Event
Abenteuer Heimat - Ausgrabungsstätte Gerhardsseifen
Price
The event in the "Adventures in Your Homeland" series costs €5.00 for adults and €2.00 for children up to 12 years old, payable in cash on site to the tour guide.
Description
As part of our event series "Adventure Homeland" you will visit "A Siegerland Valley" at this date: the archaeological site Gerhardsseifen.
The number of participants is limited. Please register!
The sponsor association "A Siegerland Valley e.V." writes:
"In the Siegerland (district of Siegen-Wittgenstein), the southernmost medium mountain range region in Westphalia, the largest iron smelting furnaces in Central Europe were in operation over 2000 years ago.
The most important site investigation took place at the stream "Gerhardsseifen" near Siegen-Niederschelden in the Dreiborntal, close to the border with Rhineland-Palatinate, and lasted with interruptions from 2007 to 2012. A complete and undisturbed smelting ensemble from the Middle to Late La Tène period (3rd century B.C. to the turn of the era) was uncovered, consisting of two dome-shaped smelting furnaces with the associated slag heap, a roasting pit, and the post holes of a building, as well as a smithy heap. Thus, a complete production process can be demonstrated for Gerhardsseifen, starting with the preparation of the ore until the forging of the bloom.
Another special feature of Gerhardsseifen is the evidence of a post-use of the production site in the Middle Ages (10th–12th century) through slag tapping furnaces and their associated heap. It was clearly proven that the medieval hut people at Gerhardsseifen re-smelted the La Tène period slag that was still present at that time, thus recycling it."
Further information about this date will follow.
Payment conditions
The payment processing is handled by the Kreisvolkshochschule Altenkirchen.
Once the minimum number of participants is reached, you will receive specific closing information.
Hint / Advice
Your tour guide: Thorsten Stahl
Registration deadline is August 28, 2025
Included services
Guided tour of the excavation site Gerhardsseifen with interesting additional background information.
Cancellation policy
If you are unable to attend the appointment, we kindly ask you to inform us in advance.
Meeting point
The meeting point will be announced upon registration.
Current information
The number of participants is limited. Please register!
Contact and directions
Ein Siegerländer Tal
57080 Siegen-Niederschelden