Czerwień – a town between East and West

More than 600 items - jewelry, weapons, tools - discovered in Czermno (Lublin voivoideship), probable location of the main centre of old Red Ruthenia, can be seen beginning 5 April at the Palace of Bishop Erasmus Ciolek, a branch of the National Museum in Cracow.

The exhibition ‘Czerwień – a town between East and West’ presents a collection of historic objects from the period between the 10th and 14th centuries, discovered during excavations in Czermno, a village on the river Huczwa in the Tomaszowski district near the Ukrainian border.
The exhibition includes:

• silver and gold-plated jewellery ‒ rings, earrings, bangles, cuff and spiral bracelets, as well as kołty, impressive pendants attached by women to their headdresses;
• military paraphernalia ‒ various kinds of weapons and equipment of the early-medieval warrior as well as trade-related items;
• exhibits depicting daily life of that time, including home furnishing elements and craftsmen’s tools

The settlement in Czermnie has been of interest to researchers since the 19th century. Two years ago, archaeologists from the University in Lublin confirmed the existence of the foundations of a Romanesque church, which may indicate a major centre of medieval Red Ruthenia. The settlement complex discovered in Czermno and associated with the town is, according to archaeologists, most likely Czerwień, known from Russian sources.

The town of Czerwień was affected by the battle between the Piast Poles and the Rurikids, the Russian rulers of Kiev. Czerwień was then one of the largest centres in this part of Europe.

The exhibition was presented previously at the Regional Museum in Tomaszów Lubelski.

• Lectures accompanying the exhibition ‘Czerwień – a town between East and West’
• International panel discussion ‘Czerwień – a town between East and West’

Photo: Bransoleta, srebro, Ruś, XII – XIV w., Muzeum im. dr. J. Petera w Tomaszowie Lubelskim. Fot. po konserwacji K. Wasilczyk 2011