About
About Götavirke
Götavirke (Geatish Dyke) are the remains of two parallel defensive walls going from north to south between the villages of Västra Husby (58°29′N 16°10′E) and Hylinge (58°28′N 16°10′E) in Söderköping Municipality, Östergötland, Sweden. The walls cover the distance between the lakes Asplången (58°30′N 16°08′E) and Lillsjön (58°28′N 16°10′E). North of Asplången there are remains of several ancient hill forts that may have been part of the defensive line.
South of Lake Lillsjön, the terrain is so hard to pass that it hardly needed any defences. The walls seem to be constructed to protect the Geatish heartland around today's Linköping from attacks from the Baltic Sea. Archaeological excavations have shown that the walls were constructed ca. 800. 5 metres higher. The measures that Geats had taken to protect the route have no match in Viking Age Sweden. The wall supported a wooden pale, and behind it are traces of a military road, which makes it similar to the Danevirke protecting the contempo
History
How it came to be
- Excavation
- Not applicable
Location
Where it is
58.4822° N · 16.1586° E
Gallery