Veľký vrch Hilffort, Divinka

The fortification was built on the northern bank of the Váh, exactly above the flow of the Váh through the western edge of the Žilina basin. Of the known fortifications from the Roman period, the fortification in Divinka with the mentioned area of 12 hectares is the largest. Together with the presumed wooden walls (without embankment modifications), the total area of the Divinka fortification could have been as large as 100-150 hectares, making it one of the largest fortifications in Europe. There is evidence of an Old Slavic settlement only on the Veľký vrch (Big Hill) in Divinka. Here could have been the original tribal castle of the ancient Biess and later, in the pre-Great Moravian period, the main castle of the North Slavic tribe. The fortification was built already in the Hallstatt period (8th century BC). There are already traces of Eneolithic settlement (3300 years before Christ). On the southern slope of the Great Hill we know an artificially prepared terrace in two places, first a settlement terrace, but we have no finds from there.

The findings show that northern Slovakia in the Slavic and Great Moravian period was inhabited by a Slavic tribe with its tribal seat in Divinka on Veľký vrch. In addition to the fortification in Divinka, seven other fortifications from the same period have been found in the vicinity, most of them built on the right side of the Váh, thus forming a fortified line on the border with the Kysuce Mountains. The area inhabited by this tribe was characterised by burial in mounds. The burnt remains of the dead were deposited on the surface of the ground and covered with the mound. The tribe and its territory became a part of Great Moravia after its formation.

After the demise of the Great Moravian Empire, this territory became for a certain period of time an independent territory, which was not under the influence of the emerging Kingdom of Hungary, although for short periods it came under the influence of the Kingdom of Poland or the emerging Kingdom of Bohemia. This territory was thus the only free remnant of Great Moravia in the Carpathian Basin.

Some sources state that the whole area was probably already in the times of Great Moravia organized as a separate organizational unit (county) with its seat in Divinka with a regional and judicial office. The castle in Divinka, assuming its size was 150 ha, would have been one of the largest in Europe.

Saint Clement Hillfort

St. Clement’s Mountain is one of the spiritual places deeply connected with the history of Moravia.

The first written records of this mountain, hidden in the silence of the vast Chřiby forests, date back only to the 14th century.

According to the testimony of historical sources, this mountain was given centuries ago by King Rastislav to St. Constantine, Methodius and their disciples for a contemplative life. They found here a place for contemplation, prayer and work. A monastery and hermitage were built near the temple, and there was also a school, a centre of education and enlightenment. As the Life of Constantine, written under the direction of Archbishop Methodius himself, says: “When Saint Constantine came to Moravia, Rastislav received him with great reverence, and when he had gathered disciples, he gave them to him for teaching… And soon he translated the Church Order, and taught them the morning Divine Service, the hours, the evening, the Vespers and the Mass, and there he had other doctrines, grammar and music taught. And the ears of the deaf were opened, according to the words of the prophet, and they heard the words of the Scriptures, and the language of the harebrained was made plain …”

The Mount of St. Clement, placed under the protection of the Roman Pope and martyr, patron of the Thessalonian mission, St. Clement, whose remains were preserved there, was thus a centre of piety and learning. It was also here that the translation of the holy books was completed by St. Methodius in 884, and that a celebrated service was celebrated on the feast of St. Demetrius in thanksgiving for the grace and help granted.

Archaeological excavations have shown that a brick chapel stood on this mountain in the 9th century in the Great Moravian period. Only Jindřich Wankl from the Patriotic Museum Association from Olomouc, who led excavations of the hillfort in 1885 – 1888 and who allegedly discovered the foundations of the monastery itself from the Cyril and Methodius period, mentions the 9th century living space adjacent to the chapel, but does not specify it any further.

In 1903-1905, the Brno postal official R. Čechmánek carried out excavations here and stated in connection with the living quarters that he found nothing except incomplete parts of the Augustinian monastery.

However, R. Čechmánek discovered the common grave of seven individuals in the church nave and the skeletal remains of one individual in the chancel behind the altar, which were mainly passed off by local enthusiasts as the skeleton of Methodius.

The anthropological expertise carried out in 1950 by the Institute of Archaeology of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague dated the old skeleton by Dr. J. Chochol to the 13th to 15th century. Thus, the myth of Methodius’ burial at St. Clement’s Fortress cannot be confirmed.

From other interesting finds in this locality is the discovery of a golden solidus of Emperor Theophilus from the years 839 to 842 by a native of Koryčany, Vítězslav Gloza, in 1912.

There are threefold fortifications on the eastern side of St. Clement’s Mountain, which surround the 16-hectare fortification. On the acropolis are the foundations of a medieval church, which was built from the original 9th century chapel by the Brno Augustians after 1358, and which existed until 1421, when the monastic community was attacked by the Hussites from Strážnice. After this catastrophe, the spiritual life on St. Clement’s Mountain ceased. Around 1500, the knight Smetana of Osvětimany lived here as a hermit.

There is also a wooden chapel, built in 1964 by some Koryčany citizens under the leadership of P. Stanislav Straňák, in place of the original chapel from 1880, which stood in the chancel of the church foundation. There is also the bell tower of St. Gorazd, built in 1985 by members of the Community of St. Gorazd and Companions – Living Heritage. The Zeyer’s Well, located southeast at the foot of the mountain, has also been named after St. Gorazd since the same year.

Source: www.korycany.cz

Znojmo-Hradiště

The period before Great Moravia and the time of Great Moravia

The importance of the site grew in the period before Great Moravia, but the fortress reached its greatest prosperity during the times of Great Moravia. Then it became an important power centre of the whole south-western Moravia. Probably in the 9th century the area was newly fortified using the remains of the Late Bronze Age walls. The new fortification consisted of a ditch (up to 10 metres wide, 3.4 metres deep, in some places cut into the rock) and a massive wall with a wooden structure made of cross and longitudinal timbers. The wall had at least in some places a stone headwall. It also included log chambers measuring 3 × 3 metres. The entire fortified area covered an area of 20 hectares, making it one of the largest Great Moravian castles. It was divided into two halves by an inner wall and a moat – the western front castle and the inner castle in the eastern part of the site. The exact time of the construction of the wall has not yet been determined. Dendrodata recovered from the outer (western) wall speak for the period after 881, the inner wall was probably built earlier.

Only short parts of the rampart and the moat have been preserved to this day. Most of them have been destroyed over time by agricultural and construction activities, so that their course is almost imperceptible in the terrain. Only the southern and eastern sections of the inner castle fortification and a small part of the western wall of the forecourt are better preserved.

The overthrow of the hillfort by the Hungarians and the medieval period

The demise of the fortification probably dates back to around 906, when, according to late tradition, Hradiště was conquered and burnt by the Hungarians. The results of the archaeological survey also correspond to this. According to them, the fortress was destroyed in a great fire. The described event is dated to the first half of the 10th century by the discovery of jewels found together with an unburied female warrior under the collapsed body of the wall.

Even after the overthrow by the Hungarians, the settlement of Hradiště persisted and the locality also retained its dominant position in the area. This was also the case after the annexation of Moravia to Přemyslid Bohemia. It was not until the end of the 11th century that a new, smaller castle was built nearby, on the opposite side of the Gránicky valley, by Prince Konrad I and his son Litold, on the outskirts of which the medieval town of Znojmo gradually emerged. The new Přemyslid castle took over the administrative function and the importance of Hradiště as a secular centre ceased. However, it remained a religious centre for a long time – the church in Hradiště is mentioned as the main “Znojmo church” in the documents of the Olomouc bishop Jindřich Zdík from the third of the 12th century, and a provost appointed by the ruler was stationed at the church. The Hradiště provosts became visible as royal chancellors when Znojmo was made a royal town (1222/1226). However, the function of the main town church was taken over by the Church of St. Nicholas and Hradiště was not included in the town location. In 1240 King Wenceslas I gave Hradiště to the Order of the Crusaders with the Red Star. They soon had the Great Moravian rotunda of St. Hippolytus rebuilt into a Gothic church. During the Hussite wars the priory was burnt down. Martin Medek of Mohelnice (1577-1581) and the mathematician and astrologer Mikuláš Kozař of Kozařov (1585-1616) were among the notable personalities who served as provost here.

Castle in modern times

The provost’s office was conquered by Count Thurn during the Estates Uprising, who handed it over to the administration of William of Roupov, the highest provincial judge in Moravia. From the ashes of the Thirty Years’ War, Hradiště was brought out by the provost Gerhard of Sclessin and his nephew Thomas of Sclessin, both formerly apostolic Protestants, born in Lutych. In 1759, under the reign of Bishop Jan Jiří Hauer, Bishop Moritz Adolf of Saxe-Coburg died here, having taken refuge here during the Seven Years’ War. The money deposited for his stay (asylum) in the building of the presbytery enabled the Baroque reconstruction of the Church of St. Hippolytus with the invitation of the leading late-Baroque painter Franz Anton Maulbertsch.

Historie

Velehrad je jedním z nejvýznamnějších poutních míst Moravy. Historie tohoto místa se začala psát před více než 800 lety, kdy do údolí říčky Salašky přišlo prvních 12 cisterciáckých mnichů, aby nedaleko obce Veligrad (dnešní Staré Město) vybudovali svůj klášter. Právě na základě své polohy dostal klášter své jméno a stal se záhy nositelem mnohem starší duchovní tradice, která sahá až do 9. století, kdy na Moravu přišli slovanští věrozvěstové Konstantin a Metoděj. A tak již po staletí na Velehrad proudí tisíce poutníků, k nimž se připojil v roce 1990 také papež Jan Pavel II.

Zakladateli kláštera byli moravský markrabě Vladislav Jindřich s jeho bratrem Přemyslem Otakarem I. a olomoucký biskup Robert. Výstavba kostela byla zahájena patrně v letech 1210 – 1215. Jako většina cisterciáckých kostelů přijal patrocinium Nanebevzetí Panny Marie. (Spolupatronát Cyrila a Metoděje byl připojen až v roce 1932 dekretem papeže Pia XI. Titulem bazilika byl kostel vyznamenán v roce 1928 z rozhodnutí papeže Pia XI.).

Původní románsko-gotická bazilikální stavba byla budována podle stavebních tradic cisterciáků, které charakterizovala krása prostých linií a střídmá výzdoba. Devadesát devět metrů dlouhá stavba byla rozvržena na půdorysu latinského kříže. Východní stranu uzavírala pětice apsid. V této podobě se kostel do dnešních časů nedochoval v důsledku tragických událostí, jež v průběhu dějin cisterciácký klášter postihly. V roce 1421 vypálili velehradské opatství moravští husité. Klášter 150 let chátral. Nesnadného úkolu obnovy se ujal až opat Ekard ze Schwoben ve druhé polovině 16. století. Středověkou podobu však kostel ztratil až v důsledku obrovského požáru, který v klášteře vypukl v roce 1681. V důsledku této pohromy byl kostel radikálně přestavěn. Stavba byla zkrácena o chrámové průčelí s románským ústupkovitým portálem a nahrazena novým, jemuž dominují dvě věže. Boční lodě baziliky byly přezděny příčkami s pilastry, a tak vzniklo 14 samostatných postranních kaplí, z nichž 10 má oltáře a pod podlahou krypty. Z křížení lodí byla snesena 100 metrů vysoká renesanční věž a byla nahrazena kupolí s nízkou věží zvanou lucerna. Nyní je tedy bazilika dlouhá 86 m. Přes radikální zásahy si kostel uchoval ve svých proporcích a půdorysném schématu charakter románsko – gotické stavby.

V roce 1784 byl velehradský klášter zrušen Josefem II. Klášterní majetek byl rozchvácen, areál kláštera střídal majitele a klášterní kostel se stal kostelem farním. Stavba velmi chátrala a chyběly finanční prostředky na její údržbu. Obnovy se dočkal kostel v souvislosti se sílícím cyrilometodějským kultem . V rámci cyrilometodějských milénií v letech 1863 a 1885 se jej podařilo obnovit. Další rozvoj byl zabezpečen příchodem jezuitů na Velehrad v roce 1890. Za jejich správy byla stavba ve 20. letech a 30. letech 20. století zabezpečena proti vzlínání vlhkosti. SS tím souvisel objev velehradského podzemí, které bylo ještě před vypuknutím druhé světové války zpřístupněno veřejnosti. V letech 1935 – 1938 proběhlo restaurování interiéru kostela. Nástup totalitních režimů k moci celá desetiletí bránil rozvoji poutního místa, ačkoliv nejnutnější opravy (např. statické zajištění klenby a výměnu krovu a krytiny) se podařilo realizovat.
V roce 1990 se na Velehrad vrátili Jezuité a na Velehrad přicestoval papež Jan Pavel II. Od té doby probíhá pozvolná hmotná i duchovní obnova Velehradu, přičemž projekt Velehrad – centrum kulturního dialogu západní a východní Evropy představuje její vyústění.

Zdroj: www.velehrad-iop.cz

Hradisko Ostrá skala, Vyšný Kubín

Hradisko „Ostrá skala“ (812 m.n.m.) je situované na vápencovom brale východne od „Tupej skaly“. Z východnej a južnej strany ho chránia bralnaté steny s výškou 50-60 m. Sídliskovo vhodná plocha je v SZ časti, odkiaľ je aj prístupová cesta. Najstaršie osídlenie je tu zachytené v podobe kolových jám, ktoré datovala keramika do mladšieho obdobia badenskej kultúry.

Spolu s polohou „Trniny“ nad Dolným Kubínom je to druhé výšinné sídlisko z eneolitu na Orave. Po zničení halštatského hradiska na „Tupej skale“ sa tu nakrátko presunulo osídlenie, doložené keramickými zlomkami v  sekundárnej polohe. V dobe laténskej – púchovská kultúra, tu vybudovali opevnený hrádok, chránený kameno-hlinitým valom s výškou 3,5 m a palisádou. Vnútorná plocha bola rozčlenená na tri časti, pričom akropola bola ohradená valom s roštovou konštrukciou. Osídlenie tu pokračovalo aj v rímskej fáze púchovskej kultúry. Na ploche sa našla typická laténska keramika, vrátane maľovaných nádob, železné spony, náradie. Z 19. storočia pochádzajú tri zlaté keltské statéry, nález bronzového ramienka na váhy naznačuje možnosť výroby mincí. Výnimočným nálezom je depot 40 železných predmetov datovaný do 4. storočia – do tzv. severokarpatskej skupiny neskorej doby rímskej, ktorý spolu s nálezmi keramiky dokazuje že na počiatku sťahovania národov tu jestvovalo menšie sídlisko Významné postavenie mala lokalita aj v slovanskom období, kedy tu vybudovali veľkomoravské hradisko. Železné ostrohy datujú toto osídlenie už do blatnicko-mikulčického horizontu, na prelom 8.-9. stor.

Zdroj: www.archeologiask.sk

Slovania na Ostrej skale

Ostrú skalu ako výhodnú strategickú polohu pre vybudovanie opevnenia objavili opäť v 9. storočí n.l. naši predkovia Slovania, ktorí na hradisku opäť obnovili opevnenia a vybudovali nové obydlia. Slovanský opevňovací systém v závere 8. stor. a v 9. stor. využil zvyšky fortifikácií z predchádzajúcich období. Rovnako sa nadviazalo na staršiu úpravu vnútorného priestoru hradiska, keď sa palisádovou ohradou rozdelilo opevnené sídlisko na tri nádvoria s rozlohou približne 1,5-2 ha. Val, v pôdoryse majúci tvar nesymetrickej podkovy, chránil najvyššiu sídliskovú plochu s rozlohou 2500 m2. Val má svoj pôvod v dobe laténskej, pričom Slovania ho navŕšili a vsadili doň drevenú ohradu.

Z prelomu 8. a 9. stor. pochádza kultúrna vrstva, zahĺbené obydlie s pecou a ďalšie sídliskové objekty s ohniskami. Z nálezov treba spomenúť tri ostrohy, kosy, kovania vedierok, nože, sekery, britvy a zbrane. Z mladšieho obdobia, časovo zaradeného do 10. stor. až na prelom 12./13. stor., boli v pôdoryse rozpoznané príbytky so zrubovou konštrukciou (zuholnatené zvyšky drevených trámov). Opevnené sídlisko pravdepodobne v prvom časovom horizonte plnilo centrálnu správnu funkciu v regióne. Na základe dlhodobo prebiehajúceho prehodnocovania nálezovej situácie (železné predmety – zbrane, výstroj koňa) je už preukázaná kontinuita osídlenia od druhej polovice 9. stor. až do 10. stor. Išlo o obdobie medzi oboma najdôležitejšími medzníkmi včasnostredovekého využitia tejto lokality. Nedosahuje však takú intenzitu ako v oboch dominantných časových úsekoch.

Zdroj: www.hradiska.sk

Molpír Hillfort, Smolenice – history

Already in 1890 and 1895 the Smolenice parish priest N. Sándorfi explored the location of Molpír on the eastern outcrop of the Small Carpathians. He found fortifications with three defensive walls, a prehistoric settlement, and investigated 23 graves of the Central Danube mound culture, mostly with mound embankments. The grave inventory already represents the classical mound culture, with a sword with a tongue-shaped hilt (type Smolenice – Szombor) and a needle with a seal-head. The research of the cairn was continued in 1970-72 by the Archaeological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (Siegrid Dušeková); she uncovered 15 cairns with 51 biritual graves; the urn and skeleton graves had numerous ceramic and bronze (razors, jewels, knives) additions, even gold wires were found. Several mounds and several finds from the pre-Moravian period date from the Slavic period.
In 1963-71, the Kalenderberg culture site was systematically investigated by Mikuláš Dušek (from 1967 with Siegrid Dušek). The whole site can be divided into three areas, two foreforts and an acropolis, with a total area of 12 hectares. The construction of the fortification was above average: the 2 m wide rampart had dry-laid stone walls on both sides, 0.5 m wide, with a stone-clay infill in the middle. The acropolis wall was reinforced with a wooden chamber structure, its stone gateway was reinforced with quadrilateral towers and protected from the side by an oval bastion.

Only the upper forecourt and the acropolis were inhabited; the houses, arranged in a street system, stood on artificial terraces. The acropolis was also built on the inner side along the fortifications. They were 6-10 m long, about 3 m wide, single, double and triple-roomed. They were built with a log construction on stone walls, the walls were plastered on both sides with clay, and the floor was similarly treated, sometimes laid with flat stones. Heating was provided by simple hearths and dome stoves. Outside the houses on the acropolis there were 6 ovens, probably under a wooden shelter, used for baking bread. Another furnace adjacent to one of the houses contained the remains of a smelting furnace and an iron magnifying glass – this is the oldest iron furnace in our area. There was also a cistern (35.5 x 5.5 x 1.5 m) carved into the rock on the acropolis, possibly serving another purpose (clay-washed walls). A cult place, the so-called temple, was carved into the rock (202 x 6 m). It contained three red-burned sacrificial altars, the skull and bones of a child of about 2 years of age, broken crescent-shaped idols and geometric idols in the form of weaver’s needle weights. Other evidence of the cult is a building sacrifice in the foundation of one house.

The economy of the settlement was based on handicraft production (besides ironwork (tools, weapons, knives) bronze casting (crucibles), production of stone hearths, weaving) and trade. The contact with the advanced South Hallstatt world is evidenced by boat-shaped clasps, needles, amber and glass beads, as well as imitations of bronze vessels in ceramics.

The demise of the fortress is related to the abundance of metal projectiles from both the inner and outer sides of the ramparts, but the only victim of the military conflict is a defender killed in the third gate. The attackers used the same missiles as the defenders. Thus, the destruction was not brought about by invaders from the east, but by internecine conflicts between domestic groups between 570-560 BC, probably related to the emerging nomadic culture in the Carpathian Basin, referred to as the Vekerzug culture. The first objects decorated in a different (beast) style, which are found in the youngest layers of the hillfort, are also echoes of its emergence.

At the site, the restoration and presentation of parts of the fortification, the gate, the cult object and the cistern have been carried out. Visitors are informed about the individual objects by the text on the boards forming part of the nature trail.

Source: smolenice.com

Hillfort Mesciská, Pružina

The hillfort was discovered in the 19th century by the Slovak explorer Anton Intibus, who wrote about it in 1856. Further exploration was carried out in the late 1990s by Štefan Meliš. There are massive ramparts of the hillfort (two closed ramparts, separated by a deeper ravine). There are two fortifications with a total area of about 2.6ha (2.03ha and 0.58ha). The hillfort is located on a promontory of Svrčinovec hill /759.7m/ immediately above the village of Riedka at the confluence of the Strážovský and the White Brook in the cadastre of the village of Pružina.

Hillfort Mesciská I.

The larger of the two hillforts on the north-eastern side of the terrace, sloping gently to the north-west, has an outer circumference of 611m and an area of approximately 2.03ha. The hillfort consists of a massive continuous rampart (260m long, 3-4m wide at the crown and 1.5-7m high) on the north-west, south-west and south-east sides. There is also a lower mound (length 20m) in the northern outcrop of the hillfort. On the south-eastern side of the rampart is a shallow ditch (length 90m, width 0.8-1m). A smaller ditch also lines the rampart on the inner side in the western arch of the fortification (length 30m). The rest of the perimeter of the fort, about 330m long, is formed by the edge of a plateau with steep rocky slopes. The natural rampart is reinforced in several places by stone retaining walls. The fortification is interrupted in 4 places, these are probably entrance gates. There are three stepped terraces, probably an acropolis, in the south-eastern wooded part of the hillfort. There is a worked rock measuring about 3x2x0.7m near the south-western arch of the rampart, and it is likely that this was the site of a sacrificial burial ground.

Hillfort Mesciská II.

The area with a perimeter of 305m and an area of about 0.58ha. It lies in the south-west outcrop of the terrace. The division of the hillfort into two parts was probably caused by the configuration of the terrain (gusts of water from the northern slope of Svrčinovec probably disturbed the mound. The flat upper surface of the hillfort was built artificially. It is protected from the west and north-west by steep rock slopes, the north-eastern side was earthen and is therefore now spread out into a gentle slope. On the south-eastern side, the plateau is protected by a substantial mound (70m long, 3-4m wide and 1-1.5m high), terminated on the western side by a projection (probably a tower or gate). Behind it, a road clearly emerges from the corner of the hillfort. There is a similar projection in the opposite corner of the fortification above the pothole separating the hillforts.

Several sherds from the 9th century (Slavic from the period of Great Moravia), but also sherds from the Púchov culture from the late Ladenian period have been found on the hillforts. The existence of production facilities is assumed here (finds of iron slag at the eastern rampart near the eastern gate of the fortification). As the probing of the fortification failed to reveal a cultural layer, it is assumed that it is probably a refugium (a fortress built by the Slavs – or rebuilt in the early Middle Ages to give them a place to hide from the enemy in times of danger).

Source: krizom-krazom.eu

Majcichov

In 2006, the municipality of Majcichov commemorated the 740th anniversary (1266) of its first written mention, although its existence dates back to 35 000 years B.C. For this anniversary, the municipality published a book by Adriana Račková – Traditions and Songs from Majcichov and a commemorative plaque to the local dean and parish priest, Konstantin Hurban, was unveiled at the local grocery store, COOP Jednota.

Archaeological findings indicate that prehistoric man lived in the area of present-day Majcichov as early as the Early Stone Age ( 35 000 – 8 000 years B.C. ). In the literature, the hillfort of Majcichov from the Early Stone Age ( 5 000 – 3 000 B.C. ) is more often mentioned. In this context, the settlement of the people with the culture of volute pottery is mentioned. The most frequent traces of ancestors of Majcichov people are found in the Bronze Age (from 1900 – 700 BC), it is the Lusatian and Velatian culture. In the older Iron Age (from 700 – 300 BC) there is a known settlement south of Majcichov, already in the cadastre of the municipality of Hoste, in the locality of Malý háj (Little Grove). At the turn of the 5th and 6th century AD, Slavs settled here. The preserved traces include a settlement with Prague-type pottery.

From the 9th century there is a known Great Moravian protective hillfort in Majcichov from the local part of Palaj to the Vlčkovský grove, which had an area of 3 ha. Archaeological research of this hillfort was carried out by the Institute of Archaeology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Nitra in the 1960s and at the beginning of the 21st century. Researches claim that the area could be as large as 9 ha. The hillfort was located at an important trade crossroads. It is very likely that Majcichov already existed in this period under the name of Majtech as a small settlement on the local upper street below the church today. A watchtower probably stood on the site of the church. A whole network of service settlements was formed around the Majcichov settlement. In this period, the Majcichov inhabitants embraced Christianity, which was also consolidated by the old Hungarians within the Hungarian state after the settlement’s demise, as evidenced again by the many Hungarian names – Farkašín (Vlčkovce), Majthény (Majcichov)

Although Majcichov together with the church is documented in writing from 1266 as evidenced by the minutes of the Nitra Chapter (stored in Hungary in the Nitra archive, from the above it is certain that the village existed much earlier)

The life of Majcichov was influenced by the Elephanthy family from Lefantiovce near Nitra, King Sigismund of Luxemburg, the Thurz family, Františl Ujlaky- Bishop of Rába, the Wofgang family, the Báthory family, the Stupava estate, the Szegédivo family (they built a lighthouse and four large cellars on the place where the KD stands today), Stiavnica manor, Bencsics, Gudics, Abrahámfy, Farkas, Esterházi (from their period there was an early manor house, which was demolished due to its unsatisfactory condition), Szegeli (they gave the monstrance to the church, the emperor to the chapel in the cemetery, which is from 1697). In the Jan Palárik Memorial Room there is a painting representing the so-called Peace of Majcichov, which symbolises the end of the Imperial-Curonian Wars.

From the first half of the 18th century, the crypts of the Andreanskis and Szegedi family are located under the church. In the 18th century, the Andraszi family were among the owners of the municipality (statue of St. Barbara 1750, cross in front of the church 1747).

Source: www.majcichov.sk

Hillfort Kostolec-Ducové

The oldest traces of sporadic settlement on the site of the later hillfort date back to the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. The foundation of the first settlement at Kostolc occurred in the Younger Bronze Age (1300-1100 BC). Members of the Velatic culture built a massive, 120 m long neck mound on the northern side of the site and dug a ditch in front of it. Archaeological research carried out in 1968-1972 and 1975 confirmed that the inhabitants of the hillfort were engaged in bronze casting. This is confirmed by the discovery of mould casters and a large number of bronze objects.

The hillfort was reoccupied in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. and then by the Slavs in the 9th century, at the time of the Great Moravian Empire. The Slavic settlement at Kostolc was preceded by the settlement at Pobedim. It was destroyed in the 1st half of the 9th century, probably as a result of the expansion of Prince Mojmir in the territory of today’s Slovakia in the years 830-833. The hillfort at Kostolc was settled around 850, it was in the form of a great manor with an area of approximately 0.5 ha. For its defence, an older rampart and a Bronze Age moat were used. A wooden palisade was built on top of the rampart. A stone rotunda with an apse stood inside the hillfort.

The courtyard disappeared sometime in the middle of the 10th century. The rotunda a little later. From the end of the 10th century to the 14th century, the surroundings of the rotunda served as a cemetery. It is estimated that up to 1900 people were buried here during this time. Around the middle of the 15th century the hillfort served as a Hussite military camp. Burials were made here again in the modern period from the last third of the 16th century to the second third of the 19th century. There are approximately 340-360 burials.

Source: www.hrady.cz

Branč Castle – history

In the southeast of the castle is the location of the Old Castle, where there is a hillfort, which apparently disappeared after the construction of Branč Castle in the 13th century. The exact dating of the hillfort is not clear. It was already inhabited in the Middle Eneolithic by the culture with channeled pottery, later in the Lusatian culture, and also in the 8th to 9th centuries.

The ruins of Branč Castle are located on the hill of the same name in the Myjava Hills above Podzámok, a local part of the village of Podbranč. The oldest written mention dates back to 1317. The castle covers an area of about 7,500 m2, at an altitude of 480 m above sea level. As the castle stood on a relatively easily accessible hill, its defences were constantly improved. The main entrance to the lower castle is from the east. The entrance to the castle was guarded by two bastions of outer fortifications. Opposite the main entrance is the three-quarter gun bastion of the middle castle, protecting the entrance area from the enemy by firing cannons and small arms. The perimeter walls of the lower castle are interrupted in four places by semicircular bastions.

The castle is divided into two main parts: the lower castle and the middle castle. The middle castle is separated from the lower castle by a distinctly dry deep moat, which increased the natural height of the fortifications of the middle castle. The entrance to the middle castle was originally in the corner (opposite the monument). Even where the ground was level (where there was no moat, but the ground was covered by the fall of the upper and middle castle), the attackers had to cross 80 m of uncovered space (the moat) under direct fire from the castle defenders.
The middle castle is functionally divided into 2 parts: the northern courtyard of the middle castle and the residential palace part. From the courtyard (by the monument) a staircase led up to the atrium courtyard and to the individual rooms. There were 40 rooms – 15 on the ground floor, 20 on the first floor and 5 on the second floor. There was a castle well in the western courtyard of the lower castle (near the monument). There was also an older well in the courtyard of the middle castle (near the only accessible room).

The castle was built by Magister Aba of Hlohovec between 1251 – 1297. This dating was determined by archaeological research – according to the discovery of coins with the years 1251 – 1261. In the following years the castle changed 40 owners. In 1309 the castle was acquired by Matúš Čák Trenčiansky, for a short period of time the castle was also owned by the Czech King John of Luxemburg, in 1394 by Sigismund of Luxemburg. After this year, the reconstruction of the middle castle dates back to the same year. The result was a typical Gothic rock castle with an assault tower, palace, chapel and in the south-eastern corner of the central castle a high fortified perimeter wall.

In the 16th century, the castle became the property of František Nyáry, who married the daughter of the castle lord Korlátko (Cerová), and the last members of the Nyáry family lived there with the whole family, who built a new manor house in Sobotiště (on the square) and gradually moved there with the furnishings. It was a more comfortable residence for them. The castle remained abandoned and fell into disrepair. During the Turkish wars it served as a refuge for the surrounding population, and in the period 1674-1675 it was a temporary prison for Protestant priests who were sentenced to galleys by the Bratislava court. They died in the pits (prison around the perimeter of the wall). This event is commemorated by a memorial and annual services at the castle.
As the castle was abandoned, it was easily attacked and burned by the Turks and the castle remains so to this day.

In 1968 Pamiatkostav Žilina carried out a monument restoration of the castle, which was not completed. Archaeological research has been carried out since 1978. During five seasons, in the uncovered buried rooms, in the individual layers, articles of stone architecture from windows, doors were found; furthermore, shards of majolica, pots and stoves were found. Interesting finds included a decorative stone Renaissance cornice with a shield bearing the date of the completion of the castle reconstruction in 1539 and the monogram of the castle’s owner, František Nyáry. Furthermore, a set of pillars, wooden parts from the original castle, an iron arrow, 2 bullets, an old knife, bronze needles, various kinds of buttons, fittings, a key from a jewellery box and a copper cedi were found.

Benedictine monastery in Rajhrad

The Benedictine monastery in Rajhrad is the oldest monastery in Moravia and one of the oldest Moravian religious institutions. According to legend, a Basilian monastery, founded by St. Cyril, should have existed here as early as the 10th century. In 1045, the Bohemian prince Břetislav I gave the Břevnov monastery an abandoned castle called Rajhrad and founded the monastery (cella) of Saints Peter and Paul there. Three years later, on 26 November 1048, the cella was transformed into a real monastery, which was subordinated to the Abbey of Brevnov.

The monastery, founded on the site of a Greco-Moravian fortress perhaps as early as the 8th century, was plundered many times in the following centuries. In 1311, King John of Luxembourg and Duke Friedrich of Austria visited the monastery. During the Hussite storms, monks from many destroyed monasteries took refuge in Rajhrad.

The monastery retained its Romanesque appearance until the beginning of the 18th century, but the condition of the buildings was unsatisfactory. Therefore, the then provost Antonín Pirmus undertook a complete and generous reconstruction. In 1718, Pirmus, known as the second founder of the monastery, entrusted the design work to Jan Blažej Santini Aichl, who designed four quadrants surrounding the church of Saints Peter and Paul: a prelature, a convent and two farmyards. In 1722 the construction of the church began, the convent buildings were in use from 1755 and the whole complex was completed in 1840.

The importance of the monastery grew throughout the Middle Ages. In 1234, Margrave Premysl granted the monastery substantial freedoms. King John of Luxembourg granted the monastery’s superiors the right of throat in 1327 and Charles IV confirmed Břetislav’s privileges. From 1540 the abbots of Rajhrad sat in the Moravian Provincial Assembly. The right of pontificalia was granted to the provosts by Pope Inocent IX in 1687 and since then they were allowed to wear a mitre, cross, ring and scepter. The monks of Rajhrad achieved total independence in 1813, when the abbey was elevated to the status of an abbey by Emperor Francis I.

The Benedictine monastery of Rajhrad gradually became a renowned centre of learning. Already in the 14th century, the abbot John II and the monk Peter, who also drew beautiful initials, stood out in literature. Many manuscripts were left behind by Prior Leo (+1419), Prior Placentinus (+1638), Prior Celestin Arlet (+1683) and many others. The greatest growth of the monastery took place in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it became famous for its expanding library and for the scientific activities of Bonaventura Pitre – the confessor of Maria Theresa, Dr. Gregory Volny, Dr. Beda Dudik, Dr. Maurus Kinter and other educated Benedictines of Rajhrad.

The entire 20th century was almost devastating for the Benedictines, but the darkest period for the monastery came shortly after the communist takeover. On the night of 13-14 April 1950, all the male religious orders in the country were raided by the People’s Militia and StB units as part of “Action K”. The religious were interned and their property was forfeited to the state. Various units of the Czechoslovak People’s Army then took turns in the Benedictine monastery in Rajhrad.

In 1990, the devastated buildings were returned to the order, which, with the support of many institutions, funds and donors, is gradually reconstructing the entire complex. In 2005, the Memorial of Literature in Moravia was opened here, which manages the famous Benedictine library with 65,000 volumes of books. The monastery is coming back to life after a forty-year hiatus and thus continues the almost thousand-year history of the Benedictine community in Rajhrad.

Basilica of the Virgin Mary of the Seven Sorrows Šaštín-Stráže – history

Šaštín is old-famous in the history of Slovak nation and its history dates back to the arrival of our faithful saints Cyril and Methodius to the old homeland of the Slovaks. It was an important fortress for the protection of trade routes at the crossroads of the Danube, Bohemian and Znojmo roads. The name of the castle and the settlement comes from the words “Šášie” and “Tín” – which means: castle of cut trees. It was built by the river Myjava, in marshy terrain. The castle was the seat of the county governors and the archdeaconate – representatives of the bishop. The Šaštín archdeaconate administered the deaconates from Moravský Ján to Čachtice. Thus, Šaštín was always the seat of both the dean and the archdeacon, who resided in the castle. The first church – the castle chapel – was probably located there. The first written mention is from 1204, when Imrich II gave the Győr family a property named “Sassin”. Later, the property was acquired by Imrich Czobor I. His son Imrich Czobor II settled here permanently. From the castle, sentries were sent out, guards, so called. Spekulatores were sent out to guard the roads and report dangers.

History of the basilica

The veneration of the Virgin Mary of the Seven Sorrows among the Slovaks began with the adoption of Christianity by the faithful saints Cyril and Methodius. The people built chapels and temples in her honour. Similarly, near Šaštín, near the castle, a picture of the Mother of God hung on a tree.

1564 – The beginning of pilgrimage. In this year Angelika Bakičová, the wife of Count Imrich Czobor, the owner of the Šaštín estate, had a statue of the Seven Sorrows made as a fulfillment of a promise to hear her in her family’s troubles. Angelica asked for the help of the Seven Sorrows for her image. The statue was placed for public veneration in the triangular chapel that stands there to this day.

1654 – During the Turkish Wars, the statue of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows was taken to a nearby castle and kept in the chapel of St. Imrich. Here it remained until the beginning of the 18th century.

1710 – The statue was placed in the chapel again. It was greatly venerated by the people and many miraculous healings of body and soul took place. Therefore, an investigation into them was started.

1732 – On 25 August, the statue was transferred to the Loreto chapel near the church in the square. The Archbishop of Esztergom, Imrich Eszterházy, appointed a commission of inquiry headed by the canon of Esztergom, Juraj Agnelý, a native of Šastina. The commission examined 726 miraculous cases, which were reinvestigated by the commission in Bratislava. – On 10 November, in the presence of many clergymen and 20,000 pilgrims, the statue was solemnly declared miraculous and reinstalled in the triangular chapel. At that time, Holy Mass was celebrated for the first time at this place. The statue was entrusted to the care of the parish priest of Šastina, Ján Schon.

1733 – The provincial of the Pauline Order, František Rosa, forced the statue to come under their care. The Paulines came to Šaštín on 2 April. They undertook to build a pilgrimage church and a monastery.

1736 – 16 July, the foundation stone was consecrated. Construction work began under the direction of Jan Damiani, a builder from Vienna. Later the construction was led by Matej Vépy.

1748 – The building and the roof over the church were completed and in 1751 the monastery was roofed.

1757 – The church was painted by Jean Joseph Chamant with beautiful frescoes on the ceiling and above the side altars.

1760 – The interior decoration of the church continues according to the design of Franz Anton Hildebrant, the imperial builder, who also designed the construction of the red marble high altar and the entire façade of the church. The entire construction was financed from the collections of the common people and with the contribution of Empress Maria Theresa.

1762 – On 12 August, in the presence of Archbishop Barkóczy of Esztergom, Empress Maria Theresa and her husband Francis of Lorraine, many clergy and thousands of pilgrims, the consecration of the church took place, and on 15 August the statue was solemnly transferred to the high altar.

1765 – the bells on the towers, which only reached the height of the roof and were topped with spires, were consecrated.

1771 – An organ with 25 variations and a pulpit were built. Gradually the side altars of marble were built, except for one. The altarpieces were painted by Ján Lukáč Kracker.

1786 – Emperor Joseph II. Abolished the Pauline monastery, of which there were 17 in Šaštín. They went to Poland. The church came under the administration of the parish priest of Šaštín – dean Jakub Schneider and four chaplains. The old parish church in Šaštín was closed. The rectory was moved to a part of the monastery, which became an imperial property.

1864 – The celebration of the three hundredth anniversary of the veneration of the statue of the Seven Sorrows in Šaštín took place. Earlier, the dean Štefan Hrebíček undertook to complete the two towers to their present height. The construction was carried out by the Hodonín builder Jozef Bárta. The crosses on the towers were ceremoniously hoisted on 26 June 1864. On 8 September, a great ceremony took place during which the Archbishop of Esztergom, Cardinal Ján Scitovský, crowned the statue with gold crowns, which were consecrated by Pope Pius IX. The ceremony was attended by 300 clergymen and over 120 thousand pilgrims.1902 – Dean Jozef Maria Škarda, on the occasion of the arrival of the Emperor to Šaštín to complete the manoeuvres, had the church restored.

1914 – during World War I, the bells were taken from the towers, except for the smallest one.

1924 – On 8 September, by the decision of the Bishop of Trnava, Dr. Paul Jantausch, the Salesians – sons of Don Bosco – came to Šaštín. They repaired the old parish church on the square, which had been a granary for 150 years. They dedicated it to their founder, St. John Bosco.

1926 – On October 31, 1926, 4 large bells were consecrated.

1927 – On April 22, the Holy Father Pius XI. On May 22, he solemnly proclaimed it in the presence of 3 bishops and 40 thousand pilgrims.1928 – was the consecration of the great national bell of the Seven Sorrows, the weight of which is 4.745 kg.

1929 – Electric lighting was introduced into the church and the monastery.

1941 – 43 – The sanctuary and the whole building were repaired. The Viennese Slovaks donated a sculptural Stations of the Cross. After completion, they also ordered an extension of the organ.

1950 – On 14 April the Salesians were forcibly expelled from Šaštín and the administration passed into the hands of the diocesan priests. In the autumn the organ was finished, which now has 120 registers, 5 manuals, three playing desks and 5500 pipes. Pilgrims continued to visit the pilgrimage church despite the obstacles.

1964 – during the 400-year veneration of the statue, at the request of Bishops Dr. Ambrose Lazik and Dr. Eduard Néczey, the Pope Paul VI elevated the Shrine of the Seven Sorrows by the decree “Ad perpetuam rei memoriam” of 23 November to a minor basilica. The solemn proclamation took place on 27 December in the presence of Bishop Lazik of Trnava, many clergy and faithful.

1968 – 70 – The Salesian Fathers administer the parish again – they introduce a new sound system, electric bells and build a makeshift altar to the people.

1975 – Vdp. Parish priest Karol Senasi had a new marble altar to the people built, which was consecrated by Bishop Dr. Július Gábriš, a great Marian worshipper and annual pilgrim to the Seven Sorrows.

1987 – Marian Year – the basilica was visited by Mother Teresa of Calcutta and the new Bishop of Trnava, the current Archbishop Metropolitan of Slovakia Mons. Ján Sokol. Under the leadership of the local parish priest Jan Baša, the overhaul of the basilica began.

1990 – At the end of February the Salesians come again to Šaštín and under the leadership of the parish priest-deacon Jan Malženický the repair of the basilica continues, on March 9th he takes over a part of the monastery and already on March 9th he takes over a part of the monastery and on March 9th he takes over the monastery. On 22 April, while travelling by helicopter, the Holy Father John Paul II especially greeted the Seven Sorrows by circling over the basilica and promised to come on pilgrimage during his homily. This was followed by the Holy Week pilgrimage at the turn of May and June, attended by a large number of faithful; the culmination of the pilgrimage season was the great pilgrimage on the feast of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows – the Patroness of Slovakia, when the entire façade was already without scaffolding.

1991 – Then the renovation works continued inside the basilica: new electrical installation, new sound system, modification of the altar and presbytery, modification of the sacristy, purposeful tempering of the basilica, restoration of the pavement and completion of the Marian museum at the basilica. Most costly, however, was the cleaning and revitalization of the beautiful Chamant frescoes and the entire interior of the Basilica. The last scaffolding was cleared from the Basilica before the National Pilgrimage in September 2005.

In the building of the monastery, the ecclesiastical Catholic boys’ boarding Gymnasium of John Bosco was (re)founded.1995 (1 July) – Šaštín and the Basilica were visited by Pope Blessed John Paul II, during his second pastoral visit to Slovakia.

Resource: bazilika.sk

Open-Air Museum in Modrá – history

Hand-kneaded fired pottery with coarse grain, with lines and nail incisions, as well as later pottery made of floating clay on a potter’s wheel have been found in the village. The most important archaeological discovery, however, is the first unearthing of the remains of a Great Moravian stone building on our territory. The excavations were carried out here since 1911 by Dr. Jan Nevěřil, professor of the Faculty of Divinity. Under his direction, the foundations of a small church with a rectangular, elongated chancel and 4 supports in the nave were uncovered. Initially, it was attributed to Cyril and Methodius, which was rejected in scientific circles, but only after 40 years it was definitely proven that it was the first brick church from the times of Great Moravia.

Archaeological research

These findings were brought about by the revision archaeological research initiated in 1953 by Dr. Vilém Hrubý. This research not only refined the report on the site, but also uncovered a small cemetery of 36 skeleton graves, the character of which fully corresponds to the knowledge of Great Moravian burial sites. All of the graves avoided the church walls, suggesting that the burial site was created when the church was already standing. The oldest almsgivings in the graves date from the 9th century, so there is no doubt that the building was already standing in the first half of this century, i.e. still in the pre-Cyril-Methodian period.

It is a single-nave church with a rectangular nave with 4 built-in supports and a rectangular chancel measuring about half the length and width of the nave. The entrance to the chancel may have been partially blocked by a short partition, the floor paved with smaller stones hewn together. The stone walls, rendered grey-brown on the outside and multi-coloured on the inside, originally had a flat wooden ceiling. The different recesses of the foundations suggest that the nave was of greater height than the rectangular choir. Overall, it can be concluded that the form was influenced by the missionary current from the west.

Around the eastern part of the church, stake holes were found – traces of fencing or a hint of an older, perhaps also ecclesiastical building. To the northeast and southeast lay the cemetery, which had served its purpose for about 100 years. The discovery of knives in 10 graves suggests that the deceased belonged to the free, perhaps even privileged, class.

After the demise of Great Moravia

It can be assumed that after the end of Great Moravia, the hill near Modrá was deserted, because a document from the beginning of the 13th century speaks of the church of St. John, which later disappeared, but which stood deserted and empty near Velihrad, on a farm donated by Margrave Vladislav Henry to the Cistercians as a provision until the construction of the Velehrad monastery. At the end of the 17th century, an engraving by Kristian Hirschmentzel, a member of the Velehrad convent, depicts a small chapel, strikingly consistent with the reconstruction of the foundations. Given the discovery of a 17th-century coin in the excavation area, it can be assumed that this is an identical chapel; it can also be assumed that it is the chapel of St. John, associated with the foundation of the Velehrad monastery.

Source: cs.wikipedia.org

Administrative – entrance part

It consists of a set of interconnected buildings, dominated by two defensive towers with a gate, which house a ticket office and a small souvenir shop. The other buildings consist of a light palisade, a stage for various cultural performances, fast food and administrative buildings. All of them are built in the spirit of the building culture and architecture known from the early medieval period, so they do not disturb the historical framework of the experience area.

Fortification part

represent two types of fortifications that formed part of the fortification system of one of the centres of Great Moravia, Veligrad. They were found during excavations in Staré Město and Uherské Hradiště. The light type of fortification is a timber-clay wall with a frontal palisade, while the heavy type is a newly built massive wall with a frontal stone wall and a palisade superstructure. Without such fortifications, the ancient Moravians could hardly have resisted the attacks of their enemies.

Residential and economic area

shows what the appearance of dwelling houses, sunken dwellings and farm buildings of various types was like and gives a glimpse into their modestly furnished interiors. It may come as a surprise to learn that the dwellings were mainly used during the harsh winters, and that during the other months they were mainly lived in front of, outside. The domestic animals, such as goats, pigs, chickens and geese, and even donkeys, that are kept in the barns and roam freely among the visitors, are an integral part of the attraction.

Production area

represents a separate settlement unit consisting of the workshops of a jewellery manufacturer, i.e. a jeweller, a potter, a blacksmith and an iron metallurgist or a metalworker. In the 9th century, these industries reached a significant level of specialisation and excellence, which was reflected in all spheres of life of the inhabitants of Moravia at that time. At all events for schools and the public, the workshops, like other buildings, are staffed by real craftsmen dressed in the traditional dress who bring to life the old production techniques.

The area of power

forms the visual dominant of the open-air museum. Its centre is the stone palace of the Great Moravian princes as a representative of the top level of architecture of Great Moravia. Every year, various cultural activities take place in its interior, such as thematic exhibitions on the early medieval history of Moravia. The palace is complemented by a kitchen and a high defensive tower that can be climbed. In doing so, you can get an idea of the extent of the Modra archaeological site, the largest in our territory, and see the nearby Velehrad Monastery and the Chřiby Triple Peak with Buchlov Castle.

Religious and educational area

it consists of three detached buildings, the main one being a long wooden structure divided into several parts. Originally, it probably represented the dwelling of an important priest, perhaps Archbishop Methodius himself, his pupils and colleagues, as well as a place where they learned to read and write in Glagolitic and were educated in the Holy Scriptures. The complex also includes a small brick rotunda with a baptistery function, and a hall-type church – a hypothetical reconstruction of the Church of St. John – standing in the immediate vicinity of the open-air museum, near the original site of the discovery of its foundations.

Vineyard and wine-growing area

represents one of the newest parts of the open-air museum, which currently consists of a recently planted vineyard containing old grape varieties known in the medieval times, such as Červenošpičák, Mlynářka, Tramín bílý, Muškát žlutý… The vineyard was created in cooperation with the municipality of Modrá, Modra winemakers and experts from the Institute of Viticulture and Enology of Mendel University in Lednice. Wine and Great Moravia are concepts that link the past and the present into one very interesting whole for visitors.

Source: www.archeoskanzen.cz

Archeopark Chotěbuz-Podobora

The fortified settlement was first built and inhabited on the river terrace in today’s Chotěbuz in prehistoric times – at the turn of the Late Bronze Age and the older Iron Age. After its demise and abandonment, which took place roughly in the Younger Latin Age, it waited another 1,200 years or so before people returned to the site. These were the Slavs who came to the area, much later called Teschen Silesia, in the early Middle Ages.
The Slavs chose well – the site is difficult to access, and from the fortress they could control the trade routes leading from the south to the north and east. They were skilled traders and warriors – and therefore made good use of the still visible remains of the original fortifications and built their own new settlement on their foundations, which grew in importance especially at a time when the whole area came under the strong influence of the Great Moravian Empire.
After several phases of prosperity and decline, which the Slavic settlement went through, it was finally abandoned by the people. This happened at the beginning of the 11th century, when – in short – people moved a few kilometres further east, to Těšín. The much more advantageous location of the Těšín castle, built on a rock promontory above the Olše River, and especially the town that later grew up in the sub-castle, were the reasons for the final demise of all settlement activities in Chotěbuz.

Source: www.archeoparkchotebuz.cz

Branč Castle – history

In the southeast of the castle is the location of the Old Castle, where there is a hillfort, which apparently disappeared after the construction of Branč Castle in the 13th century. The exact dating of the hillfort is not clear. It was already inhabited in the Middle Eneolithic by the culture with channeled pottery, later in the Lusatian culture, and also in the 8th to 9th centuries.

The ruins of Branč Castle are located on the hill of the same name in the Myjava Hills above Podzámok, a local part of the village of Podbranč. The oldest written mention dates back to 1317. The castle covers an area of about 7,500 m2, at an altitude of 480 m above sea level. As the castle stood on a relatively easily accessible hill, its defences were constantly improved. The main entrance to the lower castle is from the east. The entrance to the castle was guarded by two bastions of outer fortifications. Opposite the main entrance is the three-quarter gun bastion of the middle castle, protecting the entrance area from the enemy by firing cannons and small arms. The perimeter walls of the lower castle are interrupted in four places by semicircular bastions.

The castle is divided into two main parts: the lower castle and the middle castle. The middle castle is separated from the lower castle by a distinctly dry deep moat, which increased the natural height of the fortifications of the middle castle. The entrance to the middle castle was originally in the corner (opposite the monument). Even where the ground was level (where there was no moat, but the ground was covered by the fall of the upper and middle castle), the attackers had to cross 80 m of uncovered space (the moat) under direct fire from the castle defenders.
The middle castle is functionally divided into 2 parts: the northern courtyard of the middle castle and the residential palace part. From the courtyard (by the monument) a staircase led up to the atrium courtyard and to the individual rooms. There were 40 rooms – 15 on the ground floor, 20 on the first floor and 5 on the second floor. There was a castle well in the western courtyard of the lower castle (near the monument). There was also an older well in the courtyard of the middle castle (near the only accessible room).

The castle was built by Magister Aba of Hlohovec between 1251 – 1297. This dating was determined by archaeological research – according to the discovery of coins with the years 1251 – 1261. In the following years the castle changed 40 owners. In 1309 the castle was acquired by Matúš Čák Trenčiansky, for a short period of time the castle was also owned by the Czech King John of Luxemburg, in 1394 by Sigismund of Luxemburg. After this year, the reconstruction of the middle castle dates back to the same year. The result was a typical Gothic rock castle with an assault tower, palace, chapel and in the south-eastern corner of the central castle a high fortified perimeter wall.

In the 16th century, the castle became the property of František Nyáry, who married the daughter of the castle lord Korlátko (Cerová), and the last members of the Nyáry family lived there with the whole family, who built a new manor house in Sobotiště (on the square) and gradually moved there with the furnishings. It was a more comfortable residence for them. The castle remained abandoned and fell into disrepair. During the Turkish wars it served as a refuge for the surrounding population, and in the period 1674-1675 it was a temporary prison for Protestant priests who were sentenced to galleys by the Bratislava court. They died in the pits (prison around the perimeter of the wall). This event is commemorated by a memorial and annual services at the castle.
As the castle was abandoned, it was easily attacked and burned by the Turks and the castle remains so to this day.

In 1968 Pamiatkostav Žilina carried out a monument restoration of the castle, which was not completed. Archaeological research has been carried out since 1978. During five seasons, in the uncovered buried rooms, in the individual layers, articles of stone architecture from windows, doors were found; furthermore, shards of majolica, pots and stoves were found. Interesting finds included a decorative stone Renaissance cornice with a shield bearing the date of the completion of the castle reconstruction in 1539 and the monogram of the castle’s owner, František Nyáry. Furthermore, a set of pillars, wooden parts from the original castle, an iron arrow, 2 bullets, an old knife, bronze needles, various kinds of buttons, fittings, a key from a jewellery box and a copper cedi were found.

Source: podbranc.sk

ZIMNÍ PUTOVÁNÍ PO CYRILOMETODĚJSKÉ STEZCE

Znojmo – Rajhrad, Česká republika

Možná si říkáte, že v zimě se nedá putovat a užít si to. Pojďme se společně přesvědčit o opaku. Rozhýbejme po vánočních a novoročních oslavách naše ztuhlá poutnická těla a začněme je pomaličku připravovat na jarní sezónu. Každý kilometr na cestě se počítá a tak vás srdečně zvu na první putování v nové krásně kulaťoučkém roce 2020.
Půjdeme krásným krajem Jižní Moravy ze Znojma přes Moravský Krumlov do Rajhradu, kde se nachází benediktinské opatství s kostelem sv. Petra a Pavla. V cíli putování se nechme okouzlit velkolepostí Santiniho geniálností a stavitelstvím. Ovšem na cestě nás čeká mnoho dalších krásných zastavení a Ti kteří se vydali po této trase v březnu 2019 dosvědčí, že o pohostinnost a krásná setkání nebyla rozhodně nouze.

Pojďme se i my společně “probudit” modlitbou. Jak říká otec Mons. Jan Peňáz: “Poutník se modlí nohama.” Pouť je určena komukoliv, kdo má chuť jít. Veškerý program je dobrovolný, podstatná je chuť jít a být v přítomném okamžiku se srdcem na dlani a otevřený všemu, co nám putování položí před nebo pod nohy. 🙂 Pouť je organizována pod záštitou Evropská kulturní stezka sv. Cyrila a Metoděje.

Přihláška a program na pout.eu.

XXXIX. CYRILOMETODĚJSKÁ POUŤ LEVÝ HRADEC – VELEHRAD 2020

Zákolany (Budeč) – Levý Hradec, Česká republika

Nultá etapa Cyrilometodějské pouť z Levého Hradce na Velehrad. Trasa: Střížkov – Ďáblice – Ládví – Dolní Chabry – Brnky – Klecany – Roztoky – Levý Hradec, 16 km („nepovinná” – pro nedočkavce – tj. opačným směrem, naopak do východiska CMP na Levém Hradci) Mše svatá pro poutníky na Budči cca v 9,30 – 9,45 (hned jak dorazíme od vlaku), slouží P. Kamil Vrzal – po mši odchod.

www.poutnik-jan.cz/pesi-pout-na-velehrad–c/

NOVÝ ROK NA MIKULČICKÝCH VALECH

Slovanské hradiště v Mikulčicích, Česká republika

Programový blok pro základní, střední a mateřské školy i veřejnost zahrnuje bohatý program. Pátek 17. ledna – Prohlídka s průvodcem, vyhlídka z věže, tvoření z přírodnin, beseda a program na témata Zimní obživa Slovanů, Zamrzlá řeka, Zimní příroda, Osobnost sv. Konstantina. Sobota 18. ledna program pro veřejnost. Pondělí 20. ledna – Program pro MŠ – Pohádka o princezně Dobroslavě, program S písničkou za archeologem, Poklad velkomoravské princezny, tvoření z novoročních surovin.

www.masaryk.info/slovanske-hradiste-mikulcice/

Archeologický skanzen Modrá

Na území obce byla nalezena ručně hnětená pálená keramika s hrubým zrnem, s čarami a nehtovými vrypy, i pozdější keramika z plavené hlíny vyrobená na hrnčířském kruhu. Mezi nejvýznamnější archeologický objev však patří první odkrytí zbytků velkomoravské kamenné stavby na našem území. Vykopávky zde prováděl od roku 1911 profesor bohoslovecké fakulty dr. Jan Nevěřil. Pod jeho vedením se podařilo odkrýt základy nevelkého kostela s pravoúhlým protáhlým kněžištěm a 4 podpěrami v lodi. Původně mu byl přikládán cyrilometodějský původ, což bylo ve vědeckých kruzích odmítáno, teprve po 40 letech se podařilo definitivně prokázat, že jde o první zděný kostel z dob Velké Moravy.

Archeologický výzkum

Tyto poznatky přinesl revizní archeologický výzkum, který zahájil v roce 1953 dr. Vilém Hrubý. Tento výzkum nejenom zpřesnil nálezovou zprávu o nalezišti, ale podařilo se při něm odkrýt i malý hřbitov o 36 kostrových hrobech, jejichž charakter odpovídá plně poznatkům o velkomoravských pohřebištích. Všechny hroby se vyhýbaly chrámovým zdem, z toho plyne, že pohřebiště vzniklo až v době, kdy kostel již stál. Nejstarší milodary v hrobech pocházejí z 9. století, není tedy pochyb, že stavba stála už v 1. polovině tohoto století, tj. ještě v době předcyrilometodějské.

Jde o jednolodní kostel s obdélnou lodí s vestavěnými 4 podpěrami a obdélníkovým kněžištěm o rozměrech asi poloviny délky a šířky lodi. Vstup do kněžiště byl snad částečně přehrazen krátkou příčkou, podlaha dlážděna menšími přitesanými kameny. Kamenné zdi, omítnuté zvenčí šedohnědou a uvnitř vícebarevnou malbou, nesly původně plochý dřevěný strop. Rozdílné zahloubení základů naznačuje, že loď měla větší výšku než pravoúhlý chór. Celkově lze usuzovat, že podoba byla ovlivněna misijním proudem ze západu.

Kolem východní části kostelíku byly zjištěny kůlové jamky – stopy ohrazení nebo náznak nějaké starší, snad také církevní stavby. Na severovýchodě a jihovýchodě pak ležel uvedený hřbitov, který svému účelu sloužil asi 100 let. Podle nálezu nožů v 10 hrobech lze soudit, že zemřelí příslušeli ke svobodné, snad i privilegované vrstvě.

Po zániku Velké Moravy

Lze předpokládat, že po zániku Velké Moravy návrší u Modré pustlo, neboť v listině z počátku 13. století se hovoří o kostele sv. Jana, který později zmizel, ale který už tehdy stál pustý a prázdný v blízkosti Veligradu, na statku darovaném markrabětem Vladislavem Jindřichem cisterciákům jako provizorium do vybudování velehradského kláštera. Na konci 17. století je pak na rytině Kristiana Hirschmentzela, člena velehradského konventu, zobrazení malé kaple, nápadně se shodující s rekonstrukcí nalezených základů. Vzhledem k nálezu mince ze 17. století v areálu vykopávek lze předpokládat, že jde o totožnou kapli, rovněž lze předpokládat, že jde o kapli sv. Jana, spojenou se založením velehradského kláštera.

Zdroj: cs.wikipedia.org

Archeologický skanzen Modrá

Archeoskanzen Modrá se nachází 7 km od Uherského Hradiště v podhůří Chřibů, na okraji obce Modrá v dohledu od velehradské baziliky. Jedná se o rekonstrukci velkomoravského sídliště středního Pomoraví z 9. stol., rozděleného na mocenskou, církevní a hospodářskou část, které se nachází v místech autentických archeologických nálezů.  Je významným subjektem názorně osvětlujícím jednu z nejvýznamnějších etap našich národních dějin – Velké Moravy.

Skanzen žije svým každodenním životem s domácími zvířaty a bývá doplněn naučnými představeními a programy, výrobou keramiky, pečením chlebů a placek i třeba tavbami kovů. Archeoskanzen je obehnán palisádovým opevněním s branou a strážními věžemi. Uvnitř se nachází repliky slovanských staveb jako např. zemnice, polozemnice, hliněná hrázděná stavba, ale i honosné sídlo velkomoravského knížete a velká srubová stavba církevního areálu – škola písemnictví se sídlem arcibiskupa.

Další památky

Na návrší v těsné blízkosti Archeoskanzenu se nachází Národní kulturní památka Modrá – Na Díle, se základy předvelkomoravského kostelíku sv. Jana z přelomu 8.a 9. stol. Stojí zde nádherná kamenná replika tohoto zaniklého kostelíku. Velmi zajímavá je návštěva doplňující zdejší historii o poznání rostlinných a živočišných druhů a to v přilehlém areálu Živá voda. Zde můžete spatřit jak původní druhy ryb jako např. obří Vyzy velké i sumce, tak i majestátná suchozemská zvířata – pratury, kteří kralovali zdejším nížinám i lesům v období Velké Moravy.

Centrum slováckých tradic

Návštěvníci se zde mohou nejen seznámit s procesem pálení ovoce a historií vinařství, ale zároveň mohou ochutnat produkty typické pro místní kraj – ovocné destiláty a víno. Centrum dále doplňuje prodejna regionálních produktů a kavárna.

Staré Město – historie

V 9. století bylo území Starého Města hlavní součástí Veligradu, jednoho ze dvou hlavních center Velké Moravy, k němuž ještě patřilo sídliště na místě historického centra města Uherské Hradiště a církevní centrum na výšině v Sadech.

Ve Starém Městě se rozkládal mocenský areál s kamenným palácem moravských knížat a rotundou. V poloze Na Valách, v centru vůbec nejrozsáhlejší velkomoravské nekropole, stál další kostel, jiný pak i s malým pohřebištěm postavili na jihozápadním okraji města v místech zvaných „Špitálky“. V aglomeraci se nacházely i řemeslnické areály členící se dále na výrobní specializované okrsky, v nichž byly zhotovovány skvosty velkomoravského šperkařství, honosné meče, opasky a ostruhy, ale i předměty denní potřeby. Archeologické výzkumy, které ve Starém Městě trvají více než 100 let, prokázaly, že významní obyvatelé velkomoravského Starého Města nosili šaty ušité z hedvábí, brokátů a prošité zlatými nitěmi, což dokládá, že udržovali kontakty s vyspělými oblastmi nejen Evropy, ale i Asie nebo Afriky. Ve druhé polovině 9. století byli téměř všichni z nich křesťané.

Na začátku 10. století Velká Morava zanikla. Z mocného Veligradu se stala vesnice, ovšem se dvěma kostely, z nichž jeden byl kostel sv. Michaela. V roce 1205 do kraje přišli cisterciáčtí mniši a asi 5 km od vesnice Veligrad, která se rozkládala na místě dnešního Starého Města, si vybudovali klášter. Pojmenovali jej Velehrad a nedaleká vesnice Veligrad se stala jeho majetkem. Mniši měli v úmyslu vesnici Veligrad přeměnit na klášterní městečko, centrum svého hospodářského života. V roce 1257 ovšem vzniklo v těsném sousedství královské město Nový Velehrad, později Hradiště, dnešní Uherské Hradiště. Proto se na začátku 14. století změnil název Veligrad na Staré Město.

Zdroje: staremesto.uh.cz

Staré Město

Na území dnešního Starého Města vzniklo již v 6. století několik zemědělských a řemeslnických osad. Nejznámějšími jsou hradiska Na Valách a sídliště Na Špitálkách. V okolí kostelů sv. Michala a sv. Víta byly nalezeny základy čtyř velkomoravských kostelů s pohřebišti a odkryty specializované řemeslnické dílny z 9. až 10. století. Rozsah a bohatství archeologických nálezů (stavby, užitné předměty, výzbroj, šperky) nenechává nikoho na pochybách, že se jednalo o jedno z významných center Velkomoravské říše. Po objevu prvních hrobů v roce 1924 Na Valách se ujal se vedení záchranných prací archeolog Antonín Zelnitius spolu se Státním archeologickým ústavem v Praze. Badatelské aktivity Antonína Zelnitia Na Valách i na zbývajícím území Starého Města definitivně potvrdily staroměstskou aglomeraci za rozsáhlé slovanské sídliště. Zásluhou profesora Viléma Hrubého (1912-1985) byl v roce 1960 ve Starém Městě otevřen Památník Velké Moravy, který je od roku 1969 Národní kulturní památkou.

Dřívější ves se podle listiny olomouckého biskupa Jindřicha Zdíka z roku 1141 jmenovala Veligrad. Na přelomu 12. a 13. století byl poblíž vsi založen cisterciácký klášter, do jehož majetku ves připadla. Když bylo v roce 1257 založeno královské město Uherské Hradiště (tehdy Nový Velehrad), byla ves podřízena právu tohoto města, nazvaná Staré Město (1257) a původní název Veligrad – Velehrad přešel na cisterciácký klášter a osadu, která kolem něj vznikla. Staré Město bylo značně postiženo povodní v červenci 1997. Po této přírodní katastrofě muselo být v jižní části města zbouráno téměř sto domů. Přesto se život v městě nezastavil, lidé si postavili nová obydlí, jiní si poničené domy opravili.

Nejvýznamnější památky

Národně kulturní památka Památník Velké Moravy byl vybudován roku 1960 v lokalitě Na valech. Budova památníku kryje základy kamenného velkomoravského kostela, který byl vybudován v polovině 9. století na starém pohanském pohřebišti ze 7. století. Stálá expozice dokumentuje dějiny centra Velkomoravské říše. V památníku je provozní doba od dubna do října, v zimních měsících je uzavřen. Veřejnosti volně přístupná je národně kulturní památka, archeologická lokalita Špitálky, ukazuje základy podélného kostela z 9. století. V základech římskokatolického kostela sv. Michala byly objeveny zbytky okrouhlé velkomoravské rotundy z 9. století. Hřbitovní kaple sv. Jana Křtitele je pozdně románskou stavbou, původně kostnicí z poloviny 13. století.

St. Methodius Heights, Uherské Hradiště – history

The site itself is located in the southeastern part of the town of Uherské Hradiště called Sady, near the road in the direction of Kunovice, on the so-called Sady promontory. In 1959-1963, under the direction of V. Hruby (from the Moravian Museum in Brno) an archaeological excavation, during which the remains of an unfortified court of ecclesiastical and power character were discovered.

It was here that some of the first Christian missionaries arrived sometime in the late 8th century. They came from Aquileia on the Adriatic coast and from Salzburg, and a little later from Passau. Probably with the knowledge of the local prince, they built a church on the Sady promontory, which may have taken the form of a cross above ground, with a massive square tower rising above the centre. The church was plastered, painted, had a poured mortar floor and was covered with a roof made of clay components. This architecture certainly dominated the wider surroundings. It was built sometime between the 8th and 9th centuries, more than 30 years before the foundation of Great Moravia (836). It was one of the first brick churches north of the Danube.

Sacral buildings

The complex of several brick religious buildings, built in three construction phases, occupied a dominant, far visible position. The church was first built in the first third of the 9th century on the plan of a Greek cross. To the west, a hall church with an apse-shaped roof was added in the 1960s and 1970s. This is sometimes interpreted as a chapel with two side entrances and its origin is probably linked to the newly arrived builders of the Byzantine mission. Probably in the third quarter of the 9th century, a tomb chamber and a chapel were added to the northern perimeter wall of the church with a cruciform layout, while the same phase is also attributed to the creation of a brick partition in the western church. In this context, the possibility arises that the western church became a place of instruction for catechumens, while the chapel with the burial chamber was used for the burial of a prominent Moravian (probably the grave of Prince Svatopluk). A baptistery was built to the west of the complex.

Archaeological research

Outside, but also inside the church buildings, 87 burials from the 9th century were uncovered, often in coffins and with rich alms. The cemetery area with the church was separated on the north side by two walls from a cluster of twelve log buildings, where craftsmen and their families lived and worked in workshops. There was also a well. On the opposite side stood a large 36 m long and 6 m wide log structure – a meeting place and perhaps a place of instruction for the priests. A paved road ran between the precincts. Due to the overall situation at the St. Methodius’ Height (Sadská výšina), as well as to the finds from here – a lead cross with a Greek liturgical inscription, styli, etc. – the site is often associated with the workplace of the representatives of the Byzantine mission.

According to the evidence of grave finds, the original Great Moravian burial ground from the 9th and early 10th centuries was later overlain by young burials from the 11th-12th centuries. The chapel, which is attributed with Marian consecration on the basis of a written source from 1247, was finally abandoned together with the cemetery during the 13th century.

Source: www.slovackemuzeum.cz

Výšina sv. Metoděje, Uherské Hradiště

Jedna z nejvýznamnějších archeologických lokalit z období Velkomoravské říše se nachází v dnešní městské části Uherského Hradiště lidově zvaného “Derfle” na tzv. sadské výšenině nad ohbím původního toku řeky Olšavy. Dokládá přítomnost církevního komplexu několika zděných staveb budovaných ve třech stavebních etapách v průběhu celého 9. století. Jeho součástí bylo i baptisterium a rozsáhlé pohřebiště. Vně i uvnitř církevních staveb archeologové odkryli 87 hrobů, nezřídka uložených v rakvích s bohatými milodary.

Dle nálezů byla v kapli s hrobovou komorou pohřbena významná osobnost, možná samotný kníže Svatupluk. Na severní straně byl sakrální areál oddělen zídkami od seskupení dvanácti srubových staveb, v nichž žili a v dílnách pracovali řemeslníci a jejich rodiny. Na opačné straně stála rozsáhlá stavba, která pravděpodobně sloužila jako shromaždiště věřících a snad i místo výuky kněží. V areálu nechyběla studna a zpevněná cesta mezi jednotlivými okrsky.

Vzhledem k celkové dispozici komplexu i významným nálezům (olověný křížek s řeckým liturgickým nápisem, pisátka) se předpokládá, že tady působili představitelé byzantské misie.

Lokalita byla definitivně opuštěna v průběhu 13. století.

Návštěvníci sadské výšiny mohou zhlédnout rekonstruovaný půdorys církevních staveb a seznámit se prostřednictvím infomační tabule s historií a významem této volně přístupné archeologické lokality, která je majetkem Zlínského kraje ve správě Slováckého muzea v Uherském Hradišti.

Zdroj: uherske-hradiste.cz

Hradiště sv. Hypolita, Znojmo – historie

V poslední době Hradiště proslulo především archeologickými výzkumy Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity, které zde každým rokem probíhají. Průzkum přinesl mnoho poznatků o pravěkém i velkomoravském osídlení zdejší lokality a o životě našich předků. Hradiště vydalo bezpočet nálezů keramiky, kostěných i kovových nástrojů a celou řadu nádherných šperků – bronzových a stříbrných náušnic, skleněných náhrdelníků i jiných.

Z dalších nálezů upoutá objev jednoho z nejstarších kamenných kostelů v Čechách i na Moravě (pravděpodobně z první poloviny 9. stol.) a také odhalení rozsáhlého velkomoravského pohřebiště. Základy kostelíku byly upraveny do podoby malého památníku, pohřebiště se stále zkoumá. V době výzkumné sezóny (červenec – srpen) je možné výzkum pohřebiště navštívit a seznámit se tak s prací archeologů i některými nálezy přímo v terénu. Pro zájemce je možné předem dohodnout komentovanou návštěvu výzkumu spojenou s ukázkou nálezů z lokality.

Zdroj: znojmo-hradiste.wz.cz

Hradiště sv. Hypolita, Znojmo

Celému Hradišti dnes vévodí komplex budov kláštera a proboštství, které od 13. století patří řádu Křížovníků s červenou hvězdou. Součástí komplexu je také původně gotický kostel sv. Hypolita, přestavěný v 18. století do dnešní barokní podoby. Původní kostel ze 13. století byl postaven na základech velkomoravské rotundy. V interiéru kostela se nachází mistrovská stropní freska Nalezení svatého Kříže od předního rakouského malíře období baroka – F. A. Maulbertsche. Interiér kostela i areál proboštství je možné navštívit každý den od 9 do 17 hodin.

Celý areál proboštství i s přilehlými usedlostmi byl ve středověku obehnán hradební zdí, z níž se do dnešní doby zachovala například západní vstupní brána. Ta dnes stojí v centru obce, na začátku ulice Křižovnické, vedoucí ke kostelu sv. Hypolita.

Na Hradišti nalezneme ještě celou řadu dalších církevních památek. Prostor v okolí kaple sv. Antonína Paduánského (z roku 1635) nabízí úchvatný pohled na město Znojmo, Ochoz kolem kapličky sv. Eliáše zase vyhlídku na údolí Dyje a Znojemskou přehradu. K oběma kaplím (a tedy i na celé Hradiště) směřuje zajímavá křížová cesta z 17. století, která vychází z Gránického údolí přímo pod znojemským hradem. Cesta má 14 zastavení a vede po příkrých zalesněných svazích. Tvoří ji nepravidelné schody z přírodního kamene, místy je cesta do skály přímo zasekána. Jednotlivá zastavení Křížové cesty dokládají nesmírný cit našich předků, kteří dokázali tyto drobné architektonické prvky nenásilně a vkusně zakomponovat do zdejší nenarušené přírody. Na počátku 90. let byla všechna zastavení renovována.

Archeologický výzkum

V poslední době Hradiště proslulo především archeologickými výzkumy Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity, které zde každým rokem probíhají. Průzkum přinesl mnoho poznatků o pravěkém i velkomoravském osídlení zdejší lokality a o životě našich předků. Hradiště vydalo bezpočet nálezů keramiky, kostěných i kovových nástrojů a celou řadu nádherných šperků – bronzových a stříbrných náušnic, skleněných náhrdelníků i jiných.

Z dalších nálezů upoutá objev jednoho z nejstarších kamenných kostelů v Čechách i na Moravě (pravděpodobně z první poloviny 9. stol.) a také odhalení rozsáhlého velkomoravského pohřebiště. Základy kostelíku byly upraveny do podoby malého památníku, pohřebiště se stále zkoumá. V době výzkumné sezóny (červenec – srpen) je možné výzkum pohřebiště navštívit a seznámit se tak s prací archeologů i některými nálezy přímo v terénu. Pro zájemce je možné předem dohodnout komentovanou návštěvu výzkumu spojenou s ukázkou nálezů z lokality.

Zdroj: znojmo-hradiste.wz.cz

Hradisko Pohansko, Břeclav

Hradisko na Pohansku je považováno za nejrozsáhlejší raně středověké opevněné území v České republice a zároveň jedno z největších ve střední Evropě. Archeologické nálezy zemědělských osad shlukového typu z doby před vznikem Velkomoravské říše dokládají, že zdejší prostředí vyhovovalo již nejstarším Slovanům. Vědci zde objevili žárové pohřebiště a množství slovanských sídlištních objektů – polozemnic s kamennými pecemi, hospodářských staveb a obilnic. Hradiště nížinného typu o celkové ploše snad až 55 ha bylo významným hospodářským centrem Velkomoravské říše. Lokalita se skládá ze tří celků: centrální část, jižní a severní předhradí. Centrální část hradiště má rozlohu 28 ha a byla opevněna dřevěno-hlinitou hradbou s čelní kamenou zdí a příkopem. Celá hradba měla délku asi 2 200 m a byla až 4 m vysoká. Při archeologickém průzkumu zde byl odkryt palisádou hrazený velmožský dvorec o rozměrech 96×86 m, řada řemeslnických dílen, 2 kostely a rozsáhlý hřbitov vypovídající o početnosti místní komunity.

Celokamenný kostel

Celokamenný kostel vystavěný v první polovině 9. století, patřil podle dochovaných základů k typu jednolodních staveb (délka 18,65 a šířka 7,2 metrů) s odsazenou půlkruhovou apsidou a s téměř čtvercovým nartexem. Na jihovýchodní straně přiléhal k lodi čtvercovitý přístavek. Chrám byl zbudován z importovaného lomového kamene spojovaného vápennou maltou. Stěny byly omítnuté a obílené, uvnitř zdobené barevnými freskami. V lodi se nacházely zbytky kamenné předkněžištní příčky s průchodem uprostřed. Vchod byl umístěn uprostřed jihozápadní stěny. Založení kostela lze spojovat se starší fází dvorce, tj. s dobou před polovinou 9. století, některé dostavby mohly být realizovány až v době působení soluňských bratří na Moravě. Kostel zanikl nejpozději kolem poloviny 10. století, přičemž sakrální funkci mohl ztratit již dříve. Šlo zřejmě o tzv. vlastnický kostel sloužící k soukromé potřebě nějakého významného velmože. V nejbližším okolí bylo odkryto pohřebiště s cca 400 hroby, často s bohatou výzdobou, mj. se našly i zlaté a stříbrné šperky. Nedávno byl na Pohansku objeven v místech bývalého seníku i druhý kostel. Podle průzkumů se zřejmě jedná o rotundu, která by mohla mít v průměru kolem 8 – 9 m.

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