Ducové
Encyclopedia
Ducové is a municipality
(village) situated in western Slovakia
, near the spa town of Piešťany
. It was part of the municipality Moravany nad Váhom
from 1976 to 1992. The village lies under the Váh Inovec
.
Ducové has area of 2.63 km² and population of 357 (as of 2004).
n castle has been unearthed. The castle, including a small palace, a Christian rotunda
church, and a graveyard of local nobles, served as the administrative center of the Váh
river valley (the Trenčín county
) during the 9th century and the first half of the 10th century. It was founded after the nearby Nitrian
castle in Pobedim
was destroyed during unification of Great Moravia by Mojmír I
. Ducové castle was destroyed itself by Magyar invaders around 955
. Some parts of the castle (such as its palisade
s) have been reconstructed by archaeologists. Excavations of older settlements from the Stone Age
, Bronze Age
and the Roman era indicate that Ducové benefited from its location on the Amber Road
well before the Great Moravian era.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
(village) situated in western Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, near the spa town of Piešťany
Pieštany
Piešťany is a town in Slovakia. It is located in the western part of the country within the Trnava Region and is the seat of its own district. It is the biggest and best known spa town in Slovakia and has around 30,000 inhabitants.-History:...
. It was part of the municipality Moravany nad Váhom
Moravany nad Váhom
Moravany nad Váhom is a village and municipality in Piešťany District in the Trnava Region of western Slovakia.- History :In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1348....
from 1976 to 1992. The village lies under the Váh Inovec
Považský Inovec
Považský Inovec is a mountain range in western Slovakia, named after the Váh river. It is 48 km long and 15-25 km wide mountain range...
.
Ducové has area of 2.63 km² and population of 357 (as of 2004).
Great Moravian castle
Ducové is famous for an archaeological site on the Kostolec hill, where an important Great MoraviaGreat Moravia
Great Moravia was a Slavic state that existed in Central Europe and lasted for nearly seventy years in the 9th century whose creators were the ancestors of the Czechs and Slovaks. It was a vassal state of the Germanic Frankish kingdom and paid an annual tribute to it. There is some controversy as...
n castle has been unearthed. The castle, including a small palace, a Christian rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
church, and a graveyard of local nobles, served as the administrative center of the Váh
Váh
The Váh is the longest river in entire Slovakia. A left tributary of the Danube river, the Váh is 406 km long, including its Čierny Váh branch...
river valley (the Trenčín county
Trencín county
Trencsén county is the name of a historic administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary...
) during the 9th century and the first half of the 10th century. It was founded after the nearby Nitrian
Principality of Nitra
The Principality of Nitra also Nitrian Principality or Slovak Principality is the name for a polity of Nitra Sloviens, centered on large agglomeration, a multi-tribal centre around Nitra, Slovakia. The initially independent Principality of Nitra came into existence in the early 9th century...
castle in Pobedim
Pobedim
Pobedim is a village and municipality in Nové Mesto nad Váhom District in the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia.-Geography:The municipality lies at an altitude of 169 metres and covers an area of 8.609km². It has a population of about 1,218 people....
was destroyed during unification of Great Moravia by Mojmír I
Mojmír I
Mojmir I or Moimir I was the first known ruler of the Moravian Slavs . In modern scholarship, the creation of the early medieval state known as "Great" Moravia is attributed either to his or to his successors' expansionist policy...
. Ducové castle was destroyed itself by Magyar invaders around 955
955
Year 955 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* August 10 – Battle of Lechfeld: Otto I the Great defeats the Magyars, halting their westward expansion and ending the threat to Germany.* Eadwig becomes King of England.- Religion :* December 16 – Pope...
. Some parts of the castle (such as its palisade
Palisade
A palisade is a steel or wooden fence or wall of variable height, usually used as a defensive structure.- Typical construction :Typical construction consisted of small or mid sized tree trunks aligned vertically, with no spacing in between. The trunks were sharpened or pointed at the top, and were...
s) have been reconstructed by archaeologists. Excavations of older settlements from the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
, Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and the Roman era indicate that Ducové benefited from its location on the Amber Road
Amber Road
The Amber Road was an ancient trade route for the transfer of amber. As one of the waterways and ancient highways, for centuries the road led from Europe to Asia and back, and from northern Africa to the Baltic Sea....
well before the Great Moravian era.