Hradiště Vraclav, Medieval hillfort in Vraclav, Czech Republic.
Hradiště Vraclav is an early medieval hillfort on a promontory in the Svitavy Hills at about 330 metres above sea level, on the northern edge of Vraclav. Its acropolis was protected on the southeast by a rampart whose bank survives up to six metres high, and a burial ground lay in the central part. A monument from 1908 stands on the rampart.
The hillfort, called Vratislav in period sources, was founded as a Přemyslid administrative centre by the Trstenická route, probably around 1000. In 1108 Prince Svatopluk had members of the Vršovci family killed here. In 1226 the castellan Byčen administered it; during the 13th century its role passed to Vysoké Mýto and the site was abandoned.
The name Vraclav derives from the early medieval form Vratislav (Wratizlau), recorded in period sources. The site is traditionally linked to Prince Vratislav II, though coin finds suggest construction around 1000. A monument on the rampart was erected in 1908 for the 800th anniversary of the Vršovci massacre.
The hillfort is freely accessible along a green-marked hiking trail from Vraclav to Svatý Mikuláš. The rampart of the acropolis, up to six metres high, stands on the promontory at about 330 metres above sea level; a monument from 1908 stands on top of it.
The rampart on the acropolis, up to six metres high, carries a monument erected in 1908 for the 800th anniversary of the massacre of the Vršovci family, which Prince Svatopluk had carried out here in 1108. The site was already known as an archaeological locality before 1789.
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