Biskupin Polish Pompeii

Biskupin is the best known archaeological reserve in Central Europe. The discovery in 1933 of a 2700-year-old fortified settlement on the peninsula of Lake Biskupinskie was one of the most important events in 20th century Polish archaeology. Excavations were carried out here until the outbreak of World War II. The scale of these excavations and the new scientific methods were famous the world over. After the war work was resumed in 1946 and continued until 1974 when it was decides to leave the reamining wooden structures under water and to concentrate on preserving the prehistoric wood which had already been exposed and was in dire need of conservation. 

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In the years preceeding the celebrations of the Millennium (one thousand years of the Polish statehood), in the 1950s and 1960s Biskupin became an educational centre for young archaeologists. Students of universities departments from all over Poland became to the Archaeological Training Camps not only to take part in excavations but also to recreate ancient technologies used in the crafts and farming. The experimantal archaeology is still an important concern at Biskupin today.