Staré Zámky, Archaeological site near Brno-Líšeň, Czech Republic

Staré Zámky is a hillfort on a conglomerate rock spur above the Říčka stream in the southern part of the Moravian Karst, in the Brno-Líšeň district. Its triangular central area of about 4.5 ha was walled all round except for a northeast gate; a 320 m stretch of outer rampart, 2–2.5 m high with a ditch about 2 m deep, survives at the edge of the Haleglétňa wood.

The earliest finds on the spur belong to the Moravian Painted Ware culture of the late Neolithic to early Eneolithic (5th–4th millennium BC). In the Eneolithic, Funnel Beaker and then Channeled Ware people built a densely settled village with a rampart and ditch, leaving copper objects, marble beads and bone belt clasps. Occupation returned in the Bronze Age, La Tène and Migration periods. From the 8th century an earthen rampart with wooden palisade enclosed the site; in the early 9th century a massive fortification, a magnate's court with a roughly 10 m wooden watchtower, log buildings and probably a church arose. A fire at the end of the Great Moravian period damaged the defences, arrowheads pointing to enemy attack; they were partly renewed and the site lasted until the end of the 10th century.

The name Staré Zámky, "Old Castles", refers to the ramparts visible in the Haleglétňa forest. The 8th-century earthen rampart with a wooden palisade and the early 9th-century fortifications enclosed a lord's court with a roughly 10 m wooden watchtower and log buildings, probably including a church. The outer bailey served as a burial ground.

The site is accessible via marked trails and best explored in dry conditions. Wear sturdy shoes as the ground is uneven and the elevated location requires some physical effort.

The outer rampart at the southeastern edge of the Haleglétňa forest still stands 2–2.5 m high, with a ditch about 2 m deep beside it; the rest of the rampart survives only as a low wave in the ground running toward the Líšeň cemetery.