken place here in the middle of the nature reserve.
