Rimberg, Archaeological hillfort site in Damshausen and Caldern, Germany

Rimberg is a roughly 12-hectare Iron Age hillfort on the 497-metre summit between Caldern and Damshausen. Its defences relied mainly on natural slope edges topped with palisades, with artificial ramparts only in places. Three ring walls are known, the outermost enclosing a spring at 410 metres; a tangential gate lies in the northeast of the core enclosure.

The site dates to the Iron Age and shows how early settlements in central Germany were fortified against threats. The layered wall systems suggest this location was occupied and modified over several centuries.

The site reflects how ancient communities organized themselves through the layout of walls and structures across the hillside. Artifacts found here suggest daily routines, crafts, and social bonds that held these settlements together.

The site is best reached on foot from either Damshausen or Caldern by following marked hiking trails up the hillside. Information boards placed along the trails explain the layout and help visitors understand what they are seeing.

A straight north-south rampart in the west of the core fort was cut by a modern path, revealing a palisade ditch, a 2 m gravel layer, and a charcoal-rich layer dated by AMS radiocarbon to 858–756 BC. The burnt material was not burned in place but spread as debris, showing older construction than the main settlement.