Sekanka Archaeological site

Welcome to this fascinating place. You are standing in front of one of the most important archaeological sites in the Middle Ages, which is called Sekanka. Now, when you look around you, you may see only the landscape, the hill and the surrounding greenery, but under your feet and in the space around you is the story of the forgotten town. Feel the atmosphere of this high sharpness that rises above the confluence of two great rivers, Vltava and Sazava. It was this strategic position, surrounded by water and steep cliffs, that determined the fate of this place.

Now let's go deeper in time. In order to understand why this little town was created here, we have to go back many centuries. The first traces of human presence in this location date back to the year seven hundred when the first Slavs started living here. However, what is most important for us today took place in the middle of the 13th century, namely around the year one thousand and two hundred and fifty. At that time there was established a craft centre serving a nearby monastery in the island. The monastery needed a place where artisans could produce goods and provide services, so he chose this very edge. Sekanka was not a normal city, as we imagine today, but a specialized centre that was supposed to serve as an economic engine for the priests in the island.

Now pay attention to the terrain around you. If you look at the distribution of this space, you'll notice how naturally the landscape was used. The builders were not fools and knew that the best defense were the deep cliffs and rivers that surrounded the town. This allowed them to focus their attention on building internal fortifications. Notice where the inner wall was located. Around the year a thousand and two hundred seventy-five stone walls began to be built here, which was to close the town safely. But it is very interesting that this wall has never been completed. If you imagine the line of this fortification, you'll find that it was completed less than two thirds. This tells us that life in the Sector was very short and intense, but at the same time very fragile.

Now, when we think about how people lived in this town, we have to forget about the big stone houses. In the centre of this headquarters were mostly temporary buildings. Imagine little houses that were partially partied into the country, the so-called grounder and the half-land. It was a simple dwelling that reflected the speed of this resort. The craftsmen here worked in simple workshops, in a noisy environment where the sound of hammers and the smell of artisanal materials were mixed, all in a narrow space between walls and cliffs.

Unfortunately, the history of the Axe is not the story of a long bloom, but rather a brief flash. In the year one thousand two hundred seventy-eight came the end. The town was destroyed because of the brutal looting brought here by the confederates. Imagine the contrast where a calm craft space was suddenly hit by a wave of violence. This event was so drastic that the town never recovered. Thus, Sekanka remained frozen at an early stage of its development. That is where its great value lies for science today. It is a unique document of the city that died before it could fully appeal and change its face.

But there was one great mystery that fascinated archaeologists for decades. What exactly did the fortifications look like and what was the real extent of this extinct resort? The answers started coming in the mid-20th century. In a thousand and nine hundred and fifty, key archaeological research took place, which finally revealed the real form of the fortifications and confirmed that the wall remained unfinished. It was like writing a giant puzzle of fragments that the earth had kept inside for hundreds of years. In the year two thousand and twelve, the first stage of the rehabilitation of this territory took place in order to enable you to stand here today and perceive this space.

It's fascinating to think that beneath your steps lies layers of history that have been forgotten for hundreds of years. Sekanka reminds us how quickly something ambitious can be created and how easily it can be destroyed in a single moment. It is a place of silence which, however, carries the echoes of medieval craftsmanship and the tragedy of the Brandenburg attack.

We now invite you to take a slow walk around and try to visualize in your mind those unfinished walls and little houses that are stuck in the ground. Follow the lines of the terrain and see how powerful Vltava and Sázava play their part. Explore the space where nature meets history, and let yourself be filled with the sense of mystery that still surrounds this place.

Thank you for coming with us on a short journey through the history of the Axe. We hope that you are interested in this story of a forgotten town and that you will bear a sense of respect for this unique archaeological treasure. We wish you a pleasant journey and a pleasant rest of the day.