History

The owners of the Węgierka castle (initially known as Tuliczów) originally inhabited a fortified manor erected in 1484 by Piotr Rozborski. The castle complex was build during the fourth quarter of the 16th century, for the funds provided by Jan Pieniążek. The castle was built according to a “tower-and-roundel” design, on a quadrilateral plan (40 x 40 metres), with a courtyard in the centre of the complex. Cylindrical brick and stone roundels were positioned on the corners of the fortified structure. It is known that during the 17th and the 18th century, the castle was surrounded from all sides by a moat filled with water, which, along with the nearby reservoirs, formed a significant part of the defence system of the castle. The Pieniążek family owned the castle until 1712, later to be succeeded by the Siemianowski family, Józef Rosnowski and - from 1731 onwards - by Józef Morski, the cup-bearer (cześnik) of Przemyśl. Following his death in 1739, his property - along with the Węgierka castle - was inherited by his son, Antoni Morski, who would later become the castellan of Lviv; the transfer of property was confirmed by the division of assets performed in 1744. After the death of Antoni Morski in 1776, the manor and the castle was inherited by Tadeusz Morski, his son, who remained the owner thereof until 1808. The north-western roundel, which survives to this day, was built on a circular floor plan with a diameter of 12 metres and had four storeys with embrasures in its walls as well as a conical roof. During the second half of the 19th century, the most dilapidated sections of the castle were demolished; from that point onwards, the castle stood abandoned and began to crumble. The south wing of the castle was finally demolished in 1929. Apart from the north-western roundel, parts of the western wing of the castle which used to serve as living quarters have also survived.

Description

The castle is located by the river Mleczka, on the western side of the road leading from Helusz to Pruchnik, on marshy lowlands; the castle is surrounded by a moat and a pond. The remaining parts of the castle are the ruins of a brick and stone north-western fortified tower, built on a circular floor plan, as well as the western wing which used to perform residential functions. The castle consists of a cylindrical fortified tower with basement, featuring four storeys, connected to a the cuboid fragment of the western wing of the former fortified manor. The surviving tower, built from split stones and brick, comes equipped with embrasures designed to protect the defending riflemen against enemy fire. The lower section of the tower remains flooded with water. The tower is in a state of progressing decay resulting from its exposure to the elements which causes the walls to crack. This process was delayed using a temporary metal brace installed on the northern side of the tower on the upper storey level. A surviving fragment of a stone curtain wall abuts the fortified tower from the east. A single-storey brick residential building erected in 1929 stands on the spot where the former western wing once stood, abutting the now-defunct south-western tower. The surviving parts of the castle contain no fixtures or fittings whatsoever.

The structure can be viewed from the outside all year round.

Compiled by Andrzej Gliwa, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Rzeszów, 15.09.2014.

Bibliography

• Adamczyk J.L., Fortyfikacje stałe na polskim przedmurzu od połowy XV do końca XVII wieku, Kielce 2004.
• Frazik J. T., Zamki i budownictwo obronne ziemi rzeszowskiej, Kraków 1971, s. 65-81.
• Guerquin B., Zamki w Polsce, Warszawa 1984, s. 325.
• Proksa M., Studia nad zamkami i dworami ziemi przemyskiej od połowy XIV do początków XVIII wieku, Przemyśl 2001, s. 405-406.