Banter Ruine

A small mound stands out on the northern shore of Lake Banter, just before the Grodendamm. It is about 3.5 meters high. It is one of around 300 mounds that exist in the city of Wilhelmshaven. Before there was a closed line of dykes along the East Frisian coast, residents had to expect repeated flooding during storm surges. To protect themselves and their possessions from this, they built their houses on small mounds that they had raised - hence the name "Wurt" or "Warft", as they say in North Friesland.

Long before Lake Banter existed, a church stood here in the Middle Ages.  It was located in front of the dyke line and was therefore built on a Wurt. On January 16, 1511, storm and ice  from the devastating Antoni flood destroyed the church. It was not rebuilt. The rubble was used elsewhere. The granite blocks were used to build an extension to the Neuender church and the timber was used to build the Maadesiel.

The coffins were recovered. They were richly decorated with crosses, arches, crooks and other motifs. They dated from between the middle of the 11th century and the second half of the 12th century. Inspired by these finds, the royal master builder Kunisch carried out an excavation in 1867. It was the first excavation of a rampart to be carried out in Germany. The ground plan of a Gothic church came to light. The church was built with bricks and measured 30 x 9 meters and had an apse, i.e. a semi-circular extension, as is often found in churches. Ash jars in the foundations caused a stir. It was assumed that this could have been a pagan burial mound on which the church was built.