Salle
Gate and defences
The wooden gate and palisade mark the defended boundary of the settlement.
Langue du contenu
The stronghold’s defences combined a timber-and-earth rampart with a palisade, a fence made from wooden stakes. The defensive boundary also benefited from the height of the hill and the nearby Wierzyca. The gate tower was built into the rampart circuit. It is one of the elements recreated for the stronghold opened in 2012. At the entrance, the passage into the settlement and a tower forming part of its defences can therefore be seen together.
The original palisade was about twice as high as the present one. Today’s structure indicates the defensive boundary without reproducing its full historical height. The stronghold also sheltered people living outside its defences. Poorer farmers and craftspeople lived in the outer settlement and sought refuge inside when danger threatened. Passing through the gate then meant leaving the outer settlement and entering the defended enclosure shared by residents and neighbours seeking protection.
Individual visitors can explore the interiors of the houses open to visitors, as well as the observation tower and gate tower, on their own.
Pour les enfants
A palisade is a fence made from wooden stakes. In medieval Owidz, it stood beside a rampart built from timber and earth. It was about twice as high as the palisade recreated for visitors today. The hill and the nearby river also helped defend the settlement.
A gate tower stood in the rampart circuit. People passed through its gate to enter the stronghold. Not everyone in the area lived inside the defences. Poorer farmers and craftspeople had homes outside. When danger came, they could seek refuge within the stronghold. The reconstruction helps us see that boundary.
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