Archaeology

Celtic oppidum Závist (Hradiště)

Dolní Břežany

People have been living intermittently for the last 2.5 thousand years at the strategic location on Hradiště Hill, which rises high above the former confluence of the Vltava and the original Berounka riverbed. The largest Celtic oppidum (urban settlement) in Bohemia was declared a National Cultural Monument in 1989.

The research of the site lasted 27 years without a break (1963-1990). According to the findings of experts, the first settlement was established here in the Middle Bronze Age, but the site was also inhabited in the Late Hallstatt to Early Methenian period (550-400 BC). The hillfort was probably also inhabited in the Roman period and in the early Middle Ages. The Celtic oppidum itself was founded around 180 BC and the total area of the fortified area exceeded 100 ha. The internal development of the Celtic 'town' included courtyard buildings as well as houses with a solid structure, workshops and storage areas. In the younger period, the fortification grew on the neighbouring Šance hill and was connected via the Břežany valley to the fortification at Hradiště. This fortification was probably modified and used during the Thirty Years' War. The total length of all fortified defensive lines exceeds 9 km. The whole area of the oppida was abandoned between 30 and 20 BC.


The Oppidum Envy nature trail is ideal for getting to know the hillfort, and introduces visitors to the fortifications, gates and acropolis.
Although the oppidum is located on a hill called Hradiště, it is still incorrectly called Závist - after the settlement on the banks of the Vltava River.

Map

Mapa
Location
Dolní Břežany
GPS: 49,96128252°N 14,40282959°E