Rubín Hillfort

Welcome to Rubín. You've just entered a space that is far more than just a natural peak. You're standing in a place where the earth meets an incredible depth of time. Look around you and feel the atmosphere of this place. You are at Došek, just a few kilometers northeast of Podborány, in the southern part of Ústí Region. This peak, which you now admire, is not only part of the landscape, but it is a living witness to events that took place thousands of years before the first modern people appeared here. Feel the serenity of this place, but at the same time remember that beneath your steps lies the fascinating story of mankind.

This hill, which we call Rubín, has served for a huge period as a fortress. It's not just a random hill, but a strategically chosen place that people used to live and protect. The history of this place is incredibly long and continuous. If you look at the surrounding terrain now, you may not see the monumental structures that you would expect at the castles of later times, but pay attention to the very shape of the earth and the remains left behind. Rubín is a fortress that shows signs of continuous settlement. This means that people didn't live here for a short time, but this place was their home in different forms, from neolithic to early Middle Ages. It's a fascinating continuity that goes beyond the millennium.

When you look at the remnants of the castle itself, you can see how people were able to adapt to nature. The architecture of this place is not built of stone and mortar in the sense we are used to, but rather of clay, wood and the very shape of this hill. Feel how the terrain is changing and how its borders are likely to have been shaped by the human hand for defence purposes or for the determination of space for life. Even though we now see primarily natural shapes, you know that every name, every change of inclination and every terrace in this terrain can be the result of the work of people who have sought safety here.

In order to talk about this place today and understand it at all, we must share the stories of the people who have decided to walk here with these clues at the time of archeology. The first major steps to discover the secrets of Rubín were taken by Helmut Preidel. From 1934 to 1938, he led the first conscious archaeological research that gave us the first indication of what really happened here. After years of peace, experts returned to the castle. In 1970, Václav Kruta carried out further thorough research here, which helped to deepen our knowledge of how the use of this peak changed over time. Later, from 1987 to 1991, Josef Bubeník joined the work. Thanks to their patience, precision, and courage to explore the layers of the country that seemed immobile, today we can reconstruct the history of this place. These people were like detectives of the past, who could make a big story out of small fragments and fragments of ceramics.

Now pay attention to what these researchers have found in the depths of the earth. What they tell us most about people on Rubín is not their words, but their ceramics. Every culture that once lived here left its unique signature. Imagine different groups of people taking turns here. There were people with linear and poked pottery who made patterns with incredible patience. There came representatives of the Jordanian culture and a group of pointy cups. Followed by a rodent culture and people who used pottery in the shape of spherical amphor. Let us not forget the culture of string ceramics, whose name directly refers to the style of decoration. Each group brought their own customs, their own ways of making vessels and their own views of the world. Now, when you look at this hill, imagine that you're standing at the crossroads of many different worlds that were gradually changing over time.

There's one big mystery that might interest you in your next tour. How is it that this place has remained so attractive to people for such an incredibly long time? From Neolithic, when people were just starting to settle down, to the early Middle Ages, Rubín never lost its significance. Why did people keep returning their steps here? Was it because of the strategic position, the view of the surrounding landscape, or perhaps because of some spiritual significance of this hill? This question remains open and may be found in the silence that exists here. Every layer of land you see here is like a page in a book waiting to be read again.

I suggest you continue your search and allow yourself to drift through the atmosphere of this archaeological site. Look at the surrounding terrain, see the link between nature and human activity, and try to imagine the thousands of years that have taken place here. Rubín is not just a monument, it is a living proof of our common human history. Thank you for coming and for trying with us this short journey into the past. We will brighten up a pleasant walk and look forward to meeting you again at the next historical monument.