<< Our Photo Pages >> Giant Castle - Hillfort in Czech Republic in Bohemia
Submitted by ladrin on Tuesday, 27 August 2024 Page Views: 232
Iron Age and Later PrehistorySite Name: Giant Castle Alternative Name: Obří hradCountry: Czech Republic
NOTE: This site is 7.268 km away from the location you searched for.
Region: Bohemia Type: Hillfort
Nearest Town: Kašperské Hory Nearest Village: Nicov
Latitude: 49.103826N Longitude: 13.591779E
Condition:
| 5 | Perfect |
| 4 | Almost Perfect |
| 3 | Reasonable but with some damage |
| 2 | Ruined but still recognisable as an ancient site |
| 1 | Pretty much destroyed, possibly visible as crop marks |
| 0 | No data. |
| -1 | Completely destroyed |
| 5 | Superb |
| 4 | Good |
| 3 | Ordinary |
| 2 | Not Good |
| 1 | Awful |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | Can be driven to, probably with disabled access |
| 4 | Short walk on a footpath |
| 3 | Requiring a bit more of a walk |
| 2 | A long walk |
| 1 | In the middle of nowhere, a nightmare to find |
| 0 | No data. |
| 5 | co-ordinates taken by GPS or official recorded co-ordinates |
| 4 | co-ordinates scaled from a detailed map |
| 3 | co-ordinates scaled from a bad map |
| 2 | co-ordinates of the nearest village |
| 1 | co-ordinates of the nearest town |
| 0 | no data |
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NP The Bohemian Forest ("Šumava" in Czech) is a beautiful piece of vast protected land which creates a natural border between the Czech Republic/ Austria and Germany. Ancient Greeks called these deep impenetrable forests Gabreta. Under this today nearly lost name it was well known also to Roman forces. And they had a great respect for its Celtic and later Teutonic inhabitants so this wild land was never claimed by the Empire.
There are fine megaliths in Bohemian Forest like stones around Javorník mountain but in general the land was.. and still is.. sparsely populated. In this context there is even existence of a prehistoric fortress called Giant Castle, one big mystery.
With its altitude around 1000m it is the highest prehistoric structure in the Czech Republic. Mighty stone fortress is naturally protected with steep rocky slopes mainly from the E and NW side. As I can confirm, its manmade fortification is exceptionally well preserved. Honestly the best of this kind I have ever seen. The reason is obvious.. It is a really remote place.
Ramparts of the inner acropolis reach a height more than 2m even today. Outer almost vertical wall was built of dry-laid stones and looks still very impressive. The most interesting place of the acropolis is the rocky gate and large stone altar.
Fortress was discovered at the beginning of the 20th century but the most detailed expert survey was carried out in 1988. Despite the large number of test pits, archeological findings were surprisingly poor so datation was not easy. Generally consensus is that the fortress was established in the late Hallstatt and was used till the end of La Tène period.
There are theories about the main purpose of the place. Standard settlement is not considered due to extreme climatic conditions and absence of findings after residential activity. Protection of gold placer or temporary refuge shelter function is also not too likely because of total remoteness from larger populated regions. A cultic and gathering place function appears to be the most likely.
There is an interesting hypothesis about the sacred passage rite through the stone gate and around the acropolis to the highest point with the altar. Some point to Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico where is the note that the Druids "Once a year assembled at a sacred place ... which was believed to be the centre of all Gaul".
Hard to explain mysterious structures aparently attracted people's fantasy. And that's where its name came from. Folk's traditional legend tells about the discovery of three meters long bones.. bones of "Giants".. which the villagers used as a bridge over the local stream. These bones supposedly glowed. Nice!
I can only recommend a trip to The Giant's castle of Garbeta forest. As usual in Bohemia, there is a reliable tourist path and explanatory boards. This prehistoric site has a great atmosphere!
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We would like to know more about this location. Please feel free to add a brief description and any relevant information in your own language.
Wir möchten mehr über diese Stätte erfahren. Bitte zögern Sie nicht, eine kurze Beschreibung und relevante Informationen in Deutsch hinzuzufügen.
Nous aimerions en savoir encore un peu sur les lieux. S'il vous plaît n'hesitez pas à ajouter une courte description et tous les renseignements pertinents dans votre propre langue.
Quisieramos informarnos un poco más de las lugares. No dude en añadir una breve descripción y otros datos relevantes en su propio idioma.