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An excursion to the world of Slavs

Let us take you on a time travel to a castle in Bedkowice at the foot of the Sleza Mountain. This trip will take you to the world of the great Slavs – a fascinating journey through time.

Let us take you on a time travel to a castle in Bedkowice at the foot of the Sleza Mountain. This trip will take you to the world of the great Slavs – a fascinating journey through time.

The remains of a stone cult circle, defensive embankments and the barrow cemetery on the outskirts of present-day Bedkowice provided an opportunity to show tourists what the settlement of the great Slavs looked like. They lived there 1200 years ago. Nowadays, the well and wooden houses with their stone hearths and earth pits for storing food have been reconstructed. The houses were set around the central square. The gate to the settlement was located on the east side.

The gate is truly a magnificent one because it was a defensive stronghold. Therefore, it is no accident that a few very impressive figures of warriors guard the gate. A Bavarian geographer, a monk living in the 9th century, mentions 15 strongholds of the Slavic tribe known as Silesians existing around the Slaza mountain and the Sleza river basin (hence their name). The archaeological reserve in Bedkowice is an artefact of one of these settlements. Its end came in 11th century when it was probably digested by fire.

Thanks to a tourist shed to the west of the settlement with a small exhibition area we can, strangely, become a part of this lost world just for a moment. There is also a place for a bonfire.
During the Nazi rule the attempts were made to change the Slavic-sounding names of Sleza to Germanic Zobten and Sobotka to Zobtenberg.

Literature: Marta Miniewicz: Wroclaw county – a family guide, TUITAM Travelers Association, Wroclaw 2015.

In the picture: a stronghold in Bedkowice.
Text by Marek Perzyński for the Lower Silesian Tourist Organization.