600-year-old wooden road unearthed near historic landmark in Czechia. Take a look
The Green Gate in downtown Pardubice, Czechia, isn’t green and isn’t a gate. Rather, the misnomer refers to a historic brown stone tower and its cream-colored street-level tunnel. For years, passersbys going through the structure unknowingly walked over some medieval ruins — but not anymore.
Archaeologists excavated the cobblestone street that runs through the Green Gate as part of a project to repair the site, the Regional Office of Pardubic said in a March 4 news release.
About 5 feet below the modern-day road, the team unearthed a layer of carefully arranged sticks. Archaeologists identified it as a unique section of a 600-year-old street.
Photos shared by the city on Facebook show the wooden road, which looks like a muddy woodpile.
During medieval times, people used logs, branches and other sticks to stabilize muddy terrain and form the foundation of roads, officials said. Such organic materials are generally rare finds for archaeologists unless preserved in a wet environment.
The medieval wooden street near the Green Gate may have been part of a larger road, but only a small section survived, archaeologists said.
The 600-year-old road is one of the oldest finds in Pardubice, archaeologists said.
Officials described the find as significant for its age, material and what it can reveal about the city’s earliest history.
Much about Pardubice’s early history remains unknown, including the origin and age of the Green Gate, one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, according to the site’s tourism page.
Pardubice is a city in central Czechia and a roughly 75-mile drive east from Prague.
Google Translate was used to translate the news release and Facebook post from the Regional Office of Pardubic.
This story was originally published March 10, 2025 at 4:43 PM with the headline "600-year-old wooden road unearthed near historic landmark in Czechia. Take a look."
