Places

Gostchorze was one of the largest and most important Slavic fortified settlements. Recent research has shown that Gostchorze was approximately 100 years ahead of the Krosno settlement in terms of technology. The first mention of the fort appears in “Thietmar’s Chronicle”, penned by Thietmar of Merseburg who travelled with Emperor Henry II’s army who in 1005 marched against Bolesław the Brave, who was the Duke of Poland at the time. Thietmar gave an account of the Krosno fort’s successful defence against the enemy in 1012 and 1015, which would confirm the archaeological findings from the early 1960s. The items uncovered then, including ceramic shards and a bronze buckle, indicated that the settlement existed some time between the years 800 and 1100 AD, i.e. during the reign of Mieszko I and Bolesław the Brave. Before the fort became an element of the defensive system of the Piast state, it had probably been inhabited by the Slavic tribe of Veleti. The fort was located on a tall slope overlooking the Oder river and the local polders. Although not much remains of Gostchorze, it has not been as weathered as the walls of the Krosno fort.