Mikulcice

Great Moravia was the first substantial Slavic state in this part of Europe, flourishing in the ninth century, receiving Cyril and Methodius and their Slavonic liturgy in 863, and collapsing around 906; its written record is thin and most of what is known comes from excavation. Mikulcice is the largest of the excavated centres: a fortified settlement on islands in the Morava floodplain, covering some fifty hectares, where the foundations of twelve churches have been found - an extraordinary number for one ninth-century site - along with a palace, workshops, and around two and a half thousand graves containing goldwork, weapons and a set of finds that defined the period's material culture. The site is presented with the foundations marked out and a museum pavilion; a footbridge to the Slovak side at Kopcany links it to a surviving ninth-century church there.

History

From the 6th until the 10th century a Slavic fortified settlement stood 3 km southeast of the present village, at the site called Mikulčice-Valy; it was one of the main centres of the Great Moravian Empire and plausibly its capital, and excavations have uncovered the remains of twelve churches, a palace and more than 2,500 graves, including a horse burial. The village itself is first mentioned in 1141, its church of the Assumption in 1353, and a fortress that stood here at the beginning of the 15th century was probably destroyed in the Hussite Wars (Wikipedia, Mikulčice).

What's there

• Twelve church foundations - marked out across the excavated settlement.
• A ninth-century power centre - fifty hectares on islands in the Morava floodplain.
• Two and a half thousand graves - the finds that defined Great Moravian material culture.
• A footbridge to Slovakia - linking to the surviving church at Kopcany.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Practical notes

What survives is foundations at ground level, not standing buildings - the interest needs the museum and some reading. Seasonal opening. The floodplain has mosquitoes and floods in spring.

Nearby

Hodonin is north; Straznice and its skansen are up the Morava.