Skočický hrad Hillfort

Skočický hrad is an important prehistoric castle situated on the top of the Castle southwest of the village Skočice in Strakonice district. The locality, which is now a protected cultural monument and part of the natural reserve, was already inhabited in paleolithic and mesolite. The castle itself was built at the end of the older Bronze Age and was then used in the period of the Hallatians and the early Middle Ages.

In the period of bronze culture there was metallurgical and textile production. The importance of the site increased in the late period of the Halštats, when the fortification was restored or rebuilt. In the ninth century, the castle was last inhabited; However, it is not entirely clear whether the people at the time only used the existing prehistoric fouls or actively repaired them.

The core of the complex is an acropolis on a rock platform approximately 50 times 20 meters. Since most of the perimeter was protected by steep slopes, artificial fortifications were concentrated mainly on the east side. They were made up of dry-laid stones, which were within four metres wide and reinforced from the inside by a clay slide. The entrance to the space was provided by a 24-metre street gate. Under the acropolis, there is a platform 80 times 100 meters below. The total area of the site is approximately 1.1 hectares and part of the area is also a rocky platform called the Šumava prospect.

The professional interest in the place began in 1878 when Jan Nepomuk Woldřich described them and targeted them. In the first half of the twentieth century research was carried out by Bedřich Dubský, František Sobotka and Josef Malický. Bedřich Dubský was the first to recognize the internal breakdown of the acropolis and the prepayment. The extensive archaeological survey was conducted between 1963 and 1974 by Lumír Poláček, but most of the documentation from this event was not preserved. At the end of the twentieth century, the site was disrupted by the illegal activity of detectors, resulting in a subsequent expert survey and focus between 2008 and 2009.

Archaeological findings include a large number of ceramic shards, including fragments that resemble the Champ culture of middle eneolite. A series of metal artifacts, such as iron spurs, arrow tips, part of August or a fraction of iron feather scissors, come from the early Middle Ages. The most important discoveries include a cast bronze curtain decorated with fine grooves and a three ball grape.

Today the castle is accessible as part of the nature reserve Skočický hrad. For visitors it is a valuable opportunity to see preserved terrain traces of prehistoric fortification in their natural environment. Visiting this place offers a unique insight into the history of the settlement of the South Bohemian region and reminds of significant milestones of prehistoric construction.