Rare gold-decorated shoe among artefacts from 12th-century Třebíč excavation
Archaeologists are concluding a major investigation into the 12th-century origins of Třebíč, a Moravian town about 60 kilometres west of Brno. Their work has already earned the prestigious Patrimonium pro futuro award, presented by the National Heritage Institute.
The survey on Karlovo and Martinského squares in the historic centre of Třebíč has taken several years and is now entering its final stage. As excavation concludes, specialists are focusing on carefully sorting, documenting, and archiving the many artefacts recovered.
Among the finds are dark ceramic fragments decorated with carved patterns, which help researchers understand everyday life in the settlement. Archaeologist and head of research Aleš Hoch explains:
“This is typical pottery from the beginning of the 13th century. It was ‘modern’ for only about thirty or forty years. It came and then quickly went out of fashion again. So it helps us date the layers very well - based on such an ordinary shard.”
The team also uncovered unusual items pointing to the presence of an early elite. According to Hoch, sites showing such signs of nobility are rare on the territory of today’s Czechia. One standout find is the upper part of a shoe decorated with pure gold motifs:
“This is really unique. It’s the upper part of a shoe decorated with motifs made of pure gold. We know only a few pieces from Wrocław in Poland; otherwise they’re not well known in Europe. But if you look at period books and illuminations, such ornate footwear was worn only by the elite.”
Similar finds help historians understand who might have lived in the settlement at the time. Until the 1220s, Třebíč likely belonged to Znojmo, so the site may have housed someone responsible for managing the area.
Archaeologists also uncovered structural remains beneath one of the squares, including several early medieval wooden buildings. These included a bakery, a blacksmith’s workshop, a timber-processing area, a millet-drying facility, and probably a stable — all showing that the settlement was well-organised and economically active.
While many artefacts have already joined the permanent exhibition of the Třebíč Museum, the gilded shoe fragment remains in specialised storage. Other finds, including the remains of executed individuals, are still undergoing scientific analysis.
As part of this research, regional archaeologist Milan Vokáč is tracing the origins of materials used in the settlement:
“To find out, for example, where they obtained the graphite. Also where they got the clay for producing clay mortars and wall coatings for wooden houses, or clay floors. And where they obtained stone as the basic building material for those houses.”
It will take several more months to catalogue all the finds, bringing this three-year project to a close and shedding new light on life in medieval Třebíč.
