Schwedenschanze, 17th-century military fortification in Dörscheid, Germany.
Schwedenschanze is a 17th-century military fortification positioned on high ground that overlooks the surrounding landscape. The remaining earthwork walls are partially visible, with some sections more distinct than others depending on erosion and vegetation cover.
The fortification was built between 1631 and 1632 during the Thirty Years' War when forces laid siege to the Rhine town of Kaub. It formed part of a network of military structures erected to control this strategically important region.
The name references Swedish forces involved in the siege during the wider European conflict of that era. The fortification's layout shaped how people understood military strategy and defense in this region.
The site is located roughly one kilometer west of Dörscheid and can be reached via paths that cross through forested and open terrain. On clear days, views extend across the surrounding landscape in several directions.
A moat roughly 5 meters wide once ringed the fortification, but this defensive feature has been largely erased by erosion and plant growth over the centuries. Visitors need to use some imagination to picture what the structure originally looked like.
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