Station: [08] Diorama - Ringfort

This model shows how the people lived together in the castle grounds of Starigard 1000 years ago.

The location of the settlement was very important, since solid ground had developed here in marshland and moorland as result of the moraines of the Ice Age.

Construction of the left ring with its ring fort goes back to the 7th century. It had a diameter of 140 meters. It was extended in the 8th century and the fort was made into a figure 8, which can still be clearly seen today. The length grew to 240 meters, and the total inside area amounted to around 2 hectares.

In the foreground you can see workers mending the ring fort. Because the area has a large number of forests, large wooden boxes were made which were then filled with sand and clay. The finished fort had an impressive height of 18 meters. Outwards towards the open landscape, a steep wall was banked up, which was overgrown with grass. People built there houses inside the ring fort from wood, close together. At this time 800 to 1000 people lived here. Gardens and fields were outside the fort.

On the right of the ring fort you can see some larger houses typified by their construction with columns or posts. This is where the princes of the Wagric Slavs lived.