The Royal Palace of Werla (German: Königspfalz Werla) is located near Werlaburgdorf (municipality: Schladen-Werla) in Lower Saxony. The grounds of the royal palace cover about 20 hectares rising atop Kreuzberg hill, a 17 m high natural plateau overlooking the Oker river. In the Early Middle Ages the palace was an important place in the Holy Roman Empire, serving as an important base for the Ottonians in the 10th century in particular. Although it subsequently lost its political significance to the newly established Imperial Palace of Goslar at Rammelsberg, it developed into an independent settlement with a busy industrial quarter. In the 14th century it fell into ruin and was completely unknown until its rediscovery in the 18th century. The core fortress in particular was thoroughly excavated in the 20th century. Excavations carried out since 2007 have brought new understanding to the hitherto largely unexplored outworks. Since 2010 the palace complex with foundation and enceinte, as well as earthworks, has been partially reconstructed and is now open to the public as the Archäologie- und Landschaftspark Kaiserpfalz Werla (Archaeological and Wilderness Park of the Imperial Palace of Werla).
Location
The palace is one of the five most important Ottonian and Salian palaces in modern Lower Saxony (The other four are Goslar, Dahlum, Grona, Pöhlde).
The palace complex is located about 15 km south of Wolfenbüttel and northeast of Goslar. It is located in the free lands between Schladen und Werlaburgdorf. There is no direct access for vehicles. However, there is a carpark on the road between the two places, on the right hand side as one travels from Schladen, from which the complex can be reached on foot in a few minutes. Alternatively, one can follow a trail along the Wedde and then left along the banks of the Oker. The heritage house Alte Mühle (Old Mill) in Schladen is a convenient starting point. After two kilometres one is confronted with a 17m high plateau on which the palace is located.
The nearby town of Werlaburgdorf first acquired its name in 1958. Before that it was simply called Burgdorf.
Palace complex
The main fortress was a cross-shaped complex with a diameter of about 150 m. It sat on the Kreuzberg hill with two sides directly abutting on steep banks of the river Oker. This fortified area was surrounded by a metre thick enceinte and a 9-metre-wide and 4-metre-deep moat. The curtain walls linked two or more gates and several towers. Three baileys were connected to the (older) donjon: the 1st and 2nd inner baileys and the outer bailey. Altogether, an area of around 20 hectares was enclosed within the fortifications. The baileys had similarly deep ditches, but with earthworks (probably equipped with palisades) instead of a wall. There were further buildings within the main fortress:
Chapel (23 × 7.5 m) cabinet (5 × 8 m) Hall building (17 × 7 m) Palas I (22 m long with heating system) Palas II (15 × 34 m) Underground "Escape route" (35 m long) So-called "watch houses" (Wachhäuser), so-called "kitchen buildings" (Küchenhäuser) and cellar.
A reconstructed model of Werla Palace is on display in the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum. It shows the complex in its 10th-century incarnation, with individual stone buildings and a stone ring wall. The model represents the state of research on Werla as of 1985. Subsequent excavations have altered the picture somewhat.
History
Prehistory and Etymology
The raised area above the Oker was probably settled in prehistoric times as indicated by numerous finds from that period, mainly ceramic, but also stone and bone tools. In autumn 2010 a grave richly supplied with ceramic grave goods from the late Baalberg Culture was discovered. It contained the skeleton of an older woman and a small child.
The etymology of Werla is not entirely clear. In 1935 the etymologist Edward Schröder proposed the theory that Werla meant Männerwald (Forest of Man). In his view, the name derived from the Latin or Germanic words for "man" (vir and wer respectively) and the rest of the name would be the suffix , an alternative word for "forest". Schröder then suggested that the name referred to a "holy forest area" in the region of the later palace in which Gau officers met to discuss matters. Another view, advanced by W. Flechsig.
The most recent excavations revealed indications of a gap in habitation between the Roman Imperial period (1st-3rd centuries AD) and the Early Middle Ages (8th/9th centuries). The number of pottery finds from this time period proved very low and none of the buildings that were uncovered can be dated to this period.