This border fortress, which lies on the Greater Poland’s side, was the heart of a larger collection of settlements, serving as a centre of administration, economic life, and above all basic protection of property and local population.

Location and description

The hill fort is situated on a sandy patch of ground amidst muddy meadows, in lowland terrain traversed by numerous watercourses, which feed into the nearby Czarna Woda river. It is located around 3.5 kilometres north-west of Sulmierzyce, on the eastern edge of a large forest complex, which stretches between Sulmierzyce and Krotoszyn. The terrain was well-suited for defence owing to frequent swamping and flooding. The hill fort is beautifully situated in the middle of a vast forest meadow, making for a particularly attractive landscape.

Sulmierzyce is a single, oval-shaped, concave hill fort. It is approx. 80 x 60 m in size. Preserved ramparts stand approx. 3-3.5 m high, there are the highest in the western part. The site is currently well-preserved, and although it is overgrown with trees, the ramparts are visible from a distance.

History

The facility was built on a previously unoccupied site. Historical materials from several, separate research schemes indicate that the settlement was used for a relatively short period of time in the early Middle Ages, from the mid-10th until the mid-11th century.

Condition and results of archaeological research

The Sulmierzyce hill fort has been the subject of interest and numerous site inspections from as early as the late 19th century. There were several archeological surveys (among others in 1880, 1922, 1928, 1979), as well as surface surveys, carried out at the site.

The surveys performed in 1979 confirmed the existence of a culture, burnt material, and stone cobbling layers in the square. The inventory of movable relics includes: fragments of clay vessels, a clay spindle whorl, pugging, slag. In the close vicinity of the hill fort, there are early medieval open settlements, which surround it from the north, south, and east.

The site is open to visitors. Limited access, there are no direct roads leading to the hill fort. It can be accessed by a yellow hiking trail from Krotoszyn to Sulmierzyce.

compiled by Elżbieta Wyrwińska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Poznan, 31-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Hensel W., Hilczer-Kurnatowska Z., Studia i materiały do osadnictwa Wielkopolski wczesnohistorycznej, t. VI, Wrocław 1987, s. 308-311.