Biskupin

In 1933 a schoolteacher noticed timbers in the shallows of Lake Biskupin, and the excavation that followed uncovered a fortified settlement of the Lusatian culture built in the 740s BC - tree rings show that over half of its oak was felled in the winter of 748/747 BC - preserved because the ground was waterlogged: a rampart of timber boxes packed with earth, a breakwater of stakes, streets of logs laid side by side, and rows of identical houses inside. It became the most famous archaeological site in Poland, in part because in the 1930s it was read as evidence about early Slavic settlement, a reading later much qualified. Part of the rampart, gate and a street of houses has been reconstructed on the site, alongside the excavated area, and a museum covers the finds. The annual Archaeological Festival in September brings re-enactors, experimental archaeology and craft demonstrations, and is the busiest week of the year here.

History

The schoolteacher Walenty Szwajcer and his students found the site in 1933, and from 1934 a team from Poznań University led by Józef Kostrzewski and Zdzisław Rajewski excavated it, publishing a first report in 1936. Tree rings show that the oak for the settlement was felled between 747 and 722 BC, over half of it in the winter of 748/747 BC; excavations went on until 1974, and in 1994 the site was named one of Poland's Historic Monuments (Wikipedia, Biskupin).

What you'll find

• A settlement of the 740s BC - dated precisely by tree rings from the timbers.
• Reconstructed rampart and houses - a gate, a log street and a row of dwellings.
• The waterlogged preservation - why the timbers survived at all.
• A September festival - re-enactment and experimental archaeology on the site.

When to go

May to September. Half a day.

What to expect

Much of what stands is modern reconstruction, and interpretations of the site have changed considerably since the 1930s. The festival week is crowded. Open seasonally with limited winter access.

Nearby

The Znin narrow-gauge railway runs here; Gniezno is south.

Key facts