Kostolec ( Slovakian. Kostolec ) is a settlement of the era of Great Moravia , an important archeological monument located in the Povazhsky Inovets massif in the west of Slovakia.
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Location
Kostolec is the name of a steep, rocky protrusion of the Povazhsky Inovets mountain massif with a height above sea level of 240 m , towering above the village of Ducove ( Piestany district). It dominates the adjacent Povazje region, which ensures a beautiful view of the surroundings.
History
Kostolets has an advantageous position, since It is located in close proximity to the most important ancient roads, in particular, the Pazha branch of the so-called Great Amber Route connecting the north and south of Europe. Ostrog was settled in the prehistoric and early historical period .
Holistic ideas about the development of settlements here appeared as a result of systematic archaeological research conducted by the Nitrian Archaeological Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in 1968-1972 and 1975.
Traces of the settlements date back to the early Stone Age (22,000 BC) and later Stone Age periods (2000 BC).
In the early Bronze Age (1100 BC) there was a large ancient settlement of Velatitsk-Bayerdorf culture, fortified by a powerful rampart and moat within the area with settlements and production equipment. The traces of the settlements of the period of the Roman Empire ( II - III centuries ) also deserve attention.
The key role of Kostolets was played in the Great Moravian period ( IX century - the beginning of X century ). Here a fortified early feudal settlement of the nobleman arose - a courtyard with residential buildings, a church with a small burial ground of representatives of the ruling stratum and economic buildings. The settlement was surrounded by ramparts and a deep moat. The administrative center to which agricultural and craft settlements around were located grew.
Kostolec is one of the most significant monuments of Great Moravian culture in Slovakia today.
After the destruction of the settlement, from the second half of the 10th century to the XIVth century , this place was occupied by a cemetery of several neighboring early medieval settlements. In the 15th century , several outbuildings appeared here and the territory was used for military purposes due to its advantageous location.
Description
In this area there is a fenced area of the settlement with a partially reconstructed palisade fortification with a gate (in the direction from the village of Gubina), internal front gardens, a stone foundation of the pre-Romanesque rotunda and the foundations of residential and several farm buildings. The complex also includes a mock watchtower and a necropolis. The complex is a protected archaeological territory and is in the possession of the Roman Catholic Church.
Kostolec is a national cultural monument. Information about the locality is presented on placards located in the vicinity of the settlement. From the board there is a beautiful panoramic view of the nearby territories.
Access
Directly from the village of Dutsove on the marked highway or from the turning of the blue tourist route at the beginning of the village of Gubina.
Literature
- Stopy dávnej minulosti 3 (Zrod národa) , Pavel Dvořák, Rak, Budmerice, 2004, ISBN 80-85501-28-7