Sekanka, Archaeological site of a deserted medieval town in Hradištko, Czech Republic
Sekanka is a deserted medieval town on a rocky promontory above the Vltava and Sázava confluence, about 50–60 m above the rivers. Its trapezoidal square of roughly 1 ha was surrounded by about 60 sunken timber houses, and two rampart-and-ditch lines cross the promontory; a 2 m stone wall was built only to two-thirds of its length.
Sekanka was founded by the Ostrov Monastery between the second quarter and the 1260s as a craft and market settlement, though no written records of it survive. It was abandoned during the Brandenburg raids of 1278–1283, most likely in 1278 when the monastery and its surroundings were plundered; finds suggest a sudden attack. The site was excavated in the 1950s and 1960s.
The name Sekanka comes from the deep cart tracks cut into the rock on the northern part of the promontory; the site is also called Hradce, Šance or Hradišťko u Davle. Finds of buckles, hammers, scissors, combs and dice show the crafts and trade of the market village, and some objects are displayed in the Regional Museum in Jílové u Prahy.
The site is reachable on foot from the village of Hradištko and is mainly visited by hikers and history enthusiasts. The best time to visit is during warmer months, when the rocky path is easily walkable and offers clear views across the river landscape.
The name Sekanka comes from the deep cart tracks cut into the rock in the northern part of the promontory, not from the vanished town itself. Today it refers to the cottage colonies around the site. The medieval town's original name is unknown.
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