Slawenburg Raddusch

Reconstructed Slavic ring fort from the 9th/10th century near Vetschau in the Spreewald; closed until further notice since February 2026.

Temporarily closed

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Temporarily closed. Closed until further notice since February 2026, following the termination of the operating contract and the insolvency of Slawenburg gGmbH; the exhibition has been dismantled. No reopening date is known.

About the museum

Around 880, members of the Slavic Lusizi tribe built a circular fortification near present-day Raddusch. Its rampart consisted of oak trunks stacked crosswise, with the gaps filled with earth and sand. Around 930 the rampart was considerably widened, shrinking the interior; a ditch in front added further protection. Fortifications like this offered the surrounding population refuge in turbulent times.

Because the Seese-Ost open-pit lignite mine claimed the site, the fort was fully excavated by archaeologists between 1984 and 1990 and then dug away. The excavators also came across much older traces of settlement from the Bronze Age and the Migration Period, as well as a wooden figure of a deity from the 10th century.

Between 1999 and 2003 a replica was built nearby; its exterior follows the excavation findings, while its interior conceals a modern building with exhibition spaces and a restaurant. The permanent exhibition "Archäologie in der Niederlausitz" (Archaeology in Lower Lusatia) displayed finds from numerous excavations in the region, spanning the Stone Age to the Slavic Middle Ages.

The site was initially run by the Regionale Entwicklungsgesellschaft Vetschau, and from August 2024 by a nonprofit company of the Brussels-based foundation Slavonic Europe. After the town of Vetschau terminated the use agreement at the end of 2025 and the operator went insolvent, the fort was closed in February 2026; the exhibits were returned to the lenders. Whether and when the site will reopen is uncertain.