„[…] It is well-known that a much revered image of the Irminsul stood but a few miles from here, at [Altenbeken], where Charlemagne, – his chroniclers clearly state, – went and destroyed it in 772. It seems hardly probably that there was not also one towering above these Rocks, which are not merely the religious centre of ancient Germany, but also that of Europe as a whole – the main sacred centre of Solar worship in the West, and one of the extremely few such centres in the wide world. […]“
(Savitri Devi: Pilgrimage)
According to the beliefs of our ancestors, the Irminsul was the largest sanctuary and is also known as the world pillar. It was a mighty tree trunk, which was intended as a support for the universe and was placed in a sacred place on a mountain height, at a spring or in a grove. Its location has been researched for a long time. The following places may have been possible locations for the Irminsul: Obermarsberg with Eresburg Castle on the Diemel, Externsteine near Detmold, Iburg near Bad Drieburg and Irmenseul between the Harz foreland and the Leinebergland.
According to oral tradition, the Irminsul is said to have stood at the southern end of the village „Germarkung Heiligen Holz“ at the Bornhöhe.
(https://www.heimatverein-irmenseul.de/geschichte-der-irminsul/)
I recently hiked to the re-erected Irminsul overlooking the tellingly named village Irmenseul. In fact, it was that name that caught my attention when looking at a map of the region for places of excursions. It seems exceedingly unlikely that the village would have gotten its name from anything other than the original site of the (or an) Irminsul, especially in combination with the aforementioned „Gemarkung Heiligen Holz“. (Gemarkung: „clearly defined and bounded-off unified topographical area“, [leo.org]; Heiligen Holz: „holy wood“. Bornhöhe, by the way, means spring or well heights, so perhaps there was also a sacred well nearby.)
On 19 October 1996, the Irminsul, which was toppled by King Charles in 772, was re-erected after 1124 years by the Irmenseul Local History Society.
As early as the beginning of 1990, seven friends of local history began to work on the history of the small village of Irmenseul, which gave rise to the idea of re-erecting the Irminsul. The necessary negotiations with the authorities (application to the building authority on 25.06.1992), the settlement of the location question as well as the financing were successfully completed before the erection. On 13.10.1994, the building authority granted permission for the erection. Now it was concrete and it was decided to found the local history society. The founding meeting took place on 17 February 1995. Immediately 42 interested people joined the newly founded Local History Society of Irmenseul as members. Through intensive efforts, we can now report a membership of about 200.After the founding meeting, the registration of the association was applied for, which took place on 27 April 1995. As early as 25 November 1996, a 30-year lease (with the possibility of subsequent renewal) was signed with the landowner Dierking for the site of the Irminsul on the Romberg. A search was now made in the surrounding forests for an oak trunk suitable for the Irminsul. There was great joy when they found one in the monastery forest of Lamspringe. This was „It“: nine metres long, weighing over a tonne, with a diameter of 45-50 cm, almost 1.5 solid metres of wood. The master wood sculptor Richard Janzen created the wooden form for the municipal coat of arms, which was to form the crowning finish at the end of the Irminsul. With this mould, the Wilhelm Funke company could now carry out the aluminium casting, which weighs five hundredweights and has a diameter of 1.60m. The coat of arms of the village of Irmenseul shows in blue on a green ground a silver wooden trunk (Irminsul) carrying an upright, four-spoked, silver wheel, the wheel rim of which is covered by a golden wreath of ears of corn, each alternating with four roses and blue cornflowers.
On 19 October 1996 the time had come: the Irminsul was erected and the oak trunk was sunk 2.5 m into the foundation. The design of the site of the Irminsul on the Romberg was completed by planting native trees and shrubs and inserting large boulders. In addition, an information stand on the history of the Irminsul has been erected with maps of the surrounding area and historical background information as well as native animals and plants. The Irminsul was inaugurated in time for the 700th anniversary of the village of Irmenseul on 13 and 14 June 1998. […]
From its current location, the Romberg, the Irminsul greets visitors far into the Leine-Harzvorland and even the Brocken can be seen in good visibility. The Irminsul has become an attractive destination for many hiking groups.(https://www.heimatverein-irmenseul.de/wiedererrichtung-der-irminsul/)
Clarissa Schnabel 