Even the Celts valued and used the Taunus Mountains and Ursel creek. On the mountain cone named Altkoenig (799 meter) that can widely be seen, a ring wall dating back to early Celtic times (about 400 BC) occupies about 30 hectar.
A doubled circular embankment encloses the mountain. On the outer ring a barbican adjoins leading far down the mountainside while embracing a still floating well spring on the mountain edge into the stronghold. As excavations by A. von Cohausen in the years 1882-83 showed, the visible embankments consists of ruinous walls that had been kept together by vertical poles on the inner and outer fronts as well as connecting horizontal bars.
We don´t know for sure the purpose of the fortress, whether it served as a castle for shelter, residence of a prince or a mountain sanctuary. Distinctive layers of settlement remnants have never been found. Therefore it is likely that only few people resided constantly at the stronghold, but it could have sheltered a larger crowd in case of emergencies.
Due to the limited lifespan of the wooden constructions a long-term existence of the defensive buildings can not be counted on. More recent findings refer to the presence of people during the so-called „Spaetlatènezeit“ (2. - 1 Century B.C.) and the late times of the Roman emperor´s reign.
The “Oppodium” adjoining in eastern direction, not far from “Heidetraenktal”, might have been the suceeding installation to “Altkoenig”. It emerged from two primarily build facilities characterized by prehistoric sectional embankments on the opposite side of the hilltops “Altenhoefe” and “Goldgrube” which were put to an entity by a enclosing wall in a secondary stage of extension. Differences in elevations up to 230m were artistically overcome and the cutting of the valley was included within the stronghold. The defending walls enclose an area of 130 hectar. More than 200 terrasses that were artificially constructed for building houses called for an extensive settlement in the area. A couple of thousand people are believed to have constantly lived within the settlement.
Findings - including ceramics, agricultural instruments, tools, mill stones and items of decoration (jewelery) illustrate everyday life in a Celtic town, such as mining and processing of metal, wood processing, agriculture, arts and craft as well as trading. An even ealier settlement is suggested by the findings of the “Hallstatt Culture” (800-475 B.C.) on the "Altenhoefe" as well as the “Urnenfelder Culture” (1200-800 B.C.) on the “Goldgrube”, where Celts settled as early as in the 3rd century B.C.
The ruler´s domicile at Altkoenig and the Heidetraenk Oppidum at „Goldgrube“ and Altenhoefe“ form an ensemble. They illustrate the development of an early eltic settlement to the politically and economically powerful larger city centers of the later Celtic times in the western Wetterau and Rhein Main region.
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The so called "Keltenrundweg” (Celts Round Tour) provides information boards on your way through the former Celtic settlement, the Heidetraenk Oppidum.
Most of the findings of Heidetraenk Oppidum are on exhibit at the Vordertaunus Museum Oberursel
www.vortaunusmuseum.de
Keltenstrasse connects important sites of the Celtic culture within Hessen.
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