900-750 B.C. The monument belongs to the very rare relics of hillforts from the turn of the Bronze and Iron Age. There are only about 70 archaeological sites of this kind in our country, and only a few in the present Opole Voivodeship. The hillfort in Rzepcze is well preserved, and the archaeological surveys carried out have shown that the site has cultural layers and archaeological objects, which contain numerous movable artefacts, mainly fragments of pottery. The terrain form of the hillfort is clearly visible in the landscape. The monument is a priceless relic and a source of knowledge about the prehistory of the Polish lands.

History of the structure

The prehistoric fortified settlement existed in the Late Bronze Age (5th period), that is from about 900 B.C. to about 750 B.C., and was built and inhabited by the people of the so-called Lusatian culture.

Fortifications began to spring up all over Central and Western Europe in the Late Bronze Age. The origins of this phenomenon are believed to lie in an increased population density, accompanied by the process of the division of territories, and the growing external threat related predominantly to the so-called Cimmerian horizon, dated at the 9th century B.C. and involving raids of nomadic peoples from the Black Sea steppes.

In 1976, archaeological excavations were conducted at the site, which revealed that the source literature incorrectly identified the monument as a late medieval castellan castle mentioned in 1297.

Description of the structure

The monument is located about 1.8 km north of the market square in Głogówek and about 1.5 km south of Rzepcze - 200 m west of the road connecting the two towns. The site is located on a clearly exposed headland of a high and steep flood terrace. This headland rises above the Osobłoga River valley, on its right bank. The site is overgrown with forest.

The fortified settlement, situated on the headland, is irregular in plan, roughly “octagonal” in shape. The area of the site, including the rampart and the moat, is about 0.65 ha, while the usable space of the settlement was about 0.5 ha. Dimensions of the settlement: length about 135 m, width about 60 m. The settlement was fortified very simply. Currently, the most legible element of the defensive structure is a deep moat, which is located on the eastern side of the site and which effectively seals off the headland, increasing its defensive qualities. The moat runs in a slight curve, is about 100 m long and 2.2 m deep (originally it was 4-4.5 m deep). On both sides of the moat there are now poorly visible relics of ramparts.

In 1976 Klemens Macewicz, Sylwia Wuszkan and Krzysztof Spychała conducted archaeological research at the site. They recorded traces of two dwellings and discovered six storage pits of the Lusatian culture people from the Late Bronze Age. They stated unequivocally that the monument has prehistoric rather than medieval origins.

Visitor access. The site is accessible all year round.

Author of the note: Michał Bugaj, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Katowice, 07.03.2018.

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