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Hillfort - Zabytek.pl

Address
Ruże

Location
woj. kujawsko-pomorskie, pow. golubsko-dobrzyński, gm. Zbójno

The hillfort stands out due to its well preserved and maintained landscape form.It is likely that the hillfort was the centre of a former town district.

Location and description

The hillfort in Ruże is located in the western part of the village, roughly 250 m away from its centre. It is situated on top of an upland inselberg in a tunnel valley running longitudinally formed around the Ruziec river, which has a bend in this spot. The hillfort is located on the right bank of the river. It is separated from the steep slopes of the upland, which lie to the north-east, by a depression roughly 30 m in width, where there currently runs an unpaved road from Ruże, across the bridge over the Ruziec river, to Imbirkowo and Łukaszewo. Some researchers believe that this depression is man-made – these doubts can only be dispelled through specialist research.

The remnants of the single-component hillfort are oval in shape, with the longer diameter running along the axis from the north-east to the south-west and the shorter along the axis from the north-west to the south-east. The longer diameter of the hillfort on the base level is roughly 160 m long, the shorter being roughly 80 m. On the level of the top surface of the hillfort, the longer diameter is roughly 100 m long, the shorter being roughly 50 m. The hillfort stands out well in the valley, the impression intensified due to the very steep slopes and nearly complete lack of trees and shrubs. The highest parts of the hillfort are located roughly 20 m above the floodplain of the Ruziec river and roughly 10 m above the depression where the road can be found. The top surface of the hillfort is flat, with a slight elevation visible only in the south-western part, which may be a trace of a levelled rampart. The condition of the top surface of the hillfort is a result of use for agricultural purposes – regular ploughing, sowing and harvesting with the use of mechanical equipment contributed to the flattening of its surface. To enable convenient entry to the hillfort plateau, a ramp was created along the south-eastern edge, along the length of several metres, which destroyed part of the earthen structure.

History

Based on the collected moveable archaeological materials, construction of the hillfort is dated at the 11th/12th century, i.e. the time when the Dobrzyń Land was within the boundaries of the early Piast monarchy. In the documents published in the years 1886–1888 by Wojciech Kętrzyński, which he dated at the late 11th century and which referred to the estate of the bishops of Płock, there are mentions of a hillfort called castrum Rusck and one may conclude with a high degree of probability that castrum Rusck is the hillfort in Ruże. Based on archaeological sources, abandonment of the hillfort is dated at the 13th/14th century and might be related to an internal conflict or invasion from the north.

Based on the sources, the hillfort was without a doubt property of the bishops of Płock, but most likely was not funded the bishops. It is possible that it was founded at the order of Władysław I Herman or his son Bolesław III Wrymouth, but it could also be that Z. Guldon and J. Powierski are right in suggesting that the hillfort in Ruże might have even been the centre of a former town district.

Condition and results of archaeological research

The hillfort was discovered most likely in the 1920s by Roman Jakimowicz and introduced by him into scientific circulation. The archaeological excavation studies in 1991 were carried out by a team of archaeologists from the University of Lodz. They performed trial excavation and a number of exploratory drillings through the earthen structure of the hillfort. During the studies, cultural layers were identified and moveable artefacts were collected – especially fragments of pottery. The scope of excavation studies was limited but made it possible to determine the history of settlement in the area. It turned out that the hillfort had been built in a place used during the period of Roman influence, i.e. in the first half of the first millennium. Based on the analysis of pottery fragments, the area was repopulated at the turn of the 12th century, which is also when the hillfort was constructed, and then abandoned in the late 13th or the early 14th century. The research revealed no evidence which would unambiguously confirm the existence of defensive ramparts but it cannot be ruled out. The hillfort was located in a place which was defensive by nature – situated on a high, steep-sided hill and surrounded by a river and marshlands on three sides and by a deep depression on the fourth side, it did not need massive ramparts but it does not appear that it had none. There are also doubts related to the manner of development of the hillfort – buildings were likely situated only on its outskirts, but further excavations will be necessary to clarify this.

The hillfort is accessible all year round.

Prepared by Leszek Kotlewski, National Heritage Board of Poland, Regional Branch in Toruń, 30-09-2014

Bibliography

  • Antoniewicz W., Wartołowska Z. (eds.), Mapa grodzisk w Polsce, Wrocław 1964
  • Gajda A., Osadnictwo grodowe Ziemi Dobrzyńskiej w okresie od VI-XV wieku, Łódź 1981, typescript available at the Department of Archaeology of the University of Lodz
  • Guldon Z., Powierski J., Podziały administracyjne Kujaw i Ziemi Dobrzyńskiej w XIII-XIV wieku, Poznań 1974
  • Horonziak A., Kajzer L., Ruże, [in:] Budownictwo obronne ziemi dobrzyńskiej, Włocławek 1995
  • Horonziak A., Kajzer L., Marciniak-Kajzer A., Świderek G., Archeologiczne badania weryfikacyjne tzw. grodziska pierścieniowatego w miejscowości Ruże, gm. Zbójno, woj. włocławskie, przeprowadzone w 1991 roku, Łódź 1991, typescript available in the archives of the Voivodeship Heritage Protection Officer in Włocławek
  • Jakimowicz R., Sprawozdanie z działalności Państwowego Konserwatora Zabytków Przedhistorycznych okręgu warszawskiego za rok 1923, Wiadomości Archeologiczne 1924, Vol. IX
  • Kętrzyński W., Założenie i wyposażenie biskupstwa płockiego, Przewodnik Naukowy i Literacki, Vol. XIV, Warszawa 1886
  • Mitkowski J., Kancelaria Kazimierza Konradowica księcia kujawsko-łęczyckiego (1233-1267), Wrocław 1968
  • Zielonka B., Zabytki archeologiczne województwa bydgoskiego, Bydgoszcz 1959

Category: hillfort

Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records

Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_A_04_AR.36015, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_04_AR.1642771,PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_04_AR.164474