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Founded: 1168Category: Religious sites in Germany
Historical period: Hohenstaufen Dynasty (Germany)
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The Protestant parish church at Altenkirchen is one of the oldest church buildings on the island of Rügen. The predecessor of the current church could have been a Slavic burial mound. Soon after the Christianization Danish builders erected a three-nave Romanesque church in 1168. The apse and choir were completed in 1200 and the baptismal font in 1240. There is also a triumphal cross from the 14th century. The freestanding belfry of the church dates from the 17th century. The Baroque altar from 1724 was made in the workshop of Elias Kessler from Stralsund.
References:Sigmaringen Castle was first mentioned in the year 1077 in the chronicles of Petershausen monastery. The oldest parts of the castle are concealed beneath the alterations made during the 17th and the 19th centuries. The secret of the earliest settlement built on this defendable rock will never be fully revealed: large-scale excavation work would be necessary, which the extensive land development renders impossible. Judging from the many Roman remains unearthed in the area around Sigmaringen, the 12th century keep known as the 'Roman Tower' could be traced back to a Roman predecessor.
The castle remains that have been preserved (gate, great hall and keep) date back to the Staufer period around 1200. The castle remains were integrated into subsequent buildings. The foundations of the castle buildings are to a large extent identical to the surrounding castle wall.
These remains give us a good idea of how the castle might have looked during the 12th century.