And even after 55 years of research, there is still much to discover in Mikulčice

Mikulčice (Hodonín District) - The Great Moravian settlement of Valy near Mikulčice in Hodonín District remains an area of interest from a research perspective even 55 years after the commencement of archaeological research. Valuable finds have confirmed that it was one of the main centers of the Great Moravian Empire. Nevertheless, answers to some key questions are still lacking. Lumír Poláček, the head of the Mikulčice research facility of the Archeological Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, stated this to ČTK.
    When the leadership of the institute decided on August 16, 1954, to begin work in Mikulčice, no one had any idea that an agglomeration with ten churches, unprecedented in Great Moravia, would be discovered. Although there is a lack of written and tangible evidence, experts are in no doubt that Valy was the site of the missionaries Cyril and Methodius. This testifies to the uniqueness of this place in the floodplain landscape of the Morava River.
    "We continue to ask ourselves what status Valy had in the empire, whether it could have been the main seat of the princes. Although the largest structures from the settlement have already been uncovered, there is still much to discover," Poláček stated. Research is complicated by the fact that historical written sources about the settlement are lacking. Its understanding thus depends solely on archaeologists.
    Valuable objects, including jewelry, have already been uncovered from hundreds of Mikulčice graves. Further finds may come from research associated with the planned modernization of the archeopark. This will include building the foundations of the churches up to a height of one meter and constructing walkways.
    Before work begins, a rescue excavation will take place in these locations. Last year's discovery of a child’s grave near the second Mikulčice church proves that it pays off to investigate places that have already been examined. Two gold clothing fasteners, which are also jewelry from the Great Moravian Slavs, were found in it. The grave was located in an area where no finds were expected.
    Valy has been a cultural monument since 1962. This year, the inscription of the archeopark, which comprises Mikulčice and the Slovak village of Kopčany, where the Great Moravian church is located, was to be discussed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. At the last moment, the Czech Republic and Slovakia withdrew the proposal for inscription. They justified this step by stating that the site is not yet fully prepared for assessment to determine whether it belongs among the unique places. The planned modernization of exhibition pavilions and surrounding areas, which will cost tens of millions of crowns, should help achieve this.