The Carpathian Troy in Trzcinica — an archaeological open-air museum on the Wały Królewskie

Three settlements, one hill

The rise at the eastern end of the village of Trzcinica has long been called Wały Królewskie, the Royal Ramparts, because the ramparts are visible without digging for them. Three settlement phases lie stacked beneath, and it is that stacking which makes the place one of the most important archaeological sites in Poland.

The earliest phase runs from 2100 to 1650 BC, when a group of the Mierzanowice culture took the hilltop. Between 1650 and 1350 BC it was held by people of the Otomani-Füzesabony culture — the first settlement of that culture identified on Polish soil, with finds pointing to trade reaching the Balkans and Anatolia. That is where the museum's name comes from: Jan Gancarski, who dug here, explained it by those long-distance contacts and the sheer number of layers.

The excavations produced over a hundred thousand objects: pottery, tools, ornaments. Some of the forms had not been recorded in Poland before.

A Slavic stronghold at the edge of the Piast state

Around 780 AD Slavs built a multi-part stronghold here covering more than three hectares, enclosed by roughly 1250 metres of rampart. The earliest building phase was dated by tree rings to the 770s — a precision rarely available for the early Middle Ages.

The stronghold burned in the 10th century, was rebuilt on a smaller scale and remained in use into the first decades of the 11th. A hoard of Scandinavian silver was hidden in the main section around that time. Researchers link the end of occupation to the crisis of the early Piast monarchy and the fighting over this borderland around 1030. The hill then stood empty for nine hundred years.

Its earthworks count among the best-preserved Slavic fortifications in this part of Europe.

From excavation to open-air museum

Fieldwork ran in two campaigns, 1991–1997 and 2005–2009. The idea of a museum on the site came up in 1998 and formal steps followed a year later; the initiator was Jan Gancarski, director of the Podkarpackie Museum in Krosno and the hillfort's long-standing investigator.

The money came largely from the European Economic Area financial mechanism, with the regional and local authorities covering the rest. Construction ran from October 2007 to October 2009.

The opening was set for July 2010. On 4 June 2010 a flood wrecked much of the finished site; clearing up began the next day. The park finally opened in June 2011.

What there is to see

• Reconstructed ramparts — over 150 metres, built to follow the excavated evidence
• Two gates — one Bronze Age, one early medieval
• The Bronze Age village — huts, workshops and household gear of the Otomani culture
• The Slavic village — a second reconstruction at the foot of the hillfort
• The exhibition pavilion — original finds, a film about the site, a conference room
• A room for children — hands-on activities rather than display cases
• The rampart itself — a path across the original earthworks, with a view down the Ropa valley

Getting there

• By car — Trzcinica lies a few kilometres west of Jasło on the road towards Biecz; the museum is signposted
• By train — the nearest station is Jasło, then a local bus or taxi
• By bus — local services from Jasło towards Biecz stop in Trzcinica
• By bike — a short but hilly ride from Jasło across the foothills

Worth knowing

Start in the pavilion and with the film rather than on the rampart. Without that introduction the reconstructions are just handsome huts; with it you can see why this one hill was chosen three times over four thousand years.

The park is entirely outdoors and runs across a slope, so weather and footwear matter. Summer brings demonstrations of experimental archaeology and reenactment camps, which is when there is most to see and most company.

In the village itself, the wooden church of St Dorothy from the late 15th century is worth a detour for its Renaissance and Mannerist wall paintings; it stands on the regional Wooden Architecture Route. Jasło is a quarter of an hour away, Krosno a little over half an hour.

How to get there and practical info

Location

Trzcinica, Jasło commune, Podkarpackie Voivodeship — west of the town of Jasło

What it is

an archaeological park with reconstructions, a branch of the Podkarpackie Museum in Krosno

The hillfort

over 3 ha, ramparts about 1250 m long, three phases of settlement

Dating

Bronze Age from 2100 BC, Slavic stronghold from about 780 AD

Protection

archaeological site on the Podkarpackie Voivodeship register of monuments

Time needed

two to three hours for the pavilion, both villages and the rampart walk

Current hours and tickets

the Carpathian Troy website

When to go