The first fortified settlement was built on the river terrace in modern Chotěbuz in prehistoric times: at the turn of the late Bronze Age and the older Iron Age. Once abandoned in the late La Téne period, it took some 1200 years before people returned to the site. These people were the Slavs, who arrived in this region, later called Těšín Silesia, in the early Middle Ages.

The Slavs chose well: the site was difficult to access, while it allowed them to exert control over the trade routes from the south-east and going north. They were both skilled merchants and good warriors, so they could make use of the still visible remnants of the previous fortifications, erecting their own settlement above that foundation. The site gained in prominence particularly when the region fell under the strong influence of Great Moravia.

It underwent several cycles of development and decline, and ultimately was abandoned. This happened in the early 11th century: in short, people moved a few kilometres to the east, to Těšín. The considerably more favourable position of the castle in Těšín, built on a rock promontory above the river Olše, and the rise of the town below, were the ultimate reason why any form of settlement in Chotěbuz was ultimately discontinued.

By Petr Zajíček

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