Hard – village life and rule in the Middle Ages
Historical sites
Description
Hard is the only medieval settlement in Austria that has been completely excavated. Accordingly, the finds tell of life in the Middle Ages in great detail.
The deserted site (an abandoned settlement) of Hard near Thaya was investigated from 1977 to 1999 by archaeological excavations led by Fritz Felgenhauer and his wife Sabine Felgenhauer-Schmiedt. One of the most important results of the excavation was that the medieval settlement of Hard was formed in two stages.
The older settlement
Hard was first mentioned in the Prima Fundacio, a list of toeholds from the end of the 13th century. The older Hard (Kleinhard) of the 12th and 13th centuries is a 24 x 8 m stone house consisting of a hall and a multi-storey tower. It was probably built by a retainer of the noble lord of Raabs. The hall was used by a blacksmith, among others. Pollen analyses have revealed forest clearings for agriculture and livestock farming.
The newer settlement
When the stone house was abandoned around 1240, a cul-de-sac village was built about 100 meters south of it. The ten houses faced each other in two rows on the gable end. At the southern end was a village square with a spring, adjoined by a manor house. The farmhouses were wooden buildings on dry stone foundations. They were two-roomed (residential storage buildings), three-part with a central entrance room or with an adjoining stable. They were heated and cooked on a ground-level hearth or a domed oven. According to finds, a (blacksmith's) forge worked in one of the houses.
The manor house with its own well was surrounded by a shallow moat and was built on three sides. The ground floor storeys were mainly used for economic purposes, the upper storeys for residential purposes. The inhabitants were socially situated between farmers and the lower nobility. This is also shown by the finds, which indicate an upscale style of living, writing and leisure activities. It is unclear whether the inhabitants were subject to the Babenbergs, Hirschbergs or the Counts of Plain-Hardegg. In the course of the 14th century, the village was abandoned by its inhabitants. Other neighboring villages were also abandoned, probably to create larger, more economically viable forest areas.
