Będkowice Hillfort

The Będkowice Archaeological Reserve lies at the foot of Mount Ślęża, by the road from Strzegomiany to Będkowice in the Sobótka municipality. It protects an early medieval settlement complex of the Ślężanie tribe: a hillfort from the 8th–11th centuries, traces of a settlement and a barrow cemetery from the 8th–9th centuries. The Sobótka municipality calls it one of the best-preserved early medieval settlement complexes in Central Europe.

The Ślężanie stronghold

The hillfort is elliptical, measuring about 65 × 75 m. It was surrounded by a timber-and-earth rampart reinforced with stones and clay – today up to 1.5 m high – and a dry moat. It was also a centre of pagan worship. Below the stronghold an open farming settlement existed until the 13th century, and north of the hillfort a small amphibolite cult circle (about 20 × 7 m), a dyke with a medieval pond and an outer rampart survive.

What you will see

• Reconstructed buildings – two log huts of interlocking-corner construction with forked-post roofs, and a well.
• The rampart and moat of the hillfort, clearly visible on the ground.
• Barrows – the cemetery has about 7 earth mounds, some topped with stones; several have been reconstructed and fenced.
• An archaeology meeting area west of the hillfort, with a shelter, fire pit and display.
• Information boards about the life of the Ślężanie and wooden shelters for a rest.

You enter through a wooden gate with a palisade. This is a small fortified settlement, not a reconstruction of a large stronghold – walking round the whole site takes roughly an hour.

History of the reserve

The reserve was established by the regional archaeological conservation centre; the Sobótka municipality gives the year 1975, other sources 1986, from when the site has operated as the Archaeological Reserve. Two archaeological trails marked with a bear symbol, red and black, cross the site and lead into the Ślęża Massif.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: the reserve lies outside the built-up area, on the Strzegomiany–Będkowice road. Check parking options before you go.
• Tickets and hours: the municipality publishes no prices or opening hours – do not expect a museum-style ticket office.
• Rules: do not climb the huts or ramparts, do not move stones and stay off the barrows away from marked paths.
• Combine with: a climb up Ślęża on the archaeological trail and a visit to Sobótka.