HRADEC KRÁLOVÉ REGION HRADECKO REGION. Archeopark of Prehistory in Všestary

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1 EN HRADEC KRÁLOVÉ REGION HRADECKO REGION Archeopark of Prehistory in Všestary

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3 Petr1888, CC BY-SA The village of Všestary lies close to Hradec Králové towards Jičín. The first written reference to Všestary dates back to the year The foundations of the village were laid beside the Melounka Stream on the trade route that joined Hradec Králové to Hořice and Jičín. However, the site was originally settled much further back in history. Archaeological finds in individual parts of Všestary provide evidence of settlements having been here during the Prehistoric, Stone and Bronze Ages. Nowadays, Všestary has more than 1,600 inhabitants and is divided into several parts Bříza, Lípa, Chlum, Rosnice, Rozběřice and Všestary. The main attractions include the Church of the Holy Trinity (kostel Nejsvětější Trojice) in Všestary, which was originally 1 The Gateway to Archeopark Všestary. 2 The Classicist Church of the Holy Trinity in Všestary. The church tower with battlements and stone helmet and late Gothic portal, which were preserved from the original church. The location of the tower is an interesting feature as it is not in the front, but from the side of the nave. The preserved altar of the Virgin Mary and memorials at the cemetery wall were built as a tribute to the fallen soldiers in the war of During the war the church served as an infirmary. 1

4 3 2 Žižka s table Site with direct views of the battlefield at Chlum and of the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše), the Orlické Mountains (Orlické hory) and the Iron Mountains (Železné hory). The Open Air Museum with reconstructed prehistoric dwellings. Petr1888, CC BY-SA 3.0 4

5 built during the 14 th century, the Church of the Transfiguration of Our Lord (kostel Proměnění Páně) in Chlum, also from the 14 th century, and Žižka s Table (Žižkův stůl) in Rosnice, a hillock around 2 km from Všestary, where according to legend General Jan Žižka of Trocnov ate lunch with his troops on one of his campaigns. Another of the monuments in the area is found in Chlum, a monument to a battle fought in However, perhaps the biggest attraction is the Prehistoric Archaeopark (Archeopark pravěku) in Všestary, run by the Centre of Experimental Archaeology of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Hradec Králové. This is a Prehistoric settlement that was created using Prehistoric methods and tools alone, as well as a newly-built The exhibition also includes eight meters long model of the prehistoric landscape, reconstruction of caves, tombs, dwellings and other buildings and also countless prehistoric objects and tools 5 3

6 You can also see parts of the giant mammoth tusks. Archeopark Všestary illustrates a better idea of ancient settlements through virtual reality, information panels and audiovisual examples Xmalm71, CC BY-SA 3.0

7 museum over four floors that is dominated by a model of the Prehistoric landscape. There is also an archaeology-themed cycle path from Hradec Králové to Smiřice that passes through Všestary, from which you can also join the River Elbe Trail (Labská stezka). The cycle path takes you through some important archaeological sites in the Hradec area, such as Svobodné Dvory, Chaloupky, Rosnice and Všestary, Rozběřice etc. The Archaeopark became considerably larger after 2010 and the new Prehistoric Archaeopark opened its doors to the public at the beginning of What exactly is an Archaeopark? It is a museum in the country in which prehistoric buildings have been erected according to period or subject-matter. An Archaeopark is also set into the history of The museum offers young and adult visitors to try with their own hands how to grind the crops in the prehistoric way, sharpen the axes, spin threads, weave the textiles or perhaps how to cultivate a field with wooden tools. 8 5

8 a specific landscape, in our case the Hradec area, by way of a nature trail or path. For our Archaeopark, this is the archaeology-themed cycle path from Hradec Králové to Smiřice. 6 Prehistoric Village began to emerge in Všestary in 1997 on the initiative of several employees of the Centre for Experimental Archaeology (CAE), who often took inspiration from abroad. They also cruised around the Mediterranean on wooden boat replicas to help them to form their ideas. Who is the Archaeopark for? The Archaeopark in Všestary is for adults and children, tourists and experts basically anyone who is interested in history or archaeology in any way whatsoever. The Archaeopark is also used a great deal as a centre of learning for the pupils of primary and secondary schools. What is there to see at the Archaeopark? The aim of the Archaeopark in Všestary is to familiarise visitors with the life of prehistoric people meaning you won t find any dinosaurs here. A museum, with original exhibits over four floors of space, was built to do just that. The ground floor is called the Underworld and is a view of prehistoric people. Here you will find a cave with paintings, an aquarium with archaeological finds, flint mines, a megalithic tomb, examples of burials from the area and treasures. The first floor is home to Life in the Prehistoric Age. Given the fact that none of us were actually around in Prehistoric times, not even archaeologists, this is not an easy thing to recreate. Here you will find an enormous model of the landscape

9 Recommended route Entrance Area Division Scheme Bronze Age settlements Burial ground Iron Age settlement Stone Age settlements and information panels about the lives of people in the Prehistoric Age. The second floor, known as The Heavens, is a model of the prehistoric landscape from a bird s eye perspective. This view from the heavens is now used by air-borne archaeology. The third floor, meanwhile, is home to a view of the Prehistoric Age in Bohemia and Moravia as a whole, with pictures by Libor Balák, replicas and copies of artefacts. There is also a screening room, an exhibition room and an education workshop that is mainly intended for children. 7

10 Complete exposures include replicas of artefacts from all periods of prehistory. There is also an outdoor part to the centre, with prehistoric-style buildings from the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. What is more, the Archaeopark comes alive every month with special events that allow you to learn about what people in the Prehistoric Age did at different times of the year and try these activities out for yourself. 8 8

11 Ground floor: Underground / Underworld First floor: Life in Prehistory Second floor: Heaven Other entities in the area with a similar focus: The Museum of Eduard Štorch, Karel Zeman and Matěj Kopecký, Ostroměř Medieval Open Air Museum, Uhřínov Prehistoric Exposition Prehistory through the eyes of Zdeněk Burian, the ZOO in Dvůr Králové nad Labem ARCHEOPARK OF PREHISTORY IN VŠESTARY 1st edition, 2015 To the preparation of articles contributed: Hradecká kulturní a vzdělávací společnost / and Krajský úřad Královéhradeckého kraje Pictures: Jaroslav Kocourek, Miroslav Podhrázský, archiv Archeoparku pravěku Všestary, Wikimedia Commons Maps, graphic design, layout: freytag & berndt Praha Print: HART PRESS, spol. s r.o. Královéhradecký kraj, 2015 freytag & berndt Praha Published in the framework of the project Support For Tourism Development In The Hradec Králové Region

12 This publication was created within the framework of the project Support for tourism development in Hradec Králové region, co-financed by the European Union from the European Fund for Regional Development VŠESTARY