These are the remnants of the largest hillfort in Lower Lusatia, which functioned in the area of the Niemcza Burgward and constituted its military, administrative, fiscal and judicial centre.

Location and description

The hillfort is located approx. 500 m to the north-west of the Polanowice village, in the Lusatian Neisse valley, close to its right bank. It occupies a natural elevation of terrain on the eastern edge of the valley.

Little is known about the fortified settlements from the Lusatian culture era and of the first early medieval complex, of levelled out ramparts and other build-ups covered by the youngest defensive fortress. Out of thousands of fragments of pottery explored in the years 1996-1997 during systematic archaeological surveys, a considerable amount of material representing the Lusatian culture comes from the oldest accumulated layers. What is worth of attention is the discovery of four clay “altars” to which we can attribute cult functions. The fortified settlement of the Lusatian culture had a shape similar to a circle, with an external diameter of around 230 m. It was encircled by a rampart with a width of around 8 m.

In the early phases of the early Middle Ages, a small fort existed, whose external diameter could have amounted to 50 m, while the internal one - to 30 m. When it comes to size, it was most likely similar to other features of this type known in the Lower Lusatia (Tornow, Ragow, Schönfeld, Raddusch). It may have functioned in the second half of the 9th century and in the first half of the 10th century.

The youngest fortified settlement, identified in written sources with Niemcza Łużycka, had an oval shape with external dimensions of around 200 x 220 m. The rampart, preserved up to the height of 2-2.5 m, was more than 10 m wide. Archaeological surveys carried out in the years 1996-1997 focused on the section of the site damaged by the river, therefore it was impossible to analyse the youngest complex in Polanowice. As a result, the development of the inner yard of the hillfort, structure of the rampart sections or precise chronology have remained unknown. Few archaeological finds originate from the hillfort, especially fragments of clay pottery, which prevents the establishment of the date of origin and collapse of the settlement. It is assumed that the erection of the massive hillfort took place in the late 10th century, while its decline in the early 13th century at the latest. 

History

The hillfort in Polanowice, mentioned for the first time in the source literature in 1000 as Niemcza, was erected in place of a hillfort belonging to the Lusatian culture, established on a natural elevation of land. The hillfort functioned in the early iron period to the early 5th century BCE. In the first phases of the early Middle Ages a fortified settlement was built in place of a hillfort from the Lusatian culture period and at the same time the rampart belonging to the older complex was destroyed. In turn, the early-medieval site was levelled out in relation to the construction of a massive fortified settlement most likely in the late 10th century, which functioned as a centre of the abovementioned Niemcza Burgward. It is speculated that its abandonment or destruction took place in the early 13th century at the latest, which could have been related to the development of Gubin and a change in ownership structure when the Niemcza Burgward was taken over by the Benedictine nunnery of Gubin from the monastery in Nienburg.  

Progress and findings of archaeological fieldwork activities 

The hillfort in Polanowice was mentioned in the source literature already in the first half of the 19th century. It was penetrated during surface surveys both by German and Polish archaeologists. The western part of the site, located on the river bank, was damaged before the end of the 18th century. During the demolition of the hillfort traces of buildings were discovered as well as numerous early medieval movable materials such as, among others, fractions of clay pottery, awls, spindle whorls, querns, knives, a mattock, an axe, a fragment of a sword, a glass ring and 2 cross denars. Systematic excavation works were carried out in the years 1996-1997 by Dr Jarosław Lewczuk, in cooperation with Prof. Grzegorz Domański PhD. They covered the abovementioned area damaged by the Lusatian Neisse river. A layer of anthropogenic deposits with a thickness of up to 1.7 m was explored, below which 63 pits were discovered, partially related to fragments of this layer. Moreover, remnants of a ditch with a depth of 1.7-2 m and a width of 4.5-5 m were discovered. What was particularly interesting was the discovery of the abovementioned clay “altars” and exposing numerous fragments of pottery, mainly from the Lusatian culture, glass beads, a bronze Scythian arrowhead, a bone arrowhead, a fragment of bronze axe, numerous spindle whorls, loom weights, fragments of bronze, horn and bone objects as well as flint flakes and chips. The surveys were not carried out in the very inner yard of the early medieval hillfort. 

The hillfort is accessible all year round. A field road leads from the village to the hillfort and the floodbank.

Author of the note Dr Krzysztof Garbacz, National Institute of Cultural Heritage, Regional Branch in Zielona Góra, 12-12-2017

Bibliography

• Domański G., Niemcza Łużycka – centrum polityczno-gospodarcze w X-XIII wieku, [in:] Lokalne ośrodki władzy państwowej w XI-XII wieku w Europie Środkowo-Wschodniej, Wrocław 1993, pp. 173-186.
• Domański G., Lewczuk J., Badania wykopaliskowe grodziska „Niemcza Łużycka” w Polanowicach, stan. 1, gm. Gubin, “Śląskie Sprawozdania Archeologiczne”, vol. 39, 1997, pp. 215-222.
• Domański G., Lewczuk J., Badania wykopaliskowe grodziska „Niemcza Łużycka” w Polanowicach na stan. 1, gm. Gubin – sezon 1997, “Śląskie Sprawozdania Archeologiczne”, vol. 40, 1998, pp. 373-380.
• Lewczuk J., The Fortified Settlement in Polanowice “Niemcza Łużycka”, Site nr 1, Gubin Commune, Zielona Góra Province. Two Years of Excavations. Beiträge zum Oder-Projekt, 5, 1998, pp. 17-25.
• Domański G., Burgward niemczański, [in:] Ad Oderam fluvium. Księga dedykowana pamięci Edwarda Dąbrowskiego, Zielona Góra 2008, pp. 65-72.