In 1988, during the construction of an apartment building in Holíč, a small town in western Slovakia, a group of large stones of unknown origin was discovered at a depth of three metres. Initially considered natural, the largest (measuring 6.8 m) was found with a human skeleton beneath it and unusual engravings on its flat surface. Slovak ethnologist Rudolf Irša was invited to the site, conducting a preliminary investigation later published in Stones of Forgotten Times1. Despite this, construction continued and the stones were relocated multiple times. They now rest near the town castle, arranged artificially in the shape of a sundial (Fig. 1).
The stones are artificially arranged in the sundial, with only one stone erected. (Source: photo of the authors and lasegrammetry of stones made by authors: floorplan of the site and row of stones sorted by height).
In 2004, Charles Tanguy Le Roux (Conservateur général du Patrimoine honoraire), known for his work at the Morbihan megalithic site in Brittany, visited Holíč and produced a detailed report2. He classified the engravings into two main types: ‘conchoidal abductions’ (detached flakes from a core stone) used to shape the stones, and ‘décors’. The latter comprised three subtypes: large traces (around 5 cm wide, 0.5–1 cm deep, with flat bottoms), narrow V-profiled traces with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic motifs and nested hoops, and intermediate forms.
At the time of excavation, the stones were found lying horizontally. A simple site map published by Irša1 indicates that eight of the stones were aligned westward, in the direction of the Morava River. The largest stone was positioned perpendicularly to this alignment. Le Roux suggested that the layout may once have formed a circular structure. Archival photographs and residual earthworks support this possibility, showing traces of circular earthen mounds (Fig. 2).
The photos from the archive of Mr Rudolf Irsa from the excavation in 1988, a simple plan and stratigraphic profile of the site taken from his book 1, the photos of the tools found in the deep layers. A sandstone dagger and animal figure were found in the city of Holic.
The current authors revisited the site in 2022, accompanied by Mr Irša (Fig. 1). At that point, all but one engraving had been significantly weathered. Crucially, material that could have assisted in dating the site, such as two skulls and other human bones, had been lost.
Originally, the excavated site contained more than 40 megaliths and at least two human burials. The sculls and excavation is depicted on the photo from 1988 (Fig. 2). As noted by residents during the 2022 investigation, many of these stones were taken and reused for construction after the discovery. Only 21 stones remain today. The floorplan of current new position—sundial according the design and numbering of Mrs Irša is given along with measurements of the stones (Fig. 1). The original and new position of stones is shown on simple relief map of the city of Holic, the valley of Morava river and the level profile is shown on a simple section drawing (Fig. 3).
The site with finding was at the top of the sloped terrain in Holic. (source: authors).
Although megalithic structures are well documented across Western Europe, Slovakia is absent from most megalithic maps3,4,5. The Holíč stones are not officially designated as a megalithic site and are not protected in any legal and also physical form. When the authors contacted Slovak researchers for more information on the original 1988 find, the stones were dismissed as natural by the workers in the Slovak Academy of Science, despite assessments by Le Roux, Irša and one of the authors, a geologist, confirming human modification. This dismissal may reflect limited expertise in this field. Religious history may also be a factor: as a Catholic country, Slovakia inherited prohibitions against the veneration of ‘pagan stones’, with past Christian emperors ordering their destruction6. This Christian approach may cause a lack of interest in cultures that adore natural objects in Slovakia.
Neolithic rondels have been documented in Slovakia7, and sandstone artefacts resembling fusiform axes, known in French as haches fusiformes and associated with Neolithic contexts in France, were found within 100 m of the Holíč megaliths (Fig. 2)8. A clay animal figurine linked to the Lengyel culture was discovered in Holíč9, showing similarities to Neolithic figurines elsewhere10. However, no direct dating is possible. Human remains originally excavated with the stones were lost, with only photographs of skulls preserved1. While Le Roux confirmed the stones as human made2, their chronological placement remains uncertain. Comparisons with Neolithic engravings across Europe (Table 1) suggest potential cultural links, though it is plausible the carvings were made after the stones were erected.
In nearby regions, megalithic structures are rare or poorly understood. The Czech Republic has no confirmed examples, though it contains enigmatic sites such as the Petrified Shepherd menhir and the Kounice rows11. Poland has some references to lost or undocumented structures, such as a historical report from Krynica in the Sandecko area describing stone rows leading to a large circle with a central boulder12. Austria and Hungary lack substantial Neolithic megaliths, making the Holíč site particularly significant. The geographically closest prehistoric cultures include Lengyel (5000–4000 BCE), Bell Beaker (2800–1800 BCE), Unětice (2300–1600 BCE) and the TRB culture (4300–2800 BCE). While TRB sites are known for megaliths, they are generally located in Denmark, northern Germany and Atlantic Europe5.
Geographically relatively close, but culturally very far is the Pavlov site, dated to Upper Palaeolithic period, situated only 50 km from the city of Holic. The region itself has a much deeper history than the Neolithic one.
Astronomical alignment is another recurring feature of megalithic sites13,14,15. For instance, ‘the solar and lunar alignments of the Station Stone rectangle’ at Stonehenge highlight site-specific astronomical calibration16, p. 157. This has contributed to the development of archaeoastronomy as a distinct research field. The main gates or the entrances to Neolithic structures often point to the full moonrise, moonsets, or solstices and equinoxes of the sun. In this work, the consideration of astronomical orientation was studied as well. In Slovakia, some rondels from Lengyel culture dated to the Neolithic period (5000–4000 BCE) had their gates aligned with a full moon rise, so this event was visible through the opening in the wooden circular structure by the people living inside the circular settlement7.
Holíč’s name itself may hint at the site’s past significance. In 1331, King Karol Robert and Jan of Luxemburg referred to the area as Alba Ecclesia; Latin for white assembly, gathering, highlands, or church. Yet the first church in Holíč was not built until 139717,. The stones, now grey, were originally white-yellow-beige and situated prominently above the Morava River valley. This elevated visibility may have inspired the designation ‘white temple’.
Given its potential age, symbolic engravings and orientation, the Holíč site may represent a missing link in the study of Neolithic monumental culture in Central Europe.
This study contributes to ongoing debates about the origins and distribution of megalithic traditions by providing new empirical data from a region previously underrepresented in such analyses. Despite the loss of key contextual evidence, the engravings offer a rare window into prehistoric expression and symbolism. A comprehensive reconstruction and comparative analysis is therefore urgently needed. Our goal is to document, reconstruct and contextualise the Holíč engravings using a combination of lasergrammetry, archival photographs and comparative Neolithic analysis.
This article presents the reconstruction of three engraved stones from Holíč, using 3D lasergrammetry, archival photographs and large-scale hand drawings. We compare these engravings with other European Neolithic motifs to assess cultural parallels, investigate possible astronomical orientations and explore their potential symbolic significance.