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A Renaissance castle - Zabytek.pl

A Renaissance castle


castle Siedlisko

Address
Siedlisko, Pl. Zamkowy 9

Location
woj. lubuskie, pow. nowosolski, gm. Siedlisko

In the years 1597-1618 a new, brick castle following the principles of the Renaissance style was erected in place of an earlier castle at the initiative of Georg von Schönaich.

The residence in Siedlisko, including a castle, a chapel, a gatehouse, fortifications and a landscape park, is located on a high escarpment on the Odra river, in the south-western part of the village. Despite the fact that the castle is in partial disrepair, it still remains one of the most beautiful residences in the region.

History of the site

The construction of the castle complex began in 1597, according to the concept of Georg von Schönaich, owner of Siedlisko. The residence was erected in place of a fortified castle belonging to the wealthy Rechenberg family. Relics of the earlier feature are still visible on the walls of the south wing of the current castle. The new residence was built in stages, from 1597 to 1618. Architect Melchior Deckhardt from Legnica was entrusted with preparing a design. In the first stage, until 1602, the south wing with a column room was built. Another stage lasted between 1602 and 1618 and covered the construction of the east wing together with a chapel. In the years 1610-1614 a gatehouse was built and the entire castle complex was circumscribed by a bastion-type system of fortifications. The course of the Thirty Years’ War forced subsequent owners to carry out renovation works in the castle. Hans Carl Schönaich, heir to the Siedlisko estate, undertook the works in 1710. He commissioned the extension of the residence by new wings, closing the courtyard at the west and north ends. The design plans were prepared by Jacob Wagner from Wschowa and Stefano Spinetti from Żagań. Renovations also covered the Renaissance interiors of the feature. Presumably, a castle park was also established in that period. In 1767 a new bridge was built in front of the gatehouse.            The redevelopments of the castle were continued in the 19th century. In the years 1865-1875, owing to a designer Carl Lüdecke, the oldest, south wing was altered and obtained Renaissance Revival properties. A passage (destroyed in the fire in 1945) was located on the axis of the north wing. It led to the utility yard, where from the mid- 19th century stables and other utility buildings were situated. The feature belonged to the Schönaich family nearly until the end of World War II. In January 1945, after liberating Siedlisko, the Russian troops temporarily adapted the castle to serve as a military hospital. Three months later the hospital was closed and the building was first plundered and then set on fire. The fire destroyed significant parts of the building along with the oldest, south wing and its representational column room as well as north and west wings. Only the gatehouse and a fragment of the east wing with a chapel survived the fire. In the years 1966-1971 rubble was removed from the building and the west wing and the gatehouse were renovated. The “Makusyny” scouts played an important role in saving this building, as they chose it as their seat. Subsequent conservation works in the part of the castle that was spared the damage by the fire were carried out in the years 1986-1989. For some time, the renovated rooms hosted the commune cultural centre. In 2003 the castle was sold to a provate owner, who is planning its reconstruction and adaptation to hotel and conference purposes.

Description of the site

The Renaissance castle is located at Plac Zamkowy 9, in the south-western part of Siedlisko. It adjoins the Odra river bank at the south end of the plot.  The courtyard is partially lined with fieldstones and partially overgrown with grass. The stone and brick castle, consisting of four wings clustered at a large, rectangular courtyard, remains in a state of partial disrepair. The south, west and north wings are preserved in the form of external walls, devoid of roofs and ceilings and stripped of the ornamentation of the rooms. Only few of the stucco relics have survived in the once lavishly decorated interiors. Despite significant damage, the castle complex has retained a symmetrically arranged layout of buildings. The three-storey east wing that has been saved from destruction was built in the Renaissance style, set on a rectangular floor plan and is covered with a gable roof. The façade is pierced by window openings framed with profiled stone casings. On the north side, there is a chapel at an extension of the east wing. The structure is built of brick, of an aisleless type and features a semi-circular apse at the east end. The interior is surrounded by two-storey galleries with stone tracery balustrades, resting on decorative columns. The Calvinist castle chapel is covered with barrel and double barrel vaults. At the apse, there is a stone pulpit adorned with Renaissance ornamentation. The gatehouse, accessible by a bridge flying over the moat, allows passage into the interior of the residence. The building is linked with a bastion-type fortification system. The structure is made of brick, set on a rectangular floor plan, has two storeys with dormers and is covered with a gable roof. The front façade with the gate and passage is framed with a stone portal. A cartouche with a coat of arms hangs above the cornice. The fortifications were built in the years 1612-1614 by an architect Andreas Hindenberg, according to the design by Valentin Sebisch. Only the moat has been preserved from the original defensive complex. The eastern curtain wall, the masonry south bastion and two north earthen bastions originate most likely from the 18th century. A park arranged in the first half of the 18th century adjoins the castle on the south and west side. In the late 19th century plantings were made that changed the park into a landscape composition. Approx. 30 species of trees and shrubs are found in the park area of over 5 hectares. The castle in Siedlisko is a rarely encountered monument of Renaissance art in the Lubuskie Voivodeship.

Visitor access. Currently, the site is a private property. The castle is available to visitors following previous arrangement.  It is also possible to rent a chapel, e.g. for wedding purposes.

Author of the note: Krzysztof Słowiński, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Zielona Góra, 08-11-2017

Bibliography

  • Andrzejewski T., Miejscowości powiatu nowosolskiego. Rys historyczny., Nowa Sól 2004, pp. 184-188;
  • Garbacz K., Szlakiem zabytkowych miast. Przewodnik po południowej części województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2005, p. 183;
  • Garbacz K., Przewodnik po zabytkach województwa lubuskiego, vol. II, Zielona Góra 2012, pp. 230-231;
  • Kowalski S., Zabytki architektury województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 2010, p. 329-330;
  • Kowalski S., Zabytki województwa zielonogórskiego, Zielona Góra 1987, pp. 179-181.
  • Peryt-Gierasimczuk I., Czas architekturą zapisany. Zabytki województwa lubuskiego, Zielona Góra 1998, p. 180.
  • Zamki, dwory i pałace województwa lubuskiego,  B. Bielinis-Kopeć, B. Skaziński (eds.), Zielona Góra 2007, pp. 269-271.

Category: castle

Architecture: Renaissance

Building material:  brick

Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records

Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_08_BK.421331, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_08_BK.134144