Slavic fortress in Germany, now in Czech ownership

The historic region of Lusatia, part of Germany and Poland, has been a country with Slavic-speaking residents for centuries. Sorbian, a Slavic language, can still be heard today in Cottbus in Brandenburg and Bautzen in Saxony – or, as they are called in Sorbian, Chóśebuz and Budyšin.

In order to give us an insight into the early Slavic history of Lusatia today, an impressive replica of an early medieval fortress was built outside the town of Vetschau, about halfway between Berlin and Dresden. The replica was built on the exact site of a real fortress, the remains of which were threatened by coal mining in the 1980s and were excavated between 1984 and 1990. After the removal of finds at the site, including weapons, jewelry and pottery, the replica Slavic fortress of Raddush began to grow again in 1999 and was opened to the public in 2003.

Today the fortress is an important tourist spot and educational center in the region. It welcomes many day visitors and school trips and offers them a museum with real artefacts and a café. However, operating the extensive site had become a burden for the community of Vetschau. With only eight thousand residents, Vetschau had been looking for someone to take on the project for five years.

There is David Chmelík, who emigrated to the West from Czechoslovakia in the 1980s and was brought to the fortress by members of a local Sorbian community. He spoke to Czech Radio about his first visit:

“They brought me here nine months ago and said, ‘We want to show you this amazing thing: This is a Slavic castle.’ We came here on a Sunday. I saw these ten hectares and then this castle, which is circular. It is something completely different from Karlštejn. It’s huge, it’s very historic. So I said, “Guys, we have to do something here.” I think that’s what they wanted. They lured me here because they know me.”

Mr. Chmelík has big plans for the location. In addition to the fortress, a replica of a medieval Slavic village and enclosures for animals are to be built near the castle. The site’s new administrators also want to organize cultural events and work with local businesses. Mr. Chmelík knows the region’s other historical connections to Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia and wants to make the fortress a “meeting point for all Slavs in Europe.”

“You really feel that it is different here than in West Germany. The people here are much more open, there is a certain Slavic simplicity. People look forward to the arrival of someone who likes them and feels somehow connected to the country.”