Eresburg Also referred to as Eresburg Castle, is know today as the community of Obermarsberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. This is the hill which overlooks the modern city of Marsberg on the Diemel, a tributary of the Weser, near Paderborn. The location was originally founded as an Iron Age hillfort, probably sometime before or during the era of the German-Roman Wars; including the Battle of the Teutoberg Forest (circa AD 4) and the Battle of the Weser River (circa AD 16) (see Arminius, aka Hermann der Cherusker, and Germanicus). Although it is unclear whether the surrounding area was territory of the Cherusci, Chatti, or perhaps Marsi (as described by Tacitus), no particular reference to Eresburg is known prior to the later Saxon Wars (AD 770 to 785) with Charlemagne (aka Karl der Grosse). With eighteen million inhabitants inhabiting 34,080 km² in western-northwestern Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia (German Nordrhein-Westfalen) is largest in population though only fourth in area among Germanys sixteen federal states. ... Marsberg is a town and a municipality in the Hochsauerland district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. ... Weser watershed The Weser is a river of north-western Germany. ... Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. ... Iron Age Axe found on Gotland This article is about the archaeological period known as the Iron Age, for the mythological Iron Age see Iron Age (mythology). ... The term hill fort is commonly used by archeologists to describe fortified enclosures located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. ... Combatants Roman Empire Germanic tribes Commanders Germanicus Arminius The Battle of the Weser River, sometimes known as a first Battle of Minden, was fought in 16 between Roman legions commanded by Emperor Tiberius heir and adopted son Germanicus, and an alliance of Germanic tribes commanded by Arminius. ... The Hermannsdenkmal Arminius (also Hermann, Armin, 16 BC–AD 21) was a war chief of the Germanic tribe of the Cherusci who defeated a Roman army in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest. ... Bust of Germanicus. ... The Cherusci were a Germanic tribe inhabiting the Rhine valley and the plains and forests of northwestern Germany (between near modern Osnabrück and Hanover) during the 1st century BCE and 1st century CE. They were first allies and then enemies of Rome. ... The Chatti (also Catti) were an ancient Germanic tribe settled in central and northern Hesse and southern Lower Saxony, along the upper reaches of the Weser river and in the valleys and mountains of the Eder, Fulda and Werra river regions, a district approximately corresponding to Hesse-Cassel, though probably... The Marsi (German: Marser) were a small Germanic tribe settled between the Rhine, Ruhr and Lippe rivers in northwest Germany. ... Gaius Cornelius Tacitus Publius (or: Gaius) Cornelius Tacitus (c. ... The Saxon Wars denote more than thirty years (772 - 804) of war and eighteen battles between Charlemagne and the Saxons in northwestern Germany whom he intended to convert to Christianity and incorporate into his empire -- by all means necessary. ... Charlemagne, portrait by Albrecht Dürer. ...

Eresburg played an important role in the Saxon Wars as it was a stronghold repeatedly occupied by Widukind (Wittekind), leader of the recalcitrant Saxons (those refusing to adopt Christianity and the overlordship of the Franks), and then abandoned to Charlemagne's forces as the Saxons retreated to what is today Denmark (the home of Widukind's in-laws). Local lore has it that as Charlemagne's forces approached, the common town's folk would move into the vast underground gypsum caves beneath Eresburg known as the Drachenholler (Dragon's hole or lair) where they would go unnoticed until Charlemagne's people left. Though this is probably unsupported legend, the caves can still be seen, along with several watchtowers that reportedly date to the same time period (circa AD 800). The Saxon Wars denote more than thirty years (772 - 804) of war and eighteen battles between Charlemagne and the Saxons in northwestern Germany whom he intended to convert to Christianity and incorporate into his empire -- by all means necessary. ... Widukind or Wittekind was a Saxon leader, duke of Saxony and one of the heads of the nobility of Westphalia. ... Map showing the Saxons homeland in traditional region bounded by the three rivers: Weser, Eider, and Elbe Src: Freemans Historical Geographys. The Saxons or Saxon people are (nowadays) part of the German people with its main areas of settlements in the German States of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Saxony... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centred on Jesus of Nazareth, and on his life and teachings as presented in the New Testament. ... For other uses, see Franks (disambiguation). ... Charlemagne, portrait by Albrecht Dürer. ... Map showing the Saxons homeland in traditional region bounded by the three rivers: Weser, Eider, and Elbe Src: Freemans Historical Geographys. The Saxons or Saxon people are (nowadays) part of the German people with its main areas of settlements in the German States of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Saxony... Widukind or Wittekind was a Saxon leader, duke of Saxony and one of the heads of the nobility of Westphalia. ... Charlemagne, portrait by Albrecht Dürer. ... Gypsum is a very soft mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. // Chemical structure Heating gypsum to between 100°C and 150°C (302°F) partially dehydrates the mineral by driving off exactly 75% of the water contained in its chemical structure. ... Charlemagne, portrait by Albrecht Dürer. ...

Very near Eresburg is the hill known as Priesterberg (Priest's mountain), which overlooks the valley of the Diemel. This was reportedly the location of pagan sacrificial rites in the pre-Christian era and the home of Irminsul, a sacred tree or pillar which represented the Germanic central pillar of the world (this was at least one of possibly several Irminsuls). In the year AD 772 Charlemagne destroyed the Irminsul on Priesterberg (elsewhere reported as "near Paderborn" or "near Eresburg") one of the sacred places of the Saxons. The Irminsul was replaced by a stone tower, or structure of some kind, while a Christian church was first constructed in Eresburg proper around AD 800. Although the church in Obermarsberg probably dates in part to the 1200s, it is at least the second or third church which stands atop the remains of Charlemagne's church in Eresburg. The crumbling remains of the stone structure atop Priesterberg can still be seen however. Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is... Detail of the bent Irminsul on the Externsteine relief. ... Detail of the bent Irminsul on the Externsteine relief. ... Charlemagne, portrait by Albrecht Dürer. ... Detail of the bent Irminsul on the Externsteine relief. ... Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. ... Map showing the Saxons homeland in traditional region bounded by the three rivers: Weser, Eider, and Elbe Src: Freemans Historical Geographys. The Saxons or Saxon people are (nowadays) part of the German people with its main areas of settlements in the German States of Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Saxony... Detail of the bent Irminsul on the Externsteine relief. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Christianity. ... Charlemagne, portrait by Albrecht Dürer. ...