The Chrobry fortified village (

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

: ''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 **Ge ...

: ''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, hist ...

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 Lower Silesia ( pl, Dolny Śląsk; cz, Dolní Slezsko; german: Niederschlesien; szl, Dolny Ślōnsk; hsb, Delnja Šleska; dsb, Dolna Šlazyńska; Silesian German: ''Niederschläsing''; la, Silesia Inferior) is the northwestern part of the ...

. 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 populou ...

and was named after the country's first crowned ruler, Bolesław I the Brave (in Polish known as ''Chrobry'').

Background

The site lies in the old

Bóbr Bóbr ( cs, Bobr, german: Bober, ) is a river which carries water through the north of the Czech Republic and the southwest of Poland, a left tributary of the Oder. Course The Bóbr has a length of (3 in Czech Republic, 276 in Poland, 10th ...

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 to ...

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

, 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 (1927) described the site as dating from the times these lands were still Polish, but without providing particulars. Recently, Maciej Boryna, from the local historical museum Muzeum Ziemi Szprotawskiej, 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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, 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

* August Gloger: ''Beiträge zur Heimatkunde des Kreises Sprottau'', 2nd edition, 1925 * Maciej Boryna: ''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