Na Valech (Horní Přím) Hillfort

Welcome to the archaeological site on the Valech. Right now, when you're standing on the edge of the Direct Forest in Lower Primes, you're in a place that at first glance can act as a simple piece of the natural landscape. You may see only mild terrain inequalities, trees and endless green surroundings. However, please pay attention to what is under your feet and in the very structure of this country. What you see is not the work of chance, but the remains of something that once had great meaning to protect, defend, and endure. You're standing in front of a castle whose exact secret is still hidden from human sight.

Now let's try together to understand what this place means and how different layers of time intersect here. This area, spread out on an area of approximately 150 meters over 100 meters, is a fascinating puzzle for anyone interested in our roots. The history of this place is not clearly written in the books, but rather carved into the soil itself, which only in turn reveals its truths to us. Where did these times come from? The answer to this question is the subject of constant expert debates. Some researchers believe there is an ancient ancient castle, a place where the first people sought safety in the arms of the forest. Others, in turn, suggest that it is a medieval fortress, a fixed place that ruled the surrounding territory. There are other theories that lead us to a period of 30 years of war. Perhaps these places were used as military camps when the landscape trembled in the foundations of conflicts that changed the face of the whole of Europe. Each of these possibilities gives this place a different feel, a different weight and a different depth.

Now pay attention to what you can see right around you. Although this monument is partially disturbed, its original face is still visible. If you look around, you can see the remnants of the waves that were once parallel and formed a solid defense of this compound. Note above all what remains on the northeast and southeast side. This is where the remains of the fortifications are the most significant. But you have to realize that what you see is just a fraction of the original whole. This historical trail has been inexorably disrupted in the past by human activity. In the twentieth century there was extraction of sand and gravel, which led to the irreversible destruction of some of the original fortifications. This modern sandbox, which was once here, has revealed some parts of history, but at the same time it has taken away much that could help us to understand this place in all its beauty and complexity.

Looking at these ground structures, you can imagine the efforts of the people who had to make them. Even if we don't know the names of the architects who designed these times, we can feel their intention. They wanted to create a barrier to separate the inner safe space from the unknown outside world. This land work, the material offered to them by the forest and the surrounding terrain, was the basis of their existence.

But in order to better touch on the real life that took place here, we need to look at the people who took care of this place in the New Testament. Even though the builders themselves remained unknown in history, thanks to the work of experts such as August Sedláček, Josef Ladislav Píč or L. Domeček, we can know much more about this place than if we rely on our own eyes. These people, as detectives, were trying to make a story out of little things, fragments and landscape shapes that he was trying to tell. Their efforts allowed us to see this place not only as a pile of clay, but as a protected cultural monument that deserves our respect and attention.

And it is here that the greatest mystery that may follow you all along this site. What is this place anyway? Is it an ancient fortress that has survived for thousands of years? Is it a medieval fortress that was later abandoned? Or is it just a short-term military post that was born here and destroyed during the devastating wars of the seventeenth century? But this uncertainty is what makes Na Valech so special. It's not just a place with a clear, solved story. It's a place that makes us think, that makes us ask questions, that reminds us how little we know about the past that shaped us. This ambiguity is part of his spell. Every layer of the earth, every impact of wind current through these remnants of the waves, can give us a different sense of how people once lived, fought or rested here.

Now I want to invite you to continue your tour and let the atmosphere of this place drift. Take a walk along those visible waves, try to visualize their original height and strength in spirit. Feel the silence of the Direct Forest and imagine what sounds could have sounded like hundreds or thousands of years ago. Be patient in your observation. Sometimes it only takes one look at a different angle to develop a new connection before your eyes. Thank you for choosing to visit this important place and devote your time to understanding its secrets. We will deny you once again that you are in a protected area, so please move with respect to nature and these historical tracks. We wish you a pleasant continuation of the survey and hope that this place will enchant you as it did us. Goodbye.