Hradec u Dobříše, Hillfort in Dobříš, Czech Republic
Hradec u Dobříše is a prehistoric hillfort on the flat summit of Hradec hill at 628 m in the Brdy Highlands, about six kilometres northwest of Dobříš. Its main oval area measures 216 × 94 metres and is enclosed by ramparts only on the north and west; the south and east sides rely on rocky slopes. A deep ditch cuts the ridge before a small rectangular outer bailey called Zahrada, whose ramparts survive 1.3 m high and 5 m wide at the base.
The origin of the hillfort is unclear: no archaeological excavation has taken place there, and the pottery fragments found date from prehistory and the early Middle Ages. The form of the ramparts suggests it may have been built at the end of the Bronze Age or in the Hallstatt period; an early medieval hillfort is considered unlikely. The earliest written mention comes from Václav Krolmus's records on the Beroun and Hořovice regions, and Břetislav Jelínek made a small survey of the rampart in 1875.
The name Zahrada ("Garden") is traditionally used for the small rectangular outer bailey, only 0.07 hectares in area, that lies beyond the deep ditch cutting the ridge. Its rampart survives at 1.3 metres high and five metres wide at the base, and it served as a doubled line of defence rather than a settlement.
The hilltop lies about six kilometres north-west of Dobříš in the Brdy highlands, at 628 metres. The easiest approach is from the north-east, where a forest path may follow the line of the original prehistoric entrance; two later paths also cut through the ramparts. The site is unexcavated, so stay on the paths and expect uneven, rocky ground.
Břetislav Jelínek's 1875 probe of the rampart found vertical postholes up to 60 cm deep and 40–50 cm wide, set in two parallel rows: neighbours in one line stood up to 7 m apart, while the nearest hole in the other row formed a triangle with them no more than 5 m away. The posts held horizontal logs that braced the stone body of the wall.
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