The relics of the fortified building aroused great interest already in the 19th. The research carried out in the 1960s and 1970s helped understand the history of the complex and protect is as a permanent ruin. The preserved relics of the castle are one of the most interesting examples of evolution of defensive architecture in Poland.

History

The early history of the castle is still vague. According to the chronicler Jan Długosz, the village of Lipowa (identified with Lipowiec) originally belonged to the Gryfit family and was later transferred to the Benedictine nuns from Staniątki. At that time, according to the same chronicler, some “robbers” erected a castle over the village as a starting point for their looting sprees across the region. Once the stronghold was seized, it was handed over to the Kraków bishopric. The new castle on the site of the robbers’ camp was probably built in the second half of the 13th century by Bishop Prędota, who also coordinated the canonisation process of St Stanislaus of Szczepanów. The existence of the castle is confirmed by a document issued in Lipowiec in 1303 by Jan Muskata, as well as by the files of his court trial from 1308. After Władysław the Elbow-High entered Małopolska, the conflict between Muskata and Archbishop Jakub Świnka escalated and became political because the bishop was in opposition to Władysław’s rule. Ultimately, Bishop Muskata was convicted in a canonical trial (1308). Imprisoned by Władysław, he then spent many years in exile. He returned to the diocese in 1317 and died in 1320. Lipowiec Castle, altered and reinforced by successive bishops of Kraków, served as a defensive residence and the administrative centre of the estate. Already in the first half of the 15th century, the castle started to be used as a bishopric prison. The inmates were sacrilegists, recalcitrant clergymen, and incorrigible heretics. In 1629 a fire consumed almost entire wooden development as well as heavily damaging the bailey and the upper castle. The castle, rebuilt and fortified after the calamity, was occupied in 1655 by the Swedish troops under General Wirtz; upon departure, they burnt the castle down. They were forced out of Lipowiec by guerrilla fighters headed by Kasper Karliński and operating in the Beskidy Mountains. Full-scale renovation started no earlier than in 1732 on the initiative of Bishop Felicjan Szaniawski. In the rebuilt interiors of the first floor, a correctional facility was set up for clergymen who violated the principles of canon law. In a sense, the site restored its former prison functions, the trace of which is the preserved dungeon under the tower. The Kraków bishopric held the castle until 1789, when the Austrian authorities claimed its ownership after the Partitions of Poland. Under the new owners, the building fell into disrepair; the final blow came from a fire around 1800. It destroyed the roof and seriously damaged the walls. A conservation project aimed to preserve the castle as a permanent ruin began in 1961 and was completed in 1975.

Description

As a result of archaeological and architectural research, several stages of castle’s development were identified. The first phase falling to the second half of the 13th century and the beginning of the following century was not fully understood. Researchers suspect that the lower sections of a free-standing, round stone tower (9 m wide), fragments of the foregate and probably a well made in solid rock originate in that period. At that time, the fortified perimeter was probably still a wooden and earthen rampart running along the edges of the hill. As a result of later extensions, especially by Bishops Wojciech Jastrzębiec and Zbigniew Oleśnicki in the 15th century, a four-sided complex was created. Heightened and modified to the use of artillery (Poland-first, unique cannons on the two upper floors), the tower was rebuilt and made up part of the development in the south-east corner of the castle. The entire complex was surrounded by a perimeter wall. The gate buildings were upgraded. At the end of the 15th century, the bailey - mainly wooden farm buildings - was also secured by its own outer rampart with a gate. The 16th century saw another reconstruction of the castle interiors. The prison cells were enlarged, and some new ones were made. The defensive system was improved: two half-towers were added in the north line of the perimeter walls. In the 17th century, mainly renovation projects were carried out, the only major investment being the enhancement of the castle’s military capabilities by erecting a small bastion in the north-east corner. The works in the 18th century were limited to the alteration and conversion of some chambers used for confinement purposes. The preserved relics of the castle are one of the most interesting examples of evolution of defensive architecture in Poland.

Opening hours: all weekdays and holidays: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (1/03-31/10); 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (1/11-28-29/02).

Note by RM, SK, Regional Branch of the National Institute of Cultural Heritage in Kraków 30/9/2014

Bibliography

• Kajzer L. Kołodziejski S., Salm L, Leksykon zamków w Polsce, Warszawa 2001.
• Małkowska- Holcerowa T., Lipowiec. Dawny zamek biskupów krakowskich, Warszawa 1989
• Zagórowski O., Lipowiec, zamek biskupi i dom poprawy dla księży, Nasza Przeszłość, vol. 12 [1960], pp. 173-220.
• Wyrobisz A., Budownictwo murowane w Małopolsce w XIV i XV wieku, Wrocław 1963.
• B. Guerquin, Zamki w Polsce, Warszawa 1984, p. 199
• KZS, I, pp. 100-102.