Objects of this type, also known as manors on mounds, were characteristic for the late Middle Ages.

History

The hillfort was used in the late Middle Ages, from the mid- 14th century to the mid- 15th century. Two phases of its use were found. In the first phase, a wooden, probably three-story building (tower) was erected, which was destroyed by a violent fire. In phase two, a new building was erected on the burnt-out site of the first settlement. The founders and users of the hillfort were the Wieniawa family. The village constituted private property

 included in the Karmin estate. It first appeared in written sources in 1338 as the property of Przeczlaus of the Wieniawa coat of arms.

Description of the structure 

Location of the historic structure. The hillfort is located on wet meadows, on the southern bank of a small, nameless stream, a tributary of the Lutynia River. It is located south of the buildings of the Czarnuszka State Farm and about 1750 m north of the village of Karmin.  

Description of the site. The object was entered into the register of historic monuments as a “manor mound (the so-called motte-and-bailey castle)”. Its diameter at the base is about 26 m and its height reaches 3 m. The mound is surrounded by a poorly visible moat about 5 m wide. On the western side there are traces of an additional rampart. The site is overgrown with trees and shrubs.

Progress and findings of archaeological research. Archaeological research in the hillfort was conducted in 1986 by M. Głosek, L. Kajzer and A. Wójcik. The researchers made two series of boreholes (10 boreholes in total) and a small trench, 2 x 1 m in size, between boreholes 3 and 4. They recorded traces of two phases of use of the object. The survey found that in phase one a wooden, cellared building was erected on a mound about 2.5 m high. It was built of round logs with a diameter of about 15 cm. The walls of the building were richly smeared with clay. The considerable thickness of the pugging material (up to 180 cm) and the layout of its layers allow to suggest that the building had three storeys and was destroyed by fire. On the burnt area, after levelling the surface of the mound, another building was erected. The form and function of the second object could not be identified.

Visitor access. State property - the building can be viewed from outside.

Author of the note: Barbara Iwanicka – Pinkosz, the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Poznań, Regional Branch in Trzebiny, 08.06.2018

Bibliography

• Tomala J., Budownictwo obronne powiatu kaliskiego w XIV – XVIII wieku, Poznań 1995.
• Marciniak-Kajzer A., Średniowieczny dwór rycerski w Polsce, Łódź 2011