Castellologica bohemica 20/2
Úvodní Strany (PDF)
Úvodní slovo (cz-en verze)
Milan Sýkora (PDF)
Studie
Pavel Drnovský: Vyhodnocení kolekce nálezů z hradu Pustohradu u Hořic v Podkrkonoší.
Příspěvek k problematice doby provozu sídla a jeho sídelním souvislostem
David Vích – Zdeněk Skalický – Jan Šmejdíř: Archeologický výzkum hradního paláce v Brandýse nad Orlicí
v letech 2017–2020
Martin Lacina: Památková obnova hradu Litice (okr. Ústí nad Orlicí) v letech 1920–1941
STUDIE
zpět na obsah
Pavel Drnovský: Vyhodnocení kolekce nálezů z hradu Pustohradu u Hořic v Podkrkonoší. Příspěvek k problematice doby provozu sídla a jeho sídelním souvislostem/Evaluation of an assemblage of finds from Pustohrad Castle near Hořicein the Podkrkonoší region. A paper on the issue of dating the operation of the residence and its settlement contexts
(celý článek v PDF)
Abstract: The study deals with an aristocratic residence located near the village of Lhota Svatogothardská near Hořice in the Podkrkonoší region. The original name of the castle is unknown and is referred to by its folk name – Pustohrad. In the past, undocumented excavations and a series of surface surveys were carried out on the site. The subject of the work is the evaluation of available archaeological finds. Ceramic finds make it possible to chronologically determine up to the course of the 14th century with possible overlaps into the previous and following century. Documented arrowheads correspond to this determination. The site can likely be associated with the numerous written references to members of the lower nobility, who used the name of the village Lhota as a part of their surnames.
Key words: High Middle Ages – fortification – castle – Eastern Bohemia – pottery – militaria
Resumé: The site is located in the forest in the cadastral area of the village of Doubrava (Figs. 1, 2). The settlement was founded on the left bank of the Bystřice River. The castle core is delineated by a ditch that surrounds its whole perimeter. The outer edge of the ditch was followed by a wall around its entire perimeter. The ditch and wall form an oval plan (Fig. 3). The assemblage of finds is made up of assemblages housed in the Museum of East Bohemia in Hradec Králové and in the Municipal Museum in Hořice in the Podkrkonoší region. These are finds for which we lack knowledge in terms of their stratigraphic relationships. They come both from surface surveys (collections from the Hradec Museum) and numerous excavations that took place within the site (finds from the Hořice Museum).
The ceramic finds allow for chronological determination to the course of the 14th century with possible overlaps into the previous and following century. Documented arrowheads are consistent with this determination (Figs. 11–13). The spectrum of finds does not deviate from those of other contemporaneous fortifications of a similar character. It was a small aristocratic residence constructed of quarry stone bonded with mortar to at least the extent of its perimeter and the projecting tower structure. Based on current knowledge, one can continue to agree with the conclusion of T. Durdík, who classified the residence as a castle with a chemise wall. The outer bailey can be assumed to have been in close relation to the castle core. A contemporaneous settlement followed into the valley where the built-up area of the village of Lhota (Svatogothardská) was located. Connection to this nearest settlement was likely provided by a road leading from the castle towards the location of a mill below it, where a crossing over the Bystřice River can also be assumed (Figs 8, 9, 14).
The site can probably be linked to the numerous written references to members of the lower nobility, who used the name of the village Lhota as a part of their surname. In 1318, Pešek of Lhota is mentioned as such. In 1365, the existence of a fortress in the village of Lhota is mentioned in the division of the estates of Jakuš of Hořice. Another indirect record of the existence of a settlement in Lhota comes from 1407, when it is used as a surname by an otherwise unknown Jan. On the basis of the chronological determination of the finds, the abandonment of the settlement could be dated to the beginning of the 15th century. Among the known historical events that took place in Hořice at the beginning of the 15th century, the war operations in the spring of 1423 should be mentioned. In the Battle of Hořice on Gotthard hill, Hussite troops commanded by Jan Žižka defeated the troops of Čeněk of Vartenberk. The two armies clashed near our site, which may have been damaged during the campaign. Alternatively, it may have been abandoned earlier, as the settlement, which was built on a small ground plan, may not have fully satisfied the demands of aristocratic residences at the time. The presence of burnt layers, which was registered by F. Pokorný and T. Durdík, proves that the site was at least partially damaged by fire.
zpět na obsah
David Vích – Zdeněk Skalický – Jan Šmejdíř: Archeologický výzkum hradního paláce v Brandýse nad Orlicí v letech 2017–2020/Archaeological research of the castle palace in Brandýs nad Orlicí in 2017–2020
(celý článek v PDF)
Abstract: In 2017–2020, rescue archaeological research continued on the deposits above thepreserved basement rooms of the western palace of the castle in Brandýs nad Orlicí. The excavation yielded evidence of the presence of tiled stoves, crown window glass, non-combustible roofing in the form of fragments of barrel tiles and ceramic square tiles that once covered the floors of the upper stories. The interiors of the rooms yielded a diverse variety of kitchen ceramics, metal objects and numerous fragments of hollow glassware.
Keywords: Brandýs nad Orlicí – High Middle Ages – castle – pottery – metal objects
Resumé: In 2013, extensive repairs to the castle over the town of Brandýs nad Orlicí (Fig. 1) were launched due to this cultural monument’s urgent state of disrepair. In 2017, reconstruction and thus archaeological research shifted to the area above the vaults of the preserved basement rooms, which were disturbed by collapsing vaults (Rooms 2 and 3; Fig. 2–3). Investigation of Room 2 (Figs. 4–8) was followed by investigation of Room 3 (Figs. 9, 11). On this occasion, some structural details were discovered (Figs. 12, 16 – pockets in the retention wall, Fig. 14 – niche in the retention wall, Fig. 15 – a secondarily walledup architectural element). Fragments of flat glass are evidence of the presence of windows in the form of crown window glass bonded with lead. Tiles (Fig. 21:1), which are preserved mostly in fragments, point to the way the floors were designed on the upper stories; fragments of barrel tiles (Fig. 21:2) show that at a certain time at least part of the castle was covered by non-combustible roofing. Small fragments (Fig. 21:3) also give us proof of architectural elements hewn from sandstone. In Room 3, the remains of a sunken tile stove have been preserved and are clearly visible in the cross-section (Fig. 9, layer 114). Nonetheless, everything remaining in the archaeological record are fragments that were of no use or were overlooked as the castle was gradually dismantled after its abandonment; anything that could have been used secondarily was removed.
Research in both rooms also yielded 750 pieces of pottery sherds (Figs. 17–20, 22), mostly representing common pottery but documented in multiple ceramic groups (pots, lids, bowls, jugs, cups), with the occasional occurrence of luxury or unusual ceramic wares (Fig. 22). In addition to coins tentatively dated to the course of the 15th century, we have evidence of other non-ferrous objects, such as a thimble (Fig. 23:5) and clothing ornaments (Fig. 23:1–3).
zpět na obsah
Martin Lacina: Památková obnova hradu Litice (okr. Ústí nad Orlicí) v letech 1920–1941 /Historic restoration of Litice Castle (District of Ústí nad Orlicí) from 1920 to 1941
(celý článek v PDF)
Abstract: The paper maps the development of efforts to save and secure the ruins of Litice Castle (District of Ústí nad Orlicí) from 1920 to 1941. Based on available archival sources, the efforts to secure the castle from the 1920s onward and the circumstances surrounding the partial conservation of the castle buildings in 1925 are presented here. Subsequently, the body of the paper is devoted to the extensive conservation and reconstruction works from 1935 to 1941, when the southern castle palace and the adjacent tower were roofed and made accessible and the other castle masonry was extensively conserved. In addition to monitoring the actual progress of the rescue work, attention is paid here to the circumstances that enabled or, on the contrary, prevented their implementation, and to the evaluation of the performed repairs.
Key words: Litice Castle (District of Ústí nad Orlicí) – aristocratic castles – monument restoration of castle ruins – 1920s – 1930s
Resumé: Efforts to restore the ruins of Litice Castle went through two different phases in the monitored period of the First Republic and the first years of the Protectorate. In the 1920s, the „Místní osvětová komise“ (Local Edification Commission) in Litice nad Orlicí played a central role in the efforts to take over and subsequently repair the castle. The activity of its representatives falls into the period of the first years after the announcement of the land reform, in which the first wave of transfers of castle ruins into the hands of civic associations took place. However, unlike other similar examples, the efforts of the „Místní osvětová komise“ did not lead to a successful end. This association, which had a narrow regional focus, sought to save the castle area here, but lacked broader support from potential sponsors of rescue work. In addition, all efforts from the onset were marred by a lack of interest on behalf of the management of the estate in selling the castle area. In this context, the partial conservation of the ruins, which was carried out by the estate in 1925, was only a solution to the state of emergency of the most endangered parts of the area.
The reconstruction and conservation works carried out from 1935 to 1941 were of fundamental importance for saving the castle. The background of the event was the cooperation of the estate administration, the district office in Žamberk, which took on the role of organizing the rescue work, and the State Monuments Office in Prague, which carried out the expert supervision of the repairs and developed the project for their 1st phase. From the point of view of the concept of rescue works, repairs were carried out at Litice Castle in the spirit of the then-common principles of analytical conservation of torsional architecture, as well as a more extensive reconstruction intervention, which fundamentally changed the appearance of the castle area. This was the result of the 1935 reconstruction of the southern palace and adjacent tower, which included roofing the palace building, supplementing it with missing beamed ceilings and floors, and establishing an observation deck at the top of the tower. In the following years, conservation interventions were carried out in three phases on the remains of the masonry of the northern palace, the gates and the fortification walls. In this period, Litice Castle acquired a form that has largely been preserved to the present day. However, the overall tone of the observed interventions, especially on the southern palace and the tower, is today considered questionable, especially in connection with the violation or devastation of a number of original architectural details and the debatable observation structure of the castle tower. The restoration of Litice castle from 1935 to 1941 must therefore be seen above all as evidence of the contemporary practice of historic restoration of castle ruins, with all the pros and cons that it entails.