Kalisz we wczesnym średniowieczu

This publication presents the process of formation of the settlement centre in Kalisz during the early Middle Ages. The upper limit has been established at the location of the town circa 1257. This process was associated with the relocation of the settlement centre and the transformation of the earlier network of settlements connected to the stronghold. The presented reconstruction of settlement processes was developed based on the analysis of written sources as well as materials obtained during extensive, long-term archaeological research conducted in the area of the stronghold and connected settlements. During the Middle Ages, Kalisz emerged as one of the more significant strongholds within the realm of the Piast dynasty. The centre of the settlement was a stronghold, the remnants of which are located in the Kalisz-Zawodzie District. Between the 9th and 10th centuries, a cult centre operated on one of the hills in the Prosna valley. Throughout the 9th century, it was surrounded by a rampart and was likely utilised by the local population as a refuge in the times of danger. This stronghold was dismantled in the 10th century, and a larger structure was constructed in its place. These activities were probably linked to the expansion of the early Piast state towards Silesia and Lesser Poland. The significance of Kalisz was largely due to its location at the intersection of trade routes leading from the south to the north and from the west to the east. The network of habitats existing in the valley surrounding the pre-Piast stronghold expanded so that by the 11th century several settlements were functioning in the proximity to the stronghold. The most important among these were the suburban settlement later known as Zawodzie, as well as a large artisan and trading settlement, which would later become known as the Old Town. Between the 11th and 13th centuries the stronghold underwent multiple reconstructions, during which several impressive buildings were erected. These were primarily structures of a sacred nature, including one of the oldest identified churches in Poland, namely a wooden church dated to the 10th/11th century.