Biskupin is the most famous archeological site in Poland and one of the best sites in Europe. The site was reconstructed and serves as a life-size model of Iron Age fortified settlement. The site was probably established more than 700 BC (over 2700 years ago), in the same time when Roman empire was founded.
It was discovered in 1933 by students who noticed some sticking wooden poles from the lake. They informed their teacher and he informed profesor Kostrzewski from Poznań. Prof. Kostrzewski with his group started excavating the site and the work was continued until World War II (1939).
First the site was considered to be the unique proof of high-level of civilization of Slavs and Poles in this region especially since the site was excavated in the region close to the first capitals of Poland: Gniezno and Poznań. When Nazi army invaded Poland in September 1939, the German scientists tried to prove… that the site belonged to pre-Germans.
In the present time there is a common consensus that the site is a place of highly developed civilization, so called Lusatian culture. It is impossible to establish the clear ethnicity of this highly developed culture. Lusatian culture existed in Central Europe and ranged from Eastern Germany, most of Poland, parts of Czech Republic and Slovakia to the parts of Ukraine.
Biskupin is located on the Lake Biskupin for better defense. The settlement was surrounded by a fortification that is 3,5 m wide. It is made up of oak trunks that form boxes filled with earth. The rampart (defensive wall) is more than 450 m long and accompanied by a wooden breakwater in the lake. There are two settlement periods at Biskupin, which is due to the change in a climate and following increase in the level of the lake surrounding the site. Both settlements were laid out on a rectangular grid with eleven streets that are three meters wide.
The village of Biskupin is situated in the Kujawian-Pomorian voivodeship, just 30 km north of Gniezno. The village also belongs to the historic district of Paluki, and borders with the Notecki nature preserve. The surrounding areas consist mainly of flat green fields, marshes and swamps, which contribute to the tranquillity of the pastoral scenery. Originally the village was set on a grassy island located on the Biskupińskie Lake. The island no longer exists as such, as it was absorbed by the peninsula which today houses the reconstructed village. Nearby there are also large forests, from where the first settlers of Biskupin carved out the oak trees to build their houses and fortifications. Biskupin can be reached from Gasawa by bus or from Żnin by the historic Narrow Gauge Railway. Otherwise, the village is about a 30 minute walk from Gąsawa.
Definitely a great place to visit!
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
