The Open-Air Museum in Heuneburg
Have you ever wanted to take a trip back into time to see what it was like inside a real Celtic kingdom? Not just a museum or a house, but to walk along the gantry of kingdom walls and peek inside a real Celtic king’s throne hall? Not like on a movie set, but the real thing?
You can do that, you know… For people, who enjoy retracing their Celtic roots, or are avid fans of early European history, Heuneburg deserves that “must see” place on your Celtic Adventure bucket list.
Heuneburg is the site of an ancient Celtic kingdom, located high atop a hill overlooking the legendary Danube River in Southern Germany. Extensively excavated by archaeologists starting in 1950’s, thousands of artifacts have been recovered to piece together one of the most significant Celtic settlements in Europe. Heuneburg, which literally means “The Hun’s Castle”, is a lost Celtic kingdom and the oldest known city north of the Alps and it is just waiting for you to rediscover it, too.
Where to Find It
Just north of the world-famous Black Forest, you will find Heuneburg perched high on top of a hill overlooking the beautiful Danube River Valley. It belongs to a picturesque town called Hundersingen, which lies between the cities of Ulm and Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg.
Here is an aerial view of it on Google Maps.
Celtic Gold
Celtic Gold from Heuneburg
One of the newest sensational archaeological finds all of Europe was the complete, intact grave of a fourteen-year-old Celtic princess. Not only did archaeologists find out what kind of clothes she wore (royal Celtic women preferred the color red), but how she wore her clothes and other details such as her belt, studded with hundreds of bronze rivets, and some of the most intricate gold jewelry ever to be found in the Iron Age.
Not just jewelry and clothing was discovered, but hundreds of other large and small artifacts in Heuneburg which help piece together the missing links to show how the Celts really lived, back in the day long before Julius Caesar first described them.
But just like Caesar, you too can discover what the Celts were like when you visit the Celtic Museum in Heuneburg, and also discover the kind of Celts that even Julius Caesar never knew about.
Celtic Kingdom
“The Istros [Danube] River stems from the Land of Celts, there where the Kingdom of Pyrene lies, and flows throw Europe. The Celts, however, live on the far side of the Pillars of Hercules [Strait of Gibraltar], near the Cynetes [Celts of Spain], which are the furthest inhabitants in the West of Europe.” – from Herodotus’ Book II of History (Euterpe) 33
Gantry Way on the Wall Surrounding the Celtic Kingdom
Who doesn’t dream about visiting a lost kingdom? Atlantis? Camelot? The lost city of gold? How about re-discovering the legendary kingdom of Pyrene?
Many historians and archaeologists believe Heuneburg is the site of the ancient Celtic city of Pyrene written about by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. Although it is still being debated by historians today, one thing is clear: Heuneburg (or Pyrene) is one of the most significant kingdoms in Celtic history – a true “must see” place for everyone who loves Celtic history. It has not only produced artifacts and treasure of astounding beauty, but it has changed our fundamental beliefs about who the Celts really were.
Until Heuneburg was excavated and researched, most reference books portrayed the Celts as a group of hunter/gatherer tribes, comparable to tribes of Native Americans. Heuneburg destroys that myth, proving that the Celts had a very sophisticated level of social organization, and were advanced in technology, agriculture, commerce, government, architecture, and military science. Heuneburg had a king – not a nomadic clan chief. It was a city ruled by a family dynasty. The king was responsible for protecting the innocent, organizing his people, and keeping the peace. Archaeologists know this based on the multitude and variety of artifacts they’ve retrieved. The more intricate the object, the more specialized the community – as in “only the very best for His Majesty”.
Celtic Nobleman
You can take peek inside where Celtic kings once ruled on their throne over the Celtic kingdom. There is an exact copy of the king’s hall according to the archaeological findings. Along with the throne hall, they have rebuilt a section of the original kingdom walls, a long hall where goods where once traded, stored and produced; and a typical Celtic house with a barn.
You can discover how Heuneburg was advanced in their Celtic know-how for the early Iron Age and how it became the largest trade center in Central Europe at the time – no one knew about the Celts until Heuneburg was discovered. You can see the precious amber they found and transported from the Baltic Sea, tin from Britain, silver from Spain and Greek pottery from Marseille – all of which made Heuneburg the “Amsterdam” or “New York” of the early Iron Age.
The Heuneburg Open Air Museum
Heuneburg Museum
The main attraction – Heuneburg – the open air museum on top of the Heuneburg hill, is a complete reconstruction of the lost Celtic kingdom as it really existed. Turn back the pages of history, and get a feel for what it was like to live as a proud Celt.
There are not only the buildings to transport you into the past, but guided tours, Celtic crafting workshops, field trips gathering Celtic medicine herbs, a celebration of Celtic music festivals and traditional Celtic holidays on which they worshipped their gods anf goddesses. Craft workers will teach you how the Celts used to weave, make bows, work raw iron, cast bronze, blow glass and even brew Celtic beer and mead. By special arrangement Celtic re-enactment groups will immerse you in the real feeling of what it was like to live like a true Celt – here in this ancient kingdom, here above the blue Danube and below the high Alps.
The Celtic Museum in Hundersingen
Gold treasure of Heuneburg
Just a short distance away, you can discover all of the unique things the Celts from the Kingdom of Heuneburg used in their everyday life: how they combed their hair, what they ate for breakfast, what kind of clothes and jewelry they wore, how they worked iron, copper, tin, bronze and gold without industrial factories, and what their swords and weapons really looked like. Here you can become a mini-expert on what the Celts were really like.
In addition to special periodical exhibitions, guided group tours of the latest excavation sites are available upon special request for people who want to see the cutting edge of archaeological discovery.
Both museums are open from April 6th – November 1st 2012, from Tuesday through Sunday (including public holidays) from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
More Information
Sound like the kind of Celtic adventure you would like to explore? In an exclusive group tour? Or a special hands-on re-enactment experience?
Please feel free to send your questions and inquiries to our blog e-mail address for more information on touring Germania, Heuneburg, hotels and other activities in the region.
Travel Germania 