Notes on the Circumstances of the Creation of the Oldest Castles of Cieszyn Silesia in Tribal Times

Among the numerous historical monuments of Cieszyn Silesia, more attention should be paid to the local fortified towns located just a few kilometers from Cieszyn –Kocobędz/Chotěbuz (Podobora), and Międzyświeć near Skoczów. Archaeological research leaves no doubt that their beginnings date back to the turn of the eighth and ninth centuries. This also applies to the oldest Slavic settlement in the area, the Castle Hill (Góra Zamkowa) in Cieszyn. This historical confluence means that there must have been a common cause that made our ancestors undertake such an initiative. The reason for this was the need to protect themselves against the Avars, who until then had held control over the people living in the areas located north of the Danube, and therefore also over the inhabitants of Cieszyn Silesia. The rebellion raised by Slavs at the turn of the eighth and ninth centuries was successful mostly because they were able to defend themselves thanks to their aforementioned fortresses. Please note that both the stronghold in Kocobędz/Chotěbuz (Podobora) and Międzyświeć were erected at the same time as the first settlements of the forming Moravian state. Also worth noting is the fact that the technology behind the construction of those castles was different to that used by castle builders in the Duchy of Nitra. On the basis of this observation, we can say that the construction patterns were derived directly from the Avars, whose construction of defensive fortifications was very diverse and always adapted to geographical conditions. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that the time when the Slavic population settles in Cieszyn’s Castle Hill coincides with the epoch for which the inhabitants of this city date its legendary beginnings