Kłecko Hillfort ''(Grodzisko Barbara)'' is an early medieval gord dating back to the formation of the

Polish state Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

in the 10th century, located between the Gorzuchowskie and Kłeckie lakes on the

Gniezno Gniezno (; ; ) is a city in central-western Poland, about east of Poznań. Its population in 2021 was 66,769, making it the sixth-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The city is the administrative seat of Gniezno County (''powiat'') ...

Wągrowiec Wągrowiec () is a town in west-central Poland, from both Poznań and Bydgoszcz. Since the 18th century it has been the seat of a powiat. Administratively it is attached to the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The town is situated in the middle of th ...

road. The gord takes the form of a

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

of an oval shape with preserved dimensions of about 40 x 35 m.

Description

The hillfort was surrounded by a defensive embankment with a grate structure and

gatehouse A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the most ...

. Inside the building, a circular street ran along the embankments, and dense residential buildings were located along the transverse streets. The hillfort was established in

wetlands A wetland is a distinct semi-aquatic ecosystem whose groundcovers are flooded or saturated in water, either permanently, for years or decades, or only seasonally. Flooding results in oxygen-poor ( anoxic) processes taking place, especially ...

near the Mała Wełna River, on a trading road leading to

Pomerania Pomerania ( ; ; ; ) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The central and eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, West Pomeranian, Pomeranian Voivod ...

, and at the same time in the center of a large settlement from the early Middle Ages. Grodzisko experienced expansion in the second half of the 10th century during the rulership of

Mieszko I Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was Duchy of Poland (966–1025), Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992 and the founder of the first unified History of Poland, Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. A member of the Piast dynasty, he was t ...

, constituting an important point in the defence and administration of the early

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great. Branches of ...

state. The hillfort had settlements as well as servant villages, including Wilkowyja, Świniary, and Łagiewniki. Recent research in 2012 was conducted to determine whether the hillfort played a more important role in the Piast state than previously assumed, i.e. whether it was a

stronghold A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

similar to the ranks of Grzybowo or

Giecz Giecz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Dominowo, within Środa Wielkopolska County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately north of Dominowo, north-east of Środa Wielkopolska, and east ...

. In the 13th century, a small castle was built on the site and was destroyed in the 14th century during the invasion of the

Teutonic Knights The Teutonic Order is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to t ...

. In the 17th century, the wooden church of St. Barbara was built on the site, from which today's name comes - Grodzisko Barbara.

Archaeological research

The accidental discovery of wooden and stone structures took place in 1937 during the construction of a sports field. Initial archaeological research on behalf of the

University of Poznań A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

was carried out in the settlement by

Witold Hensel Witold Maria Hensel (March 29, 1917 in Gniezno – November 22, 2008 in Warsaw) was a Polish archaeologist. He was a member of the Polish Academy of Sciences and a member of the Sejm The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of ...

, then a young assistant to Professor Józef Kostrzewski In 2012, new limited-area archaeological research of the settlement was conducted under the direction of Tomasz Janiak from the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State in

. These studies found the hillfort had a distinct, older phase, tentatively dated to the turn of the 9th and 10th centuries.

Gallery

Photos showing the remains of the settlement discovered during excavations in 1937. File:Wykopaliska Grodzisko Barbara- Kłecko (7).jpg File:Wykopaliska Grodzisko Barbara- Kłecko (4).jpg File:Wykopaliska Grodzisko Barbara- Kłecko (5).jpg File:Wykopaliska Grodzisko Barbara- Kłecko (6).jpg File:Wykopaliska Grodzisko Barbara- Kłecko (3).jpg File:Wykopaliska Grodzisko Barbara- Kłecko (2).jpg

Present state

The remains of the defensive embankment, up to 3 meters high, are visible to this day.

Timeline

* 10th century - founding of the Kłecko hillfort * 13th century - a small castle is built on the site of the former stronghold * 1308 - siege of the castle by Biberstein's army * 1331 - the stronghold in

Kłecko Kłecko () is a town in Gniezno County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,632 inhabitants (2010). History A Lechitic stronghold was founded in the 9th century, located in the Greater Poland region, which in the 10th century would become ...

is plundered and burned by the Teutonic army * 1616 - on the ruins of the settlement, the small wooden church of St. Barbara is built * 1788 - the church of St. Barbara is demolished * until 1852 - a Catholic cemetery is established * 19th century - a road towards

is built, crossing the settlement area * 1937 - leveling works, discovery of the settlement, and first archaeological research * 1939 - 1941 (

WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

) - partial destruction of the settlement during the

occupation of Poland Occupation commonly refers to: *Occupation (human activity), or job, one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment *Occupation (protest), political demonstration by holding public or symbolic spaces *Military occupation, th ...

* 2012 - contemporary archaeological works{{Cite web , date=2012-09-24 , title=Kłecko - wykopaliska , url=http://www.lucivo.pl/2012/09/kecko-wykopaliska.html , access-date=2023-08-30 , language=pl

References

Archaeological sites in Poland Hillforts Fortifications in Poland 10th-century fortifications Buildings and structures demolished in the 14th century Gniezno County