Medieval House Foundations Discovered in Werther, Germany

Archaeologists from Archäologie am Hellweg e. G., led by Hisham Nabo, uncovered the remains of a roughly 20‑meter long residential building dating to the 10th‑11th century on a garden plot on Ravensberger Straße in Werther, North Rhine‑Westphalia. The post‑hole trenches reveal the floor plan of the house, which was occupied for about 30‑40 years before being abandoned.

The find, announced by the Landschaftsverband Westfalen‑Lippe (LWL), provides the first physical evidence of Werther’s early settlement, previously known only from written records dating to 1009. The 800 m² excavation recorded 39 features, including a later brick well and modern disturbances, and shows the house was situated near the Schwarzbach stream, a likely factor in the town’s development.