Ringwalburg (Circular fortress) - Burgh-Haamstede

From 800 onwards, Normans from Denmark sailed along the European coasts to make trade contacts. But there was a group of Normans guilty of plundering and raiding: the Vikings. Walcheren (then Walichrum) and the Kop van Schouwen (Scaltheim) had a number of rich settlements, making them an interesting target for the Vikings.

When there was not much left to be gained on the coast, the Vikings moved further and further inland. They sailed along the Oosterschelde to Burgh. They mainly looted sheep to provide for their food supply.

To protect themselves from this looting, a Ringwalburg was built. The circular site was surrounded by an earthen wall, lined with sod, topped by wooden posts with branches or a timber wall as a shield, also called a palisade. Beyond this, a wide moat often ran. There was only one entrance inside. This way, the residents could withdraw safely into the fort and the entrance could be well defended if attacked.

From the year 1000, people started living inside the fortresses. With that, they became fortified settlements. In the following years, they lost their defensive function. Here in Burgh, the original Ringwalburg was reconstructed between 2001-2007.

Many questions still exist around the Ringwalburgs. Indeed, it cannot be said with certainty exactly who built the fortresses. In some places, local rulers and monastic orders seem to have been the initiators and local residents carried out the work. But there are also stories claiming that the Normans also sometimes built a fort themselves, such as the one in Oost-Souburg. There is also no evidence that the Vikings were actually fought against on such a fort.