History

The first mentions of the building in written sources appeared in 1365. At that time, the castle was the property of Konrad von Czirn, who was granted ownership of the village pursuant to the 1345 ducal charter. The exact date of construction of the castle, however, remains shrouded in mystery. The castle was destroyed in the 15th century and was later replaced by a new structure which incorporated fragments of the walls and stonework of the original building. The reconstructed castle was subsequently extended during the 16th and 17th century. During the 18th century, the castle fell on evil days, although it was renovated on several occasions: in 1750, 1786 and 1794. In the end, however, the castle was abandoned during the first half of the 19th century and subsequently fell into a state of ruin, although its remains are known to have been used as a utility building in the early 20th century.

Description

The castle is located south of the village, on the top of a narrow, elongated granite hill rising some 20 metres above the surrounding waterlogged, flat-bottomed valley. Initially, the castle was a three-storey structure made of stone with some brick elements. It is now known to have featured a defensive wall of any description. The castle was designed on a rectangular floor plan, its dimensions being approximately 24 x 13 metres; the building originally featured a projecting corner extension at the north-eastern corner, forming an avant-corps of sorts. The surviving imagery of the castle shows that it had originally been covered with a tall gable roof. Today, what remains of the castle is its northern wall along with the fragments of the north-eastern avant-corps, originally housing the kitchen, as well as a small fragment of the western wall.

The site is open to the public; it is located in the vicinity of a clearly marked tourist trail.

compiled by Piotr Roczek, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Wrocław, 30-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Słownik Geografii Turystycznej Sudetów. Vol. 4 Kotlina Jeleniogórska, M. Staffa (ed.), Wrocław 1999, pp. 396-397.
• Zamki i dwory obronne w Sudetach, Vol. II Księstwo jaworskie, Wrocław 2009, pp. 176-182.
• Kapałczyński W., Napierała P., Zamki, pałace i dwory Kotliny Jeleniogórskiej, Jelenia Góra-Wrocław 2005, pp. 119-120.
• Łuczyński R., Zamki, dwory i pałace w Sudetach, Legnica 2008, pp. 332-335.