The Chrobry fortified village (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

: ''Gród Chrobry'',

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

: ''Wallburg Chrobry'') is an archaeological earthwork and a historical

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

near

Szprotawa Szprotawa (german: Sprottau) is a town in western Poland, in Żagań County, Lubusz Voivodeship. It has 11,820 inhabitants (2019). History The region was part of Poland after the emergence of the Piast monarchy in the 10th century. The first me ...

, in the Polish southwestern province of Lower Silesia. It is one of the largest of its kind in

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and was named after the country's first crowned ruler,

Bolesław I the Brave Bolesław I the Brave ; cs, Boleslav Chrabrý; la, Boleslaus I rex Poloniae (17 June 1025), less often known as Bolesław the Great, was Duke of Poland from 992 to 1025, and the first King of Poland in 1025. He was also Duke of Bohemia betw ...

(in Polish known as ''Chrobry'').

Background

The site lies in the old Bóbr river valley, in the Park Słowiański

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

, and comprises a polygonal plateau of in size, which is raised 6 metres above its surroundings. The surface of the

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...

is flat throughout, and has regular, steep inclined edges. The site lies between a

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

and a

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

, which are now both partly dried out. Prior to 1945 the site was known as the 'Nun Bush Hill' (german: Nonnenbuschberg). The date of the original structure is as yet unknown. German historian

August Gloger August is the eighth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars, and the fifth of seven months to have a length of 31 days. Its zodiac sign is Leo and was originally named '' Sextilis'' in Latin because it was the 6th month in ...

(1927) described the site as dating from the times these lands were still Polish, but without providing particulars. Recently,

Maciej Boryna Maciej Boryna (born 28 March 1974 in Szprotawa/ Sprottau) is Polish journalist and scientific researcher, author of many books of Silesian history, founder and director of Regional History Museum F.Matuszkiewicz's in Szprotawa, co-founder and f ...

, from the local historical museum

Muzeum Ziemi Szprotawskiej Muzeum Ziemi Szprotawskiej ( pl, Museum of the Szprotawa Land), established 2000 by Towarzystwo Bory Dolnośląskie ( pl, The Lower Silesia Deep Woods Appreciation Society). It is the local center for historical and archeological research pertaini ...

, identified ceramic fragments from the site as

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

, concluding that the structure was never completed or was only inhabited briefly. As of 30 May 2007, thanks to the efforts of the local historical society Towarzystwo Bory Dolnośląskie, the site is now protected as a place of designated historical importance. Other, smaller archaeological earthworks can be found nearby.

References

: ''Beiträge zur Heimatkunde des Kreises Sprottau'', 2nd edition, 1925 *

: ''Szprotawa i okolice'', 2nd edition, 2004 * Maciej Boryna: ''Gminna Ewidencja Zabytków Gminy Szprotawa'', pos. nr. 49/2475, 2005

External links

A medieval fort discovered in Szprotawa
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chrobry Fortified Village In Szprotawa Archaeological sites in Poland History of Silesia Former populated places in Poland Żagań County Buildings and structures in Lubusz Voivodeship