Underground Treasures
Hradek Nature Monument in Banov
Marriage of geology and history
This abandoned quarry turned nature monument can be found on a hill above the cemetery right in the centre of the Banov village. It is known under several different names: Kalvarie (=Calvary), Hrad/Hradek (=castle/small castle), and Skala (=rock). It is a site which is interesting not only from a geological, but also historical point of view.
Almost a thousand years ago, a castle was built here instead of the original Great Moravian Empire fortification. Yet archeological excavations suggest that the first settlement here dates back to the Late Bronze Age, one thousand years earlier. Although the last visible traces of the Banov castle were wiped out by the operation of the quarry, some of the invisible ones may still be buried under the old E50 road below the hill. The probable location of the castle is now marked by three wooden crosses.
The Hradek quarry was opened in the 1930s and the mined building stone was used for example in the town of Trencin (Slovakia), some 40km further east. The quarry is no longer in operation but you will find some typical White Carpathian flysch layers with veins of andesite or grey coloured porcellanite here.
Contact
Vzdělávací a informační středisko Bílé Karpaty, o.p.s.
Marie Petrů
Bartolomějské náměstí 47, 698 01 Veselí nad Moravou
Tel.:518 322 545
e-mail:visbk@bilekarpaty.cz
http://bilekarpaty.cz/vis
