Totenhaus von Tesperhude

The burial house is a rectangular stone structure from the Bronze Age that contained two grave depressions with wooden coffins. The remains of a young woman and child were interred here and later covered by an earthen mound.

Excavations conducted in 1933 by Karl Kersten uncovered evidence of burials dating to around 1200 BCE. The wooden coffins were burned as part of funeral customs of that period.

The burial ground reveals practices tied to fire ceremonies and wooden structures that held deep meaning for the people who lived here. Visitors can sense how central such rituals were to community life in that era.

The site is located near Grünhof and Tesperhude in Duchy of Lauenburg district and is fairly accessible to visitors. The terrain is open, so wearing appropriate footwear and checking weather conditions beforehand is advisable.

Local residents kept alive an oral tradition about large fires burning on the hill for over 3200 years, which archaeological findings later confirmed as funeral pyres. This long memory connects the present-day village directly to its prehistoric past.

Location: Schleswig-Holstein

GPS coordinates: 53.40479,10.45721

Latest update: December 14, 2025 17:04