The Slavs in Havelland

Between 568 and 800 AD various Slavic immigrant groups from the Bohemian region, the Polish Vistula Area and the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains migrated to the Havel country in at least four waves. The immigrant groups merged with the Germanic population resident here by the end of the 8th Century and formed the sturdy Stodoran tribe, called the Heveller by the Germans.
The rural culture was characterized by the use of the wooden hook plough and keeping of pigs, cattle, sheep and goats. The Heveller had developed special skills in horse breeding and forest beekeeping. Many tools and utensils of daily life were made of wood, but the Slavs also mastered metalworking, as a bronze horse found on the Cathedral Island demonstrates. The Heveller prayed to the three-headed Triglav as their most important god. The domination of the Slavs ended in 1150 with the death of Prince Pribislav. In 1157, after years of battle, Brandenburg finally came under German rule.