Dobele hillfort

The following text is a translation of Ernests Brastiņš’ 1926 book Latvijas pilskalni (Latvian hillforts), Volume 2: Zemgale and Augšzeme. Some of the geographical and archaeological information may be out of date.

On the western edge of Dobele town, next to the road to Naudīte, a stone ruin can be observed. These are the remains of the former German Order castle. They occupy a triangular area from the south-west to the north-east, surrounded by steep slopes.

Survey scale 1:1000. Contour interval 1 m. Surveyed on August 1, 1923. Illustration from E. Brastiņš’ book.

The stonework on the eastern side of the ruins is very old, while the wide south-western end, based on its appearance and historical records, is more recent. At a closer inspection of the site of the older stone ruins, it appears to be the former Semigallian hillfort.

This ancient hillfort was constructed on the narrow northern end of the current Livonian Order castle mound, which is separated from the rest of the hill with a wide ditch. The width of the ditch is still visible on the outside of the walls, whereas the part of the ditch inside the walls has been filled in and flattened. The rampart which should have been to the north of the ditch has also been flattened.

All in all, the ancient hillfort was comparable in both area and height to the average hillforts of Kurzeme and Zemgale. The height of the ancient Dobele hillfort in the east towards the Bērze river is 15 m, in the north 12 m, and in the west 9 m. Currently, there are ponds on the western side.

Area plan. Scale 1:100.000. Illustration from E. Brastiņš’ book.

It is impossible to say what the hilltop and the earthworks looked like because the landscape has changed through later construction. Archaeologically, this site has not yet been explored, but there is no doubt that archaeological excavations will confirm the construction of the Livonian Order castle on the site of the ancient Semigallian “Doblen” castle.

At present, the castle ruins along with the ancient hillfort have been converted into a park and are protected from further destruction.

The built over ditch of Dobele hillfort, from the west. Illustration from E. Brastiņš’ book.

The ancient Semigallian castle of Dobele has been mentioned several times in the Livonian Rhymed Chronicle. Dobele area has also been mentioned in the ancient land division records of Zemgale.

Both the ancient hillfort and the Livonian Order castle have been described in detail by August Bielenstein, Karl von Löwis of Menar, Leonid Arbusow, and others.

Legends in relation to Dobele hillfort talk mostly about money. A tailor filled up a goatskin with coins, but the money was of no use. As much as he spent he had to put back, otherwise the rest would go missing. Bielenstein recorded a similar legend (Mag. XIV.)