The Protection of the Archaeological Heritage of Požega and the Požega Valley

Zaštita arheološke baštine Požege i Požeške kotline započela je već 1924. godine zaslugom Julija Kempfa, osnivača Gradskog muzeja Požega, koji je istraživao i prikupljao arheološko blago. Najstarije nalaze iz požeškoga kraja donio je 1898. godine u Narodni zemaljski muzej u Zagrebu (danas Arheološki muzej u Zagrebu) kutjevački vlastelin Milan Turković, koji je do 1902. u nekoliko navrata donosio prapovijesne i antičke nalaze iz Treštanovaca, Ciglenika, Draganluga, Mitrovca i svojeg vinograda u Kutjevu. Dolaskom prvog arheologa – Dubravke Sokač Štimac – 1968. godine u Muzej Požeške kotline u Požegi (sada Gradski muzej Požega) započinje sustavno prikupljanje arheološke građe terenskim pregledima i arheološkim istraživanjima. Zahvaljujući suradnji s arheologom Regionalnog zavoda za zaštitu spomenika kulture u Osijeku (Kornelijom Minichreiter), evidentirano je oko 200 arheoloških lokaliteta iz prapovijesti, antike i srednjega vijeka, među kojima je 14 značajnijih upisano u Registar kao zaštićeno kulturno dobro. U vremenu 1972. – 1980. godine Muzej Požeške kotline u Požegi u suradnji s Regionalnim zavodom za zaštitu spomenika kulture iz Osijeka obavio je u više navrata arheološka istraživanja antičkog naselja i nekropole na zemljištu Treštanovačka gradina kod sela Tekića. U selu Vlatkovac, oko 25 km istočno od Požege, tijekom 1987. godine otkriveni su na nekoliko lokacija i spašeni od uništenja grobovi brončanodobne nekropole grupe Barice-Gređani. U sjevernom dijelu Požege, u Ulici Pavla Radića 41, Gradski muzej Požega (Dubravka Sokač Štimac) u suradnji s Institutom za arheologiju iz Zagreba (Kornelijom Minichreiter) obavio je 1994. godine manja zaštitna arheološka istraživanja u kojima su otkriveni ostaci višeslojnog prapovijesnog naselja koji pripadaju vremenu neolitika – starčevačkoj, a zatim i sopotskoj kulturi te brončanom dobu. Tijekom 2004., 2006., 2009. i 2010. godine arheolozi s Instituta za arheologiju iz Zagreba (Kornelija Minichreiter i Zorko Marković) i Gradskog muzeja Požega (Dubravka Sokač Štimac) evidentirali su u terenskim pregledima brojne arheološke lokalitete na trasama planiranih brzih cesta radi njihove zaštite. Na trasi brze ceste od Brestovca preko Požege do Pleternice i od Velike do Požege u duljini od 39 km evidentirano je 13 arheoloških lokaliteta, na trasi obilaznice Pleternice u duljini od 8 km evidentiran je jedan arheološki lokalitet, na trasi brze ceste Našice – Pleternica – Lužani u duljini od 62 km u požeškom kraju evidentirano je 7 arheoloških lokaliteta, a na trasi brze ceste od Brestovca do Starog Petrova Sela u duljini od 16 km evidentirana su 3 lokaliteta koja pripadaju Požeško-slavonskoj županiji. Zadani terenski pregledi bili su prvi dio pripremnih radova za izgradnju brzih i veznih cesta te obilaznica većih naselja u požeškome kraju. Zatim je uslijedila registracija – preventivna zaštita lokaliteta u Konzervatorskom odjelu u Požegi. U konzervatorskoj studiji izrađenoj za svaku trasu brze ceste propisan je sustav mjera zaštite, što je uključivalo obvezu da se na svakom arheološkom lokalitetu prije izgradnje ceste obave zaštitna arheološka iskopavanja kako bi se spasili od nepovratnog uništenja materijalni ostaci iz svih povijesnih razdoblja.The protection of the archaeological heritage of Požega and the Požega Valley commenced in 1924 thanks to Julije Kempf, founder of the Požega City Museum, who explored and collected the archaeological treasure. In 1898, Milan Turković, a nobleman from Kutjevo, brought to the National Land Museum in Zagreb (today the Archaeological Museum in Zagreb) the oldest finds from the Požega region. By 1902, he brought, on several occasions, prehistoric and Roman finds from Treštanovci, Ciglenika, Draganlug, Mitrovica and his vineyard in Kutjevo. With the arrival of the first archaeologist, Dubravka Sokač Štimac, in 1968 to the Museum of the Požega Valley (now Požega City Museum), systematic collecting of archaeological finds by field surveys and archaeological excavations began. In cooperation with the archaeologist of the Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments in Osijek (Kornelija Minichreiter), around 200 archaeological sites from the prehistoric period, the Antiquity and the Middle Ages were documented, among which 14 were added to the Register of Protected Cultural Heritage as highly important. In the period between 1972 and 1980, the Museum of the Požega Valley, in cooperation with the Osijek Regional Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments, conducted on several occasions the archaeological research of the Roman settlement and the necropolis on the land of the Treštanovci fortress near the village of Tekić. During 1987, the graves of the Bronze Age necropolis of the Barice–Gređani group were discovered and saved from destruction in the village of Vlatkovac, situated about 25 km to the east of Požega. In the northern part of Požega, in 41 Pavle Radić Street, the Požega City Museum (Dubravka Sokač Štimac), in cooperation with the Institute for Archaeological Research from Zagreb (Kornelija Minichreiter), performed small protective archaeological excavations in 1994, revealing the remains of a multi-layered prehistoric settlement belonging to the Neolithic Starčevo and Sopot cultures, and to the Bronze Age. During field surveys conducted in 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2010, archaeologists from the Zagreb Institute for Archaeological Research (Kornelija Minichreiter and Zorko Marković) and the Požega City Museum (Dubravka Sokač Štimac) recorded numerous archaeological sites on tracks of planned express roads for the purpose of their protection. On the route of the express road from Brestovac via Požega to Pleternica, and from Velika to Požega in the length of 39 km, thirteen archaeological sites were recorded. One archaeological site was recorded on the track of the 8 km long Pleternica bypass road. On the route of the express road Našice–Pleternica–Lužani in the length of 62 km in the Požega region, seven archaeological sites were recorded, while on the route of the express road from Brestovac to Staro Petrovo Selo in the length of 16 km, three sites belonging to the Požega-Slavonia County were recorded. Assigned field surveys formed the first part of preparatory works for the construction of express and binding roads, as well as bypasses of larger settlements in the Požega region. Subsequently, the registration followed – preventive protection of the sites at the Conservation Department in Požega. In the Conservation Study made for each express road route, a system of protection measures was enacted, including archaeological excavations on each archaeological site prior to the construction of the road, in order to save material remains from all historical periods from irretrievable destruction