Fieldstone structures

 

Along the German highway E 30, southwest of Brandenburg an der Havel, lies the old town of Ziesar (first mentioned in 948).

 

For friends of medieval architecture it is worth a visit. Here, remains of a castle and a church of fieldstone have survived, a material - remnant of the ice age - that covers fields and meadows in large quantities.

 

Fieldstones are quite common as building material in the north-eastern German states, especially in village churches and fortifications. Usually, however, they are combined with other materials, often with bricks.

 

 

                                Monastry church of the Cistercian nuns

 

 

                                                Keep of the castle
 
Large buildings that are built entirely out of fieldstones are rare. In the thirteenth century, the Late Romanesque monastery church of St. Crucis was built entirely of fieldstone. The later brick apse is Gothic.

 

On the grounds of the castle is a 35 m high keep from the period around 1200. The original entrance was about 10 meters high. The so-called "Bischofsmütze" ("Bishop's hat") was added in the sixteenth century and used as a guardhouse.

 

 
Those who are more into colorfulness can spoil their eyes with a visit to the late-Gothic castle chapel with its rich architectural decoration. In this brick building, fieldstones were used for the foundation.