Through the portal to the past with Arcona

Arcona Digital Lands will open, very soon, portals to the past, offering you the power to see the most exciting historical events with your own eyes. And, of course, such a time portal will appear on the island of Rügen, where many centuries ago the holy city of Arkona was located.

This holy city had a legend of three hundred invincible warriors — mighty knights on white horses, wearing bright red cloaks. Their squad swept across the Slavic lands, defending their gods. And wherever they appeared, horror was forever settled in the hearts of the survivors.

More than three and a half centuries the soldiers of Arkona protected the capital of ancient Baltic Slavic-ruyan. The amazing city, built on an impregnable rocky shore, housed many temples. But the main one was the sanctuary of Svyatovit, the many-sided god of war and victory. His giant idol of four heads with shaggy beards inspired a real thrill.

In his right hand, God held a horn made of all sorts of metals, which the high priest each year filled to the brim with wine in the hope of a rich harvest. Nearby there were symbols of the god of war: a bridle, a saddle, a battle shield and a huge sword, whose sheath and hilt, in addition to the excellent carved decor, were decorated with silver details.

The temple of Svyatovit was considered one of the largest religious structure in Europe. The sanctuary measured about 480 meters in length and 270 meters in width. Archaeological excavations have established that individual fragments of the complex were built in the 9th century, but dating of the greater part of the structure will remain a mystery forever.

An imperial palace could envy the luxurious decoration of the sanctuary. Here is how the Danish chronicler Saxo Grammatik described him: “In the middle of the city there was a square on which stood a temple of wood, graceful work … The exterior wall of the building stood out with neat carving … It had a single entrance. The very same temple enclosed two fences, of which the outer, connected with the walls, was covered with a red roof; the inner one, resting on four columns, had veils instead of walls.” The untold wealth of the Arkona was stored here.

In the 11th century, pilgrims from all over Europe were going to the sacred and powerful city. No other Slavic shrine was at that time so famous and revered. The Danish king Svein and many others sacrificed the four-headed idol Svyatovit with military prey — the third part of all the jewels, gold, silver and pearls mined in battle. The temple had extensive estates and fees, in its favor, were collected from Arkona’s merchants, traders and crafters.

For several centuries the island flourished, gaining more and more enemies. “Noble knights” have had to make several “crusades” to make the walls of the legendary Arkona fall. It happened in 1168. According to the legends, the Danish King Waldemar I sent 15,000 of his best soldiers to capture the city, and in that unequal battle 300 Arkona warriors perished, but none of Voldemar’s warriors returned home.

Of course, legends strongly embellish reality. The medieval European chronicler describes the story somewhat differently. Indeed, King Waldemar I organized a march on the Arkona in alliance with the Saxon duke Henry Leo. Thirty thousand troops landed on an island near the city. Towards them 2,500 combatants came out — the regular army of Arkona. According to some reports, almost all Slavic soldiers fell in the first battle, destroying more than a third of the army of Voldemar.

Only civilians and the guard of the Svyatovit temple remained in the city. The siege lasted more than a month, when one of the walls of a completely wooden fortress was set on fire by the Danes. The Danes broke into the city and besieged the sanctuary of Svyatovit. The battle for the temple lasted more than two weeks. Arkona was captured but Voldemar’s army lost more than a half of its warriors, which was clearly not enough to move deeper into the Slavic lands.

Today it is difficult to say what is true in this story. It remains a mystery where the incredible treasures of the temple have gone, and what has become of the famous four-faced idol. Some chroniclers insist that everyone who touched the sword and the cup of the deity fell dead, and therefore the sanctuary was betrayed to the fire.

But the memory of the ancient Arkona is still alive. Now tourists often come to the northern tip of the island of Rügen. They admire the view of the old lighthouse against the background of the harsh panorama of the Baltic Sea and imagine how, once upon a time, the somber Colossus Svyatovit towered above the local lands.