Germany · Partial ruin
Charenza
Charenza (also Karentia or Karenz) was a medieval Slavic burgwall on the island of Rügen that served as an administrative and religious centre of the Rani. It is recorded in 12th- and early 13th-century sources and later identified with the earthwork remains near Venz (Venzer Burgwall). The site today survives as grassy ramparts and ditches with tree cover.
Its prime
1168
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1168
The shape it held in its prime.
A low, roughly circular earthen ringwork (burgwall) formed by a continuous raised bank and external ditch, the ramparts now largely grass-covered and lined with trees. The interior is a broad, level hollow of meadow within the ring, punctuated by gentle rises where timber buildings and sacred enclosures once stood. No stone curtain or towers are visible in the photograph; the silhouette is defined by the tree-topped earthworks against the sky and the open meadow in front.
Its story
The story of Charenza.
Charenza — also Karentia, Karenz or later Gharense — was a medieval Slavic burgwall on the island of Rügen in the Baltic, the administrative centre of the Rani tribe and of the Principality of Rugia. It appears in 12th- and early 13th-century sources as both an administrative and religious centre.
When the Danish king raised money to build twelve churches on Rügen, one was the capelle nostre in Charenz, which in 1232 was granted the village of Gagern as a fief; in 1234, when the Rugian prince Vitslav I granted Lübeck law to Stralsund, the document was signed at Charenza. The site was later identified with the earthworks near Venz — the Venzer Burgwall — which survive as grassy ramparts and ditches under tree cover.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1168.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Charenza — including 4 interiors: interior central enclosure, site of the temple of rugievit, site of the temple of porevit and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Charenza with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1168 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →
