Shvedskaya Gora Hillfort: Fortified Center of Ancient Volkovysk
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.8
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Belarus
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Unclassified
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Citadel
History
Shvedskaya Gora Hillfort lies on the southeastern edge of modern Volkovysk, Belarus. In ancient times, the hill was the site of Volkovysk’s detinets, the fortified central part of a medieval East Slavic town.
The hill is the highest among those surrounding the city and stands on a moraine ridge, a landform made of material deposited by a glacier. It rises in a truncated-cone shape, with steep grassy slopes and a bowl-shaped summit visible from anywhere in the city. From the base to the crest of the defensive rampart, its height ranges from 28 to 32.5 m.
The hill’s circular base has a circumference of about 350 m. Its almost circular summit platform measures 55 m from west to east and is enclosed by a 7 m-high defensive rampart, interrupted by an entrance on the south side. A legend that Swedish soldiers raised the hill over their commander’s grave during a war is erroneous.
