The Archeopark in Mikulčice will bring the vanished ramparts closer after restoration

Mikulčice (Hodonínsko) - The creators of the reconstruction project want to offer visitors a view of the abandoned Great Moravian fortification Valy in Mikulčice in Hodonín and its churches. They will use glass panels placed in the ground, into which these structures will be etched. Although only the stone foundations remain, the viewer will have the impression that they see them at their actual size. Petr Velička, co-creator of the winning project for the archaeological park's design and exhibition there, said this to ČTK today.
    The restoration of the complex is set to begin in 2010. Costs are not yet known and will be calculated later. The South Moravian Region will try to obtain funding for the project from European funds.
    The modernization of the site is the most important step for the Czech Republic to request UNESCO heritage status for the Great Moravian site of Mikulčice-Kopčany in 2013, along with Slovakia. This year, the countries withdrew this candidacy on the grounds that the complex is not yet ready for professional assessment as to whether it qualifies.
    This year, the region announced an architectural competition for a new form of the archaeological exhibition in Mikulčice. From seven submitted proposals, the jury selected a project that includes numerous innovations.
    In addition to the glass panels in the terrain, there is primarily a 30-meter-high observation tower. Its glass cladding will again feature etchings of the abandoned structures. "Visitors ascending should feel as if they are looking at the fortification. Only at the top will the current landscape unfold around them," the architect explained.
    The project also includes the construction of a new archaeological base. The original one burned down years ago due to a technical fault. The new L-shaped building will have a lockable courtyard, providing a space that archaeologists can use for their work or, after its opening, for public lectures.
    All current buildings will be covered with corten - a material resembling rusty iron. This will give the structures an air of antiquity and also remind visitors of the lost smithy's workshops of the Valy fortification.
    The fortification was one of the most significant centers of Great Moravia in the ninth and tenth centuries. According to archaeologists, the missionaries Cyril and Methodius likely worked there. The extensive complex continues to form the Moravian part of the fortification itself with the ruins of buildings and in nearby Slovak Kopčany, a Great Moravian church.