2021
4(68)
DOI: 10.37190/arc210401
Małgorzata Chorowska*
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle
from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century
Introduction
The Princely Castle of Grodno (Kinsperch, Kiensberg,
Kinsberg, Kynsburg) is situated near Choina mountain at
440 m above sea level. Its picturesque silhouette is best
seen from the village of Niedźwiedzica and from arti-
cial Bystrzyckie Lake. It is dominated by an angular tower
standing on a rock and a monumental wall of the upper
castle, behind which there is one of the two preserved resi-
dential wings, i.e., the southern one. Originally, there were
three wings, but in 1789 the western wing collapsed and
has still not been reconstructed to this day. The remaining
wings and the buildings of the outer baileys also fell into
ruin and remained uninhabited. In 1824, they began to be
partially reconstructed. Simultaneously with the rst con-
servation and reconstruction works, studies on the history
of the castle and the families inhabiting it were started.
Construction actions, which were undertaken in Grodno
after 1945, were preceded by architectural and archaeo-
logical reconnaissance.
The rst researcher of the history of the castle was Au-
gust Zemplin, a doctor in the health resort in Szczawno-
Zdrój. Thanks to the help of superintendent Worbis and ar-
chivist Professor Stenzel, he had access to the documents
1
which have not been preserved until today and recreated
the list of Grodno mortgage lords from the late Middle
Ages and the early modern period [1, pp. 4–8]. Tracking
the heterogeneity of the castle walls and the variability
of methods of their construction over the centuries, he
*
ORCID: 0000-0002-5073-4382. Faculty of Architecture, Wro cław
University of Science and Technology, e-mail: malgorzata.chorowska
@
pwr.edu.pl
1
Mainly documents from the castle archives, which were cut up by
an Austrian eld sewing room during the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763)
and from the archive in Książ Castle.
noticed that the oldest part was the tower and what was
directly adjacent to it. He dated all other buildings only
to the 16
th
century. When it comes to the origin of the lay-
out, he rejected presumptions of Ephraim Ignatius Nason
who connected the origins of the castle with the person of
prince Bolesław I the Tall who was supposed to extend
and strengthen it as early as in 1198. However, he con-
rmed bonds with the rule of Świdnica and Jawor princes,
i.e. Bolko I the Strict (1291–1301) and Bolko II the Small
(1326–1368) [1, p. 22], supporting them with the knowl-
edge of chroniclers and documents. Sixty years later, his-
torian Heinrich Schubert corrected Zemplin’s mistakes
regarding details in the biographies of owners of Grodno,
nevertheless, he upheld the theses which were connected
with the construction history of the stronghold [2, pp. 5–9].
The post-war knowledge of the origins and architec-
tural transformations of the castle was based on the re-
search by Jerzy Rozpędowski, which was conducted as
part of his master’s thesis at the Faculty of Architecture
of Wrocław University of Science and Technology and
published in “Scientic Papers of Wrocław University of
Science and Technology” [3] as well as – in a redrafted
form – in the Grodno monograph published in the series
“Silesia in art monuments” [4]. The author then conducted
basic observations of the walls, made a drawing inventory,
and theoretical reconstruction of the castle in two phases,
i.e., in the 14
th
and 16
th
centuries (Figs. 1, 2). He also em-
phasized the need for further thorough and systematic re-
search. According to the recognition made at that time, the
14
th
-century stronghold, which was built of broken stone,
consisted of a courtyard surrounded by a high buttressed
wall, on which two residential and most likely farm build-
ings made of wood were supposed to stand. There was also
a water cistern here. In the south-eastern corner there was
a square and not a very high tower, whereas the entrance
was to run through the gatehouse from the south-western
4 Małgorzata Chorowska
in the courtyard of the upper castle [5]. However, noth-
ing new was brought by the architectural research on the
walls of the upper castle, which was carried out in 2012
[6] in connection with the concept of reconstruction of
the collapsed part of the walls of the 3
rd
and 4
th
storeys
and covering them with a roof. In 2016, supplementary
architectural and stratigraphic studies of the 2
nd
and 3
rd
storeys of the preserved wings of the castle were conduct-
ed, which can be positively assessed only in the layer of
stratigraphic ndings by Agnieszka Witkowska [7].
A breakthrough in the research into the construction
history of the castle came in the years 2017–2019, when
interdisciplinary activities began, i.e. simultaneously in
the eld of archeology and history of architecture. Ac-
cording to the initial assumptions, archaeological works
were aimed at verifying geophysical anomalies which
were discovered in the upper castle. However, in the next
stage, an attempt was made to identify the stratigraphy of
side. The tower was situated at the highest and most en-
dangered point because from the side of the gently sloping
mountain ridge it was easiest to approach the castle, while
from the other sides it was protected from being accessed
by the steep slopes of Mount Choina. The oldest stone
buildings – one residential and the other gatehouse – con-
sisted of 2–3 storeys. Their connection into the southern
wing and the superstructure up to the fourth storey was
supposed to take place in the 16
th
century. Only then were
the western and eastern wings with a kitchen to be built,
which transformed the gothic castle into a monumental
renaissance three-wing layout.
Continuing the postulate of further research, in the
1980s a detailed inventory of the castle with the use of the
photogrammetry method was made. In 1987 Leszek Ber-
duła carried out an archaeological survey of the so-called
latrine and a renaissance kitchen, where he discovered
a relic of an older foundation wall and made discoveries
Fig. 1. Plan of Grodno Castle according to J. Rozpędowski. The southern and eastern wings were marked in color (source: [3, board Ia])
Il. 1. Plan zamku Grodno według J. Rozpędowskiego. Kolorem zaznaczono skrzydła: południowe i wschodnie (źródło: [3, tablica Ia])
Fig. 2. Grodno Castle in the 14
th
and 16
th
centuries in the reconstructions by J. Rozpędowski (source: [3, pp. 34 and 38])
Il. 2. Zamek Grodno w XIV i XVI w. na rekonstrukcjach J. Rozpędowskiego (źródło: [3, s. 34 i 38])
14
th
century 16
th
century
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century 5
the rubble and earth embankment situated in the zwinger
area. As a result of the exploration conducted, relics of
the previously unknown perimeter of the defensive wall
from the 15
th
century and several numismatic items from
that time were discovered. A lot of mass historic mate-
rial which was connected with the res of the 17
th
and
18
th
centuries was discovered as well. The real sensation
was the discovery of Benedict XIII’s Avignon obedience
edict, which was preserved in very good condition. The
excavation which was carried out in 2019 in the upper
courtyard in the corner of the southern wing and the col-
lapsed western wing, turned out to be very important for
the history of construction transformations in the castle. It
provided evidence of the simultaneous building of both of
these wings already in around the mid-14
th
century, i.e.,
during the reign of Prince Bolko II the Small in the castle.
The archaeological works were carried out by the team of
Dr Paweł Konczewski from Wrocław University of Envi-
ronmental and Life Sciences
2
.
The architectural examination of the walls of the two
highest storeys of the castle was performed by the author at
the request of the Culture and Tourism Centre of the Walim
Municipality in December 2017 [8]. It covered the rooms
2
Their results are presented in the articles included in this volume.
of the castle house, which now has the form of a building
consisting of a long southern wing, including the so-called
gatehouse and a short eastern wing. The basis of the works
was a detailed inventory of internal walls of rooms which
was made by Radosław Biel by means of the photo-scan
method as well as architectural studies of the surfaces of
non-plastered walls which were carried out in order to rec-
ognize their origins on the basis of the construction mate-
rial used (Fig. 3). During the studies, the discoveries made
by Witkowska in August 2016 [7] were used. Numerous
discoveries, which were formed as a result of natural forces
when the walls of the upper storeys of the castle remained
exposed to the destructive inuence of weather conditions,
were also used. Many artifacts such as the remains of me-
dieval stonework of window openings on the outer façade
of the southern wing and nests of cantilever beams were
recorded at that time. The observations made on the 3
rd
and
4
th
storeys allowed us to conclude that there was a chrono-
logical stratication of the castle walls, thanks to which we
could arrive at a relative chronology of individual phases.
The basis for bringing closer the absolute chronology of
these transformations was the research consisting in com-
paring the material features of the walls of Grodno with
the building materials used in castles of Świdnica and
Jawor Principality [9], [10] and medieval burgher houses
in Świdnica [11], as well as the comparison of the obtained
Fig. 3. Grodno Castle.
Stratifications of the walls of the southern wing at the level of the 3
rd
and 4
th
storeys:
1 – wall face from about 1300, remodeled in around 1500, 2 – wall from about 1350, 3 – wall from about 1500,
4 – wall from about 1550–1600, 5 – wall from the end of the 18
th
or the 1
st
half of the 19
th
century,
6 – wall from the 2
nd
half of the 19
th
and 20
th
centuries, 7 – wall from the 21
st
century, 8 – negative of the wooden beam
(elaborated by M. Chorowska, R. Biel)
Il. 3. Zamek Grodno.
Rozwarstwienia ścian skrzydła południowego na poziomie 3 i 4 kondygnacji:
1 – lico muru z ok. 1300 r. przebudowane ok. 1500 r., 2 – mur z ok. 1350 r., 3 – mur z ok. 1500 r., 4 – mur z 1550–1600,
5 – mur z końca XVIII lub 1. połowy XIX w., 6 – mur z 2. połowy XIX–XX w., 7 – mur z XXI w., 8 – negatyw belki drewnianej
(oprac. M. Chorowska, R. Biel)
6 Małgorzata Chorowska
work shops of architecture students of Wrocław Universi-
ty of Science and Technology associated in the ArcHist
research club in July 2019. They provided the basis for
the stratication of walls of the upper castle into three me-
dieval phases, two early modern phases, i.e., renaissance
and late renaissance and phases connected with conser-
vation and partial reconstruction of the castle which were
carried out in several stages in the 19
th
and 20
th
centuries
(Figs. 4–7). This article presents the beginnings of Grod-
no Castle and further architectural transformations in the
upper castle which took place until the end of the Middle
Ages. According to the present ndings, the whole struc-
ture of the upper castle, including the high perimeter wall
and all three castle wings (southern, western and partly
eastern), except for the brick Renaissance kitchen, was
formed at that time.
results with the calendar of the history of the castle which
was prepared on the basis of works which were developed
by pre-war monographers [1], [2], [12] and also written
sources published in
Landbuch księstw świdnickiego i ja
wor ski ego [
Landbuch of Świdnica and Jawor Principali-
ty] [13]. In the spring of 2018, Maciej Małachowicz, who
represented the conservation supervision during the im-
plementation of the multimedia exhibition devoted to the
biodiversity of the Sowie (Owl) Mountains, repeated the
studies of the upper storeys of the castle [14]. He drew sim-
ilar conclusions as the author of this article.
The inspection of the entire castle walls supplemented
by the results of 3D scanning, which was carried out by
LabSkan3D scanning laboratory of Wrocław University
of Science and Technology as well as photo-scans made
from a drone by Marek Bogdała were developed during the
Fig. 4. Grodno Castle.
Chronological stratification of the walls of the upper castle on the ground floor level:
1 – in about 1300, 2 – in about 1350, 3 – in about 1500, 4 – the years 1550–1600, 5 – the years 1600–1700,
6 – years 1789–1850, 7 – years 1850–2010, 8 – reconstructed walls, 9 – rock, 10 – stonework, 11 – archaeological surveys,
ch – chimney, kitchen chimney, furnace cavity; names of the rooms according to the urbarium from 1595
(elaborated by M. Chorowska, A. Gryglewska, A. Kubicka)
Il. 4. Zamek Grodno.
Rozwarstwienie chronologiczne murów zamku górnego na poziomie parteru:
1 – ok. 1300 r., 2 – ok. 1350 r., 3 – ok. 1500 r., 4 – lata 1550–1600, 5 – lata 1600–1700, 6 – lata 1789–1850,
7 – lata 1850–2010, 8 – ściany rekonstruowane, 9 – skała, 10 – kamieniarka, 11 – sondaże archeologiczne,
ch – komin, komin kuchenny, czeluść pieca; nazwy pomieszczeń według urbarza z 1595 r.
(oprac. M. Chorowska, A. Gryglewska, A. Kubicka)
ch
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century 7
wall 1; well-prepared lime – burnt and slaked in optimal
conditions, which could be seen from a relatively small
amount and ne granulation of the so-called lumps, i.e.,
micrite clusters;
– wall 3 – broken stone arranged in clear leveling lay-
ers; brick mainly in arcades and at the edges of recesses
and openings; the lime mortar with visible micrite clus-
ters contained clay sand with, especially in the core of
the wall; signicantly more lime was visible in the facing
parts – it was hard, light, and beige in color;
– nger brick with dimensions of 8.0–9.2 × 14–15 ×
28–30 cm; the lack of carefully prepared grout indicated
the fact that the face of walls was plastered; in arches,
brick ttings with a deep cavetto occurred sporadically,
however, bricks with a carelessly made cavetto or facette
were used more often. In some places, bricks arranged
“at” were used and cut in order to form a wedge; the lack
of care in shaping the edge proles of window recesses
was compensated by a thick layer of plaster;
Basics of the chronological stratification
of the walls
of the upper castle
An attempt at isolating construction phases in the walls
of the upper castle was made on the basis of observation
of material features of the building material, which con-
sisted of broken stone, brick, and mortar. On the basis of
material dierences, which were observed in macroscopic
examinations, six types of walls were distinguished:
– wall 1 – broken stone without any addition of bricks
arranged in leveling layers and visible especially in the
external face; lime mortar not very strong; lime appeared
in the form of dust and numerous lumps (i.e., micrite clus-
ters) formed as a result of incorrect burning and slaking);
mortar contained a signicant additive of clay, which gave
it a brown color and plasticity;
– wall 2 – stone crushed on a hard and strong lime
mortar of brown color; less clay in the mortar than in the
Fig. 5. Grodno Castle.
Chronological stratification of the walls of the upper castle on the 1
st
floor level:
1 – in about 1300, 2 – in about 1350, 3 – in about 1500, 4 – the years 1550–1600, 5 – the years 1600–1700, 6 – years 1789–1850,
7 – years 1850–2010, 8 – reconstructed walls, 9 – rock, 10 – stonework,
ch – chimney, kitchen chimney, furnace cavity; names of the rooms according to the urbarium from 1595
(elaborated by M. Chorowska, A. Gryglewska, A. Kubicka)
Il. 5. Zamek Grodno.
Rozwarstwienie chronologiczne murów zamku górnego na poziomie I piętra:
1 – ok. 1300 r., 2 – ok. 1350 r., 3 – ok. 1500 r., 4 – lata 1550–1600, 5 – lata 1600–1700, 6 – lata 1789–1850, 7 – lata 1850–2010,
8 – ściany rekonstruowane, 9 – skała, 10 – kamieniarka, ch – komin, komin kuchenny, czeluść pieca; nazwy pomieszczeń według urbarza z 1595 r.
(oprac. M. Chorowska, A. Gryglewska, A. Kubicka)
8 Małgorzata Chorowska
– wall 4 – stone mixed with bricks of a medieval format
(8.0–8.5 × 13–14 × 26 cm); in some parts a brickwork
bond consisted of single side faces of bricks; the face of
the wall prepared for plaster; brick poorly burned with
a high marlstone content, strongly eroded; a very strong
lime mortar with a high content of powdery lime and in
lumps, gave the mortar a cream color;
– wall 5 – stone mixed with brick of early modern for-
mat (6.6–7.0 × 14.5 × 15–26 cm), the face of the wall
prepared for plaster; the lime mortar a bit weaker, ne-
grained, light beige, few lumps of lime;
– wall 6 – it is distinguished by a brick with dimensions
of 7 × 13.5–14.0 × 28–29 cm, burned to cherry color; the
lime mortar with a large additive of sand, ne-grained,
yellow and beige, not very strong;
– wall 7 – walls are mostly brick or brick and stone,
bonded with a ne-grained lime mortar of gray and beige
colors; bricks are not uniform in terms of size and color
(from light orange to cherry red), coming from dierent
brickyards or reused demolition bricks.
Dating the walls from phases 1 and 2
The existence of the wall dened in terms of construc-
tion technique as 1 and 2, i.e., containing clay, was con-
rmed in the following places of the stronghold:
– in the defensive wall of the upper castle (wall 1),
along its entire perimeter which on the southern and east-
ern sides reached the height of 4 storeys, while on the
northern and western sides 3 storeys only;
– in the relic of the short wall (wall 1) connected with
the southern section of the defensive wall, which is sit-
uated in the so-called dungeon under the level of the 1
st
oor;
Fig. 6. Grodno Castle.
Chronological stratification of the walls of the upper castle on the 2
nd
floor level:
1 – in about 1300, 2 – in about 1350, 3 – in about 1500, 4 – the years 1550–1600,
5 – the years 1600–1700, 6 – years 1789–1850, 7 – years 1850–2010,
8 – reconstructed walls, 9 – rock, 10 – stonework,
ch – chimney, kitchen chimney, furnace cavity; names of the rooms according to the urbarium from 1595
(elaborated by M. Chorowska, A. Gryglewska, A. Kubicka)
Il. 6. Zamek Grodno.
Rozwarstwienie chronologiczne murów zamku górnego na poziomie II piętra:
1 – ok. 1300 r., 2 – ok. 1350 r., 3 – ok. 1500 r., 4 – lata 1550–1600, 5 – lata 1600–1700, 6 – lata 1789–1850,
7 – lata 1850–2010, 8 – ściany rekonstruowane, 9 – skała, 10 – kamieniarka,
ch – komin, komin kuchenny, czeluść pieca; nazwy pomieszczeń według urbarza z 1595 r.
(oprac. M. Chorowska, A. Gryglewska, A. Kubicka)
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century 9
– in the lower parts of the northern wall of the southern
wing (wall 2), preserved to the level of the oset occur-
ring at the height of about half of the 1
st
oor of this wing;
this wall was added to the section of the defensive wall in
the area of the so-called gate building;
– in the foundation part of the corner of the southern
and western wings (walls 2), which was discovered in the
archaeological survey; the walls which made up this cor-
ner were connected; this fact surprised researchers, forc-
ing them to change the previously adopted chronology of
the development growth;
– in the destruction of the eastern (courtyard) wall of
the western wing (wall 2).
The chronological framework of the occurrence of
these relics can be approximated mainly on the basis of
the material characteristics of the mortar because broken
stone in the Sudeten part of Silesia was widely used from
the 13
th
to the 20
th
century, which makes it a poor date
proof. However, an analogous lime mortar with a large
additive of clay was observed in cellars and burgher hous-
es of Świdnica, which were erected from the foundation
of the town until around the mid-14
th
century [11], as well
as in the oldest parts of tenement houses in Dzierżoniów
and Strzegom, and Wleń Castle, in the walls from the
12
th
and 13
th
centuries. The youngest well-dated example
of the use of highly clayey mortar are the foundation walls
of the non-existent synagogue situated at 1 Sakwowa in
Świdnica, which was founded by a Jew Lazar in 1381.
It is, however, an isolated example.
This dating corresponds with the rst unquestionable
mention of the castle castellan Kilian von Haugwitz (1305–
1327), a trusted knight and creditor of Świdnica princes,
who at Grodno Castle on March 22, 1315, on the eve of
Easter, made a donation to St. Augustine Abbey of regular
canons of in Wrocław [15, vol. 4, no. 3481]. Therefore,
the castle must have already functioned for some time and
Fig. 7. Grodno Castle.
Chronological stratification of the walls of the upper castle on the 3
rd
floor level:
1 – in about 1300, 2 – in about 1350, 3 – in about 1500, 4 – the years 1550–1600, 5 – the years 1600–1700,
6 – years 1789–1850, 7 – years 1850–2010, 8 – reconstructed walls, 9 – rock, 10 – stonework,
ch – chimney, kitchen chimney, furnace cavity; names of the rooms according to the urbarium from 1595
(elaborated by M. Chorowska, A. Gryglewska, A. Kubicka)
Il. 7. Zamek Grodno.
Rozwarstwienie chronologiczne murów zamku górnego na poziomie III piętra:
1 – ok. 1300 r., 2 – ok. 1350 r., 3 – ok. 1500 r., 4 – lata 1550–1600, 5 – lata 1600–1700,
6 – lata 1789–1850, 7 – lata 1850–2010, 8 – ściany rekonstruowane, 9 – skała, 10 – kamieniarka,
ch – komin, komin kuchenny, czeluść pieca; nazwy pomieszczeń według urbarza z 1595 r.
(oprac. M. Chorowska, A. Gryglewska, A. Kubicka)
10 Małgorzata Chorowska
its beginnings can be dated to the end of the 13
th
century,
whereas Bolko I the Strict or Bernard of Świdnica can be
considered to be the initiator of its construction. However,
it also includes investments which were carried out in the
castle in the era of Bolko II the Small. Taking into account
the above-mentioned joints which occurred between the
so-called gatehouse and the perimeter wall
3
, it should be
assumed that the defensive wall was built in the rst phase
of the castle’s functioning, i.e., during the reign of Bolko I,
whereas both residential wings – southern and western
– during the reign of Bolko II.
Grodno was mentioned as a princely castle in the do-
cument of the records of towns and castles of Świdnica
and Jawor Principality of Anna, Bolko II’s niece, and wife
of the Czech King Charles IV in 1353 [16, Bd. 1, pp. 508–
511, no. 20 and p. 512, no. 23]. Periodically, there was
also a prince’s oce in the castle
4
. At that time, the strong-
hold was managed by castellans such as Eyko (1335) [15,
Bd. 7, no. 5432, p. 2432], Ulrich Scha (1321–1382, mul -
tiple witness in the documents of Bolko II, burgrave of
Kyns burg in 1369), his son Reinczko (1351–1382), marshal
and court judge of Świdnica, lifetime burgrave das haus
zum Kiensberge (from 1372) who were closely re lated to
the princely court, [17, p. 280], [13, t. 1, p. 139, no. 720].
The castle ef consisted of the following vil
lages and farms:
Jugowice (Hausdorf), Jawornik (Jauernick), Pogorzała
(Seifersdorf) on the side of the village council (Scholtisei),
together with the village council, Dziećmorowice (Ditt-
mannsdorf), Jedlinka (Tannhausen) with courts, efdom
church and teams, apart from the mill by the River By-
strzyca with three wheels as belonging to the castle and
one more mill [1, p. 24].
Dating the walls from phase 3
The range of occurrence of type 3 wall coincides with
the level of the upper two storeys of the residential house,
in particular:
– it occurs in the walls closing the southern wing from
the courtyard side and partially the short eastern wing;
– it forms a 2-meter-thick wall closing the short eastern
wing from the north; after the extension of the southern
wing this wall became a partition wall;
– its relics were recorded in the wall separating the so-
called gate building from the southern wing;
– it occurs in the arches of some window openings
which were made in the perimeter wall of the castle within
the western and southern wings.
Walls 3 are characterized by the presence of a harder
lime mortar, although sometimes also not without loamy
fractions. In the walls of bourgeois tenement houses in
Świdnica, walls of this type, mainly stone, but with the
addition of bricks used to form arches and edges of open-
3
These joints were found on the basement and ground oor levels.
The latter at a signicant height of the wall, which excludes the possibili-
ty of building the perimeter wall and the gatehouse at the same time. The
so-called gatehouse was in fact part of the southern wing.
4
In 1388, three documents were signed at the castle, i.e. nos 595,
596 and 670 [13, t. 2, pp. 119 and 134].
ings, were present from around the mid-14
th
century until
the mid-16
th
century [11, pp. 10–14]. The above-men-
tioned ceramic ttings in the form of bricks with a cavet-
to, which at Grodno Castle were used in arches of several
window openings and occasionally as building material in
wall 3, remain a slightly more precise date proof. In Cen-
tral Bohemia similar ttings appeared at Točník Castle in
the part of the building dated to around 1500
5
.
At that time, Grodno was no longer a princely cas-
tle. After the death of Princess Agnes in 1392, the cas-
tle along with the entire principality became the property
of the Czech king and was transferred to feudal lords as
a pledge (Pfandherschaft) with the right of inheritance.
At that time, the castle was still in the possession of the
Schas, but according to the document of July 27, 1406, it
was abandoned then
6
.
According to Zemplin and Schubert, who based their
arguments on documents [1, pp. 24–28], [2, pp. 14–20],
in the 2
nd
quarter of the 15
th
century, the castle and the
associated properties were in the hands of representatives
of the von Mühlhein family from Pastuchów. In 1429
they were Kunz and Heinz Mühlheim as well as Wenzel
von Schellendorf from Rogowiec (Hornsberg) and Mühl-
heim called Puschke von Kinsberge. In 1424, the latter
sold Veste Kynsberg to his uncle Nicolov von Reibnitz for
1000 Marks, however, in 1447, George Puschke, known
as Mühlheim, appears as the lord of Kynsberg, probably
the son of one of the previously mentioned. In the years
1444–
1463 the owner of the castle was Georg von Mühl-
heim.
From 1465 to 1535, the knightly family of Czetryc
r
uled the castle
7
. The rst mortgage lord was Knight Georg
Czetteras (1465–1484), who received the castle along
with properties from King George of Podiebrady by the
repurchase of the pledge in the amount of 1600 Hun-
garian guilders. In the years 1484–1490 it was held by
Georg’s brother, knight Hannos [Hasse] Czetteras who
after his death in 1490 passed it on to his son by inher-
itance. Hannos’s son – Hans Czetteras the Younger, who
died in 1494, passed on his inheritance to four of his eight
sons, i.e. Herman, Georg, Dyprand and Bernard. Initially,
the brothers managed the legacy together. Its division was
carried out in 1493. From 1494, the pledge was in posses-
sion of Hermann Czetteras for almost forty years. In 1535,
it was handed over to knight Christof von Hoberg, Sta-
rost of Świdnica and Jawor Principality as a repurchase
along with the villages of Jedlinka, Miłochów, Jugowice,
Pogorzała and everything that belonged to Dziećmorowi-
ce with a forest called Sifte (Golden Forest?). The latter
owner died the same year, leaving the castle to his wife
Euphemia von Hoberg. The widow owned it for the next
ten years and then handed it over to knight Matthias von
5
Date from the information board in the castle.
6
Jan, Gotsche Schaa’s son-in-law, undertook to transfer all prop-
erties, including Chojnik Castle and abandoned Grodno Castle (wusten-
nunge Kynsberg) as well as four villages, to his Liebental cousins, in the
event of his and his children death [13, t. 3, no. 1696, p. 430].
7
The theses about the highland robbery activity of its representa-
tives are not suciently conrmed in written sources.
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century 11
Logau, Starost of Świdnica and Jawor principality and his
son Kaspar through the pledge repurchase.
From the above-mentioned ownership history of the
castle, a rather complicated ownership structure emerg-
es. It stabilized only in the last decade of the 15
th
cen-
tury during the ownership of the descendants of Hans
Czetryc and in 1502 was sealed by Władysław Jagiel-
lończyk, King of Bohemia, with the conrmation of the
rights of the Czetryc brothers to the received property and
compliant with the collection of the shipping duty up to
Jedlinka
8
. This date was carved on the lintel of the
neo-Gothic two-armed portal leading to the tower. Jedlin-
ka controlled the border crossing from the Lowering of
Nowa Ruda, i.e. the northern part of the Kłodzko land
through the Upper Bystrzyca Valley in historic Silesia
to the Wałbrzych Basin in Pełcznica Valley. In the opinion
of previous researchers, it was believed that from the time
of the pledged ownership of the castle until around the
middle of the 16
th
century, no major construction works
were carried out here. It was supposed to be indicated
by, inter alia, xed price of castle properties occurring
at subsequent transactions amounting to 1,600 Hungar-
ian guilders. However, in the course of recent research,
the eects of a massive extension represented by walls 3
were observed, which should be connected with phase 3
of transformations of the stronghold. It is quite probable
that it was the lucrative income from customs duty in Jed-
linka that allowed the Czetryc brothers to make this in-
vestment.
Dating the walls from phases 4 and 5
The range of their occurrence includes:
– walls: southern, northern and western, the so-called
gatehouse at the level of the 3
rd
oor;
– the western section of the perimeter wall at the level
of the 3
rd
oor;
– walls of the kitchen – western and northern at the lev-
el of the 2
nd
and 3
rd
oors as well as relics of the kitchen
chimney;
– glyphs of window recesses in all rooms at the level of
the 2
nd
and 3
rd
oors;
– the chimney duct and the jamb of the window next to
the chimney, on the 2
nd
oor.
The basis for dating wall 4 was determined by nger
bricks present in it, with dimensions which can be de-
scribed as medieval. This type of bricks, at least 7.5–8 cm
high, were still present in many castle and manor build-
ings in Lower Silesia at the end of the 16
th
century, despite
the fact that in the capital city of Wrocław, the format of
bricks was changed to the modern one in the 1950s and
1970s. Bricks were joined with the mortar characteristic
of the Renaissance era. It was so hard and strong that after
ve centuries of erosion of the brick faces in some places
there were grouts alone only, which formed a character-
8
According to accounts from unconrmed sources, the privilege
of toll income in Jedlinka was granted in 1504 to seven brothers of von
Czetryc and then transferred to Głuszyca (Wüstigiersdorf).
istic network protruding from the ceramic destructs. The
construction action at that time was also indicated by the
cartouche with the date of “1551” as well as the coat of
arms and initials of the then owner of the castle, Mattias
von Logau (1545–c. 1567), which is at present located in
the entrance hall to the upper castle.
The walls, which were classied as No. 5, diered
from those described above by the addition of bricks and
brick ttings 6.5–7 cm high. Apart from little ceramics in
the early modern format, it still contained broken stone
and medieval bricks, therefore the origin of these walls
probably dates back not later than to the 2
nd
half of the
16
th
century. From 1568 to 1595, Georg von Logau was
the mortgage lord of Grodno (1568–1587). Early modern
ttings and bricks mixed with bricks of a medieval format
are present, among other things, in the glyphs of arrow-
slits located in the perimeter of the low roundel bastion
walls surrounding the zwinger and the upper castle on the
northern and eastern sides, and in the lower outer bailey,
which allows us to connect these perimeters with the con-
struction actions of Georg von Logau.
Dating the walls from phases 6 and 7
The date proof for walls No. 6 is a brick with dimen-
sions characteristic for the 18
th
and the 1
st
half of the 19
th
century (7.0 × 14 × 28–29 cm) and with an intense cherry
color. This technique was used in Grodno Castle in the
following places:
– in the walled up door openings leading from the
southern to the western wing, which collapsed in 1789;
– in the walled up window openings in some rooms on
the 3
rd
oor;
– in the gate, which is currently located in the zwinger
area near the tower, leading from the east to the courtyard
of the middle castle.
When the western wing collapsed, the castle was already
abandoned, so bricking up the openings did not make
much sense. Presumably, it happened after 1824, when
historian Johann Gustav Gottlieb Büsching
9
bought the
ruins, settled in the castle and adapted both gatehouses,
and personally supervised restoration and reconstruc-
tion works. The construction works manager was master
Schlosser from Walim [2, p. 63]. At that time, a staircase
was built in the tower which was a viewing point for tour-
ists. The northern section of the zwinger was closed with
a gate between the zwinger and the outer bailey in order to
arrange a small zoological garden there [18, p. 18].
Walls No. 7 included:
– repairs of lateral walls of the southern wing;
– jambs, sill walls and arches of arcades in almost all
window openings on the 2
nd
and 3
rd
oors;
– entrance opening to the room above the kitchen (2
nd
oor), to the porch leading to the 3
rd
oor;
– remodeling of the renaissance kitchen.
9
In 1823, the ruins were sold to local peasants to be demolished
for building material. The devastated castle was then bought by Profes-
sor J. Büsching, the then secularization commissioner of the liquidated
Silesian monasteries.
12 Małgorzata Chorowska
wide, which suggests that it was originally a fragment of
the battle porch that usually surrounded castle walls. The
porch was separated from the hoarding by a four-meter
high stone wall which has survived until today.
Making two sections of the wall higher by one storey
– the eastern and the southern – resulted from topograph-
ical relief (Fig. 9). The wall “climbed” a rocky slope and
culminated on the eastern side. There, at the highest point
of the hill, it formed a square tower with slightly thicker
walls, but with the same height as its adjacent sections.
This fact makes us connect Grodno Castle with the type
of the so-called coat castles, relatively rare in Silesia, but
numerous in the territory of Bohemia [19]. A stone avant-
corps might have been the basis for upper storeys erected
in a half-timbered structure.
The entrance to the castle led, as it does today, from
the south-west under a high pointed ogival gate arcade.
The stone framing of the opening at the same time formed
sliding grooves inset of the portcullis which secured the
entrance. They were made of pink Permian sandstone.
The portcullis was locked with a bolt. On both sides of
the jambs the sliding grooves insets for beams locking the
gate have been preserved.
The wall surrounded the courtyard which was quite
spacious because its area was diminished neither by brick
residential wings nor the gatehouse. On the eastern side,
however, some part of it was covered with rock (Fig. 10).
At present, it is lower, but originally it reached the height
of the ceiling above the rst oor of the present house
and its height can be seen on the external side of the wall.
The usable level of the courtyard near the entrance was
well below the present one, which shows that the area of
the courtyard must have fallen sharply to the west. Suce
it to say that in the archaeological excavation site which
These walls were built during subsequent conservation
and restoration works carried out from 1840 by Count
Frederick von Burghaus, whereas from 1855 by Baroness
Emilia von Zedlitz from Czarny Bór and her son, Bar-
on Max Ferdinand von Zedlitz und Neukirch, who in the
1860s repaired the tower, strengthened the ruined walls,
and secured their crown. Grodno remained in the hands
of this family until 1945. Walls 6 and 7 include all con-
struction and conservation actions which were carried
out in the castle from 1824 to 1945 as well as the post-
war 20
th
-century construction works. The last phase of
reconstructing the castle took place in the years 2011–2019.
Phase 1 of construction transformations
in the castle – Grodno Castle at the beginning
of the 13
th
century
At the turn of the 14
th
century, during the reign of
Prince of Świdnica and Jawor, Bolko I (1278–1301), the
castle on Choina Mountain was surrounded with a high
defensive wall and crowned with battlements. The orig-
inal existence of battlements is evidenced by a single
shield with an incomplete height and hewn edges, which
is preserved in the north-western section. At this point the
wall reached a height of 3 storeys. On the other side of
the hill, in the southern section, it was one storey higher
and it was additionally protected by a hoarding hanging
over a rocky slope. It defended the road running along the
River Bystrzyca Valley from the Bohemia’s side. Its exist-
ence is signaled by a row of seven nests which remained
after wooden cantilever beams located at the level of the
ceiling above the 3
rd
storey, on which there was the hoard-
ing’s oor (Fig. 8). On the internal side of the defensive
wall, more or less at the same level, there is an oset 1 m
Fig. 8. Grodno Castle.
View of the southern curtain
of the perimeter wall.
Nests of the cantilever beams of
hoarding and relics of late gothic
window stonework were outlined
(photo by M. Chorowska)
Il. 8. Zamek Grodno.
Widok na południową kurtynę
muru obwodowego. Gniazda po
belkach wspornikowych hurdycji
i relikty późnogotyckiej
kamieniarki okiennej zostały
obrysowane
(fot. M. Chorowska)
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century 13
was located next to today’s entrance to the courtyard, the
original usable level of the castle was found about 1.2 m
below the present one.
The princely house was built at the highest point of the
rocky hill on the eastern side, i.e. at the level of the present
1
st
oor. This can be concluded on the basis of the discov-
ery of a wall fragment in the so-called dungeon, which
was the only one connected with the perimeter wall, so it
can be treated as constructed simultaneously with the old-
est layout described. The dungeon was originally a rock
crevice which was situated next to the avant-corps/for-
tied tower between the later levels of the ground oor
and the 1
st
oor
10
. The direction of the wall in question
corresponds to the direction of the courtyard wall of the
eastern wing of the house from the later period. In the rst
construction phase, it could have been a stone foundation
for the façade of the princely house built in a half-tim-
bered structure. It cannot be ruled out that this wall was
10
This crevice was bricked up in the 3
rd
phase of the castle exten-
sion and transformed into a starvation dungeon.
entirely made of brick and was dismantled in a later peri-
od. The house was erected under the cover of a stone de-
fensive wall which – as it was already emphasized – was
made higher by one storey in this place. Only the high
roof of the castle house might have protruded above the
brick defensive perimeter, testifying to the grandeur of the
princely seat. The only entrance to the building was from
the porch and hoarding, which signicantly increased its
defense. Farm facilities of the castle were probably also
wooden and clay.
Phase 2 of construction transformations
in the castle
– Grodno Castle in around the mid-14
th
century
In around the mid-14
th
century, i.e. during the reign
of Prince of Świdnica and Jawor, Bolko II, a long two-
winged house, which was broken in the south-western
corner, was added to the internal side of the defensive wall
(Fig. 11). As already mentioned, this corner, which was
uncovered in the archaeological excavation in 2018, con-
rmed the connection of its two wings. They were made
Fig. 9. Grodno Castle – photo scans of the western façade of the gatehouse and the façade of the southern wing from the lake side.
Chronological stratification of walls: 1 – in about 1300, 2 – in about 1350, 3 – in about 1500, 4 – the years 1550–1600, 6 – the years 1825–1950,
10 – stonework, 11 – negatives of hoarding cantilever beams, 12 – leveling layers
(elaborated by M. Bogdała, M. Chorowska, A. Kubicka)
Il. 9. Zamek Grodno – fotoskany elewacji zachodniej domu bramnego i elewacji skrzydła południowego od strony jeziora.
Rozwarstwienie chronologiczne murów: 1 – ok. 1300 r., 2 – ok. 1350 r., 3 – ok. 1500 r., 4 – lata 1550–1600, 6 – lata 1825–1950,
10 – kamieniarka, 11 – negatywy belek wspornikowych hurdycji, 12 – warstwy wyrównawcze
(oprac. M. Bogdała, M. Chorowska, A. Kubicka)
14 Małgorzata Chorowska
of stone with windows in hewn stone frames and reached
the level of the oset visible on the long courtyard façade
of the castle, about half the height of the present 1
st
oor.
Perhaps the storeys in the so-called half-timbered struc-
ture were situated higher, but it is dicult to conrm or
deny it. From the east, the southern wing reached to the
rock on which the oldest castle building stood.
One complete window opening from the discussed phase,
which is bricked up now, has survived until today. It is
rectangular, enclosed in thick hewn stone door jambs and
a straight lintel beam. Everything was made of pink Per-
mian sandstone and widely chamfered on the edges. More -
over, on the courtyard façade of the southern wing, in vari -
ous places we can see blocks of stone similar in color,
which were reused during the 19
th
-century conservation
works, mainly as binders of cracks in the walls. They prob-
ably framed other openings from the 2
nd
phase. To the right
of the window described above, there is a fragment of an
Fig. 10. Grodno Castle
in about 1300:
A – preservation condition
of the walls from the phase 1,
B–D – different views
of the visualization
of the upper castle
(elaborated by M. Chorowska,
A. Kubicka)
Il. 10. Zamek Grodno około 1300 r.
A – stan zachowania murów
z fazy 1,
B–D – różne ujęcia wizualizacji
górnego zamku
(oprac. M. Chorowska,
A. Kubicka)
Fig. 11. Grodno Castle
in around 1350:
A – preservation condition
of the walls from the phase 2,
B–D – different views
of the visualization
of the upper castle
(elaborated by M. Chorowska,
A. Kubicka)
Il. 11. Zamek Grodno
około 1350 r.:
A – stan zachowania murów
z fazy 2,
B–D – różne ujęcia wizualizacji
górnego zamku
(oprac. M. Chorowska,
A. Kubicka)
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century 15
arch which relieves some other one, much larger window
opening, perhaps a bifora opening.
The usable level of the courtyard in phase 2 was about
40–45 cm lower than the present one. It is marked by an
oset in the foundation wall of the southern wing, where
archaeologists discovered the level of the stone pavement.
In the excavation, the foundation walls were exposed to
a depth of about 1.5 m, but the bedrock on which this build -
ing was erected was not reached. These relations illus trate
dierences in the original shape of the courtyard level.
Archaeologists’ observations prove that in order to level
the usable storey, in the 2
nd
phase a rock was cut in its east-
ern part, whereas the western part was sprinkled with ag-
gregate. In the middle of the courtyard, the timbered wall
inlet of the cistern, in which rainwater was
collected, has
been preserved.
The entrance to the castle was at the same place as
before. First, the road led under a high arcade in the pe-
rimeter wall and a lowered portcullis, and then through
a vestibule belonging to the southern wing. The exit to the
courtyard was halfway the length of the wing, in the place
of today’s gate, but it was situated lower.
Phase 3 of construction transformations
in the castle – Grodno Castle at the turn
of 16
th
century
The exact date of the late gothic remodeling of Grodno
Castle is unknown. It probably took place at the beginning
of the 16
th
century, due to the fact that the Czetryc family
obtained a royal privilege in 1502 and a lucrative customs
house in Jedlinka. As a result, the two-storey stone house
was transformed into a four-storey stone and brick house,
although some of its internal divisions and the rooms
above the kitchen were made of wood. Three brick storeys
of the heightened house “climbed the rock”, on which the
half-timbered princely house from phase 1 was situated so
far and were closed from the north with a stone wall more
than two meters thick. Even further to the north, beyond
the rock, there was a stone (?) kitchen and above it prob-
Fig. 12. Grodno Castle
in around 1500:
A, B – views of the visualization
of the upper castle in the phase 3
(elaborated by M. Chorowska,
A. Kubicka)
Il. 12. Zamek Grodno
około 1500 r.:
A, B – ujęcia wizualizacji
górnego zamku w fazie 3
(oprac. M. Chorowska,
A. Kubicka)
ably one half-timbered room attached to a warm kitchen
chimney (Fig. 12).
The kitchen occupied the courtyard cul-de-sac which
was formed between the northern section of the defensive
wall and the rock on which the oldest house was located.
This rock was also made much lower. In 1984, archae-
ologists discovered the foundation of the medieval wall
under the western wall of the Renaissance kitchen which
has survived until today [5]. It was the foundation of the
medieval kitchen. However, it is dicult to say whether it
was made of stone or made of wood and clay. The outow
of waste, i.e. the gutter, ran through a stone gutter through
the perimeter wall in the northern section. Today, it is visi-
ble from the zwinger of the castle. The evidence of inhab-
iting the room located in the kitchen vertical at the attic
level is reected in the remains of whitewashed plaster
which was preserved under the Renaissance kitchen chim-
ney. The plaster was laid on the layer of cladding which
was placed on the older defensive wall in order to even out
its face and cover the dirt and soot deposited during long
years in the open air. As the room above the kitchen was
the warmest interior in the late Gothic building, it might
have served as kinderstube, i.e. a children’s room or alter-
natively a dining room.
On the level of the 4
th
storey in the southern wing,
a window overlooked the kitchen side, which indicates
that the space between the storey above the kitchen and
the storeys of the southern wing could not have had too
many structures. In the rock crevice situated right next to
the fortication tower from phase 1, a small cellar – possi-
bly a starvation one – was built by bricking the rocks with
stone walls, which could still have been justied in the
turbulent times of the 15
th
and early 16
th
centuries. The
only entrance led to it from above through an opening in
the oor from the level of the 2
nd
storey.
The former western wing was also remodeled, at least
in the scope of two lower storeys. It is clearly visible in
the structure of the remains of window openings made in
the defensive wall which originally surrounded this wing
from the west. On the ground oor there were two large
A B
16 Małgorzata Chorowska
windows, each one with a small niche on the right side,
but now bricked up. The windows had lintels in the form
of segmented arches with a wide facette or cavetto on the
edge, which can be considered a characteristic feature of
the late Gothic phase. Windows of this type were also at
the level of the 2
nd
storey, whereas the 3
rd
storey was com-
pletely remodeled in the next phase. A possible 4
th
storey of
this wing does not exist at present and it is rather doubtful
whether it had a medieval origin at all. The stairs leading
to the level of the battle porch, and therefore to the upper
storeys of the western wing, were in the thickness of the
defensive wall on its short northern section. Zemplin men-
tions them [1, p. 13], explaining the reason for the collapse
of this wall by weakening the structure due to the presence
of stairs. One more stairway, which served the eastern end
of the southern wing and was partially made in the rock,
was outside this wing in the place where we now have
a short porch connecting the southern and eastern wings
at the level of the 2
nd
storey. The lower part of the stairs,
made in rock, has been preserved in the Renaissance kitch-
en, whereas the upper part, probably wooden, was replaced
with Renaissance stairs in the 2
nd
half of the 16
th
century.
The most important room in the house was a magnicent
hall which occupied the entire central part of the south-
ern wing at the level of the 3
rd
storey. This hall was 30 m
long and almost 6 m wide and its height, which consisted
of two full storeys of the 3
rd
and 4
th
storeys, was about
6 m
11
plus around a 3 m high wooden barrel which was
usually used to cover this type of interiors by suspending
it to the roof trusses of attics. In Grodno, its representative
character is conrmed by the articulation of lateral walls
with a characteristic arrangement of windows which were
accompanied by (Figs. 13, 14) probably polychrome re-
cesses on both sides. This composition was reduced by
replaces in relation to the known solutions of this type
from halls of European castles
12
.
11
Measuring from the original usable level of this room, which
was situated about 1 m below the present oor on the 3
rd
storey, to
the level of the base of the wooden barrel, which was usually used to
cover this type of interiors. The level of nests of wooden cantilevers
which might have supported the barrel was accepted as the barrel
basis.
12
On the walls of castle halls there were alternating windows with
recesses and replaces. The most famous examples include ceremonial
halls at the castles of Coucy (France, 14
th
century) and Castel del Mon-
te (Italy, 13
th
century). In Silesia, a similar, though slightly simplied
model was represented by the relics of the hall at the castle in Milicz,
which was built after the mid-14
th
century [20, pp. 89, 90].
Fig. 13. Grodno Castle.
Window openings, niches
and nests in the northern wall
of the southern wing,
photo-scan outlined
(elaborated by R. Biel)
Il. 13. Zamek Grodno.
Otwory okienne, wnęki i gniazda
w ścianie północnej skrzydła
południowego, obrysowany
fotoskan (oprac. R. Biel)
Fig. 14. The interior
of the southern wing from the east,
during construction works in 2019.
To a large extent it corresponds
to the lost knight’s hall,
which, like today,
was of two storeys height
(photo by M. Chorowska)
Il. 14. Wnętrze skrzydła
południowego od wschodu,
w trakcie prac budowlanych
w 2019 r. W dużym stopniu
odpowiada zaginionej sali
rycerskiej przechodzącej
podobnie jak dziś
przez dwie kondygnacje
(fot. M. Chorowska)
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century 17
Window niches in the northern wall of the hall were
2.4 m wide and were covered with high almost semicircu-
lar arches of 1.5 brick thickness. As mentioned above, they
were accompanied by symmetrically placed recesses with
the following dimensions: width 60 cm and height approx-
imately 140 cm. The bricks in arches had trimmed edges
forming wide chamfers. On the southern wall, window
niches were large as well and the recesses were in their
jambs, one for each opening. They were probably sedilia.
On the façade of the southern wing overlooking Bystrzyca
Valley, at the levels of the 2
nd
and 3
rd
storeys, there are visi-
ble fragments of simple-form sandstone window frames
13
.
Describing the building in 1827, Zemplin mentioned
the paintings in the window recesses, currently not pre-
served, and the existence of a knight’s hall on the highest
storey of the southern wing [1, pp. 12–18]. The latter was
conrmed in the castle’s architectural research thanks to
the discovery of beam nests in the courtyard wall of the
wing. These nests were not carved in the wall, but care-
fully shaped and covered with stone little beams. Their di-
mensions were about 23 × 23 cm and the depth was up to
0.9 m, which indicates that wooden cantilevers might have
been placed in them. They were situated 1.6–1.7 m above
the former battle porch on the defensive wall which, after
adding the southern wing, was inside the hall in question.
Even if this height made it possible to walk under the
cantilevers or joists (because people in the Middle Ages
were not too tall), there was another circumstance which
eliminates thinking of these elements as joists for ceiling
beams. They were located halfway up the window recess-
es and the accompanying decorative niches. Thus, taking
into account the location of nests in 2/3 of the height of the
3
rd
oor, as well as the dimensions and articulation of the
room walls, it is possible to risk a statement that Grodno
Castle had a ceremonial hall of the height of two storeys
and covered with an apparent barrel vault penetrating into
the attic space. So far, this would be the only example of
this type conrmed in the castles of Lower Silesia.
A question arises as to the function which the former
battle porch might have performed in the hall discussed. It
was connected with the 3
rd
storey by comfortable single-
ight stairs shaped in the thickness of the southern wall.
The ight of stairs, which was 1.1 m wide, climbed the
arcade of the window recess, now being a poorly readable
relic (Fig. 15). Its cover was a barrel vault
14
. The porch
provided connection with the 4
th
oor of the fortied tow-
er on the rock and the rooms which occupied the upper
storeys of the western part of the southern wing.
The western part of the southern wing, which was locat-
ed in the vertical of the gatehouse, had dimensions of 10 ×
5.6 m on each of its three storeys. Each storey was illumi-
nated by two windows situated in analogical recesses
13
These were the remains of one post and two window sills. The
window sill on the 2
nd
oor is approximately 70 cm below the current
usable oor on the 3
rd
storey.
14
The entrance to the former porch was used in the 19
th
century for
tourists to walk around the ruins of the castle walls. The colored postcard
from the 20
th
century shows the entrance and brick stairs as well as the
relic of the vaulted passage between the rooms of the southern wing.
similar to those described above, but without the accompa-
nying side recesses and sedilia. In the architectural re-
search which was carried out in 2018 at the level of the 3
rd
and 4
th
storeys, several nests of large-size beams were
found along the western section of the southern wall. Their
dimensions indicate that they might have been a remnant
of the construction of wooden walls and partitions which
were usually found in residential parts of castles. In the
urbarium from 1595 (after: [21, pp. 308–311]), i.e., the
early modern description of Grodno Castle, at the level of
the 2
nd
and 3
rd
storeys, “rooms separated from the bedroom
by means of boards”, which should be located in the verti-
cal of the entrance to the castle and in the adjacent western
wing, were mentioned. There, at the level of the 4
th
storey,
in the walls which were completely replaced in the 2
nd
half
of the 16
th
century, there were grooves in wooden parti-
tions which divided this interior.
In the 15
th
century, the castle’s defenses were increased
by surrounding it from the north with a low stone defensive
wall, the so-called fence, which was situated in the mid-
dle of the present zwinger. Its remains were discovered by
archaeologists in the season of 2018 and 2019 along with
Fig. 15. Grodno Castle. The outline of plaster on the wall shows
the flight of stairs leading to the porch (photo by M. Chorowska)
Il. 15. Zamek Grodno. Zarys tynku na ścianie pokazuje
miejsce biegu schodów na ganek (fot. M. Chorowska)
18 Małgorzata Chorowska
a priceless cultural property – papal bull of Avignon Pope
Benedict XIII (Pietro de Luna)
15
. This wall was probably
destroyed during the Hussite wars. If we were to believe
Weber’s information, who without giving any sources
included it in his calendar of events taking place in the
castle, it happened in 1429 when the stronghold was rst
destroyed by the Hussites and during the time of the next
owners of the pledge, in particular the Czettritz family,
[…] it was reinforced with an outer perimeter wall with
round towers and protruding lower gatehouse [22, p. 27].
During the architectural research of the roundel bastion
perimeter, in particular the north-western section of the
walls of the middle castle and zwinger which are dated
back to the 2
nd
half of the 16
th
century, the author had
the opportunity to conrm the truthfulness of Weber’s re-
ports. Two “round” towers of the middle castle, in fact two
pure stone shell fortied towers (Fig. 1, fortied towers
1 and 2) and the low perimeter wall connecting them, as
well as the lower section of the roundel bastion wall,
preserved almost to tower 3, should be dated similarly
15
Information is included in two articles in this quarterly: by
R. Biel, The functional analysis of the 15
th
century fortication of the
Grodno Castle, and Ł. Orlicki, Papal bull of Benedict XIII (1394– 1417)
from Grodno Castle.
to phase 3 of transformations of the upper castle to the
beginnings of the 16
th
century at the latest
16
. At the time
when the owner of the castle was Matthias von Logau,
these walls were made higher in the area of the middle
castle, whereas during Georg von Logau’s ownership, the
western sections of the zwinger walls were made high-
er and the eastern sections were extended together with
roundel bastions Nos. 3 and 4.
Summarizing the issue of the development of structures
of Grodno Castle in the Middle Ages, it should be empha-
sized that in fact the upper castle was fully formed at that
time, in terms of the plan and the full height of the walls,
which was attributed so far to the construction actions of
owners of the stronghold in the early modern period. The
medieval origin also refers to the fortied tower perimeter
of the middle castle and the low zwinger wall. The latter,
probably also representing the type of the so-called fence.
Translated by
Bogusław Setkowicz
16
Compare the article by M. Bogdała and A. Chodkowska, Roun-
del bastion fortications of Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie, in this
issue of “Architectus”.
References
[1] Zemplin A., Beschreibung und Geschichte der Burg Kynsberg im
Schlesierthale des Fürstenthums Schweidnitz bis zum Jahre 1823,
Friedrich Wilhelm Größel, Breslau 1826.
[2] Schubert H., Burg Kinsberg in Schlesien. Beschreibung und
Geschichte derselben nach urkundlichen Material bearbeitet, Ver-
lag von Max Woywod, Breslau 1886.
[3] Rozpędowski J., Zagórze Śląskie – Zamek Grodno, “Zeszyty
Nauko we Politechniki Wrocławskiej. Architektura 2” 1957, Nr 16,
7–32.
[4] Rozpędowski J., Zamek Grodno w Zagórzu Śląskim i zamki Nowy
Dwór, Radosno, Rogowiec, Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich,
Wrocław 1960.
[5] Berduła L., Dokumentacja prac wykopaliskowych przeprowa dzo
nych w Zagórzu Śląskim na zamku Grodno w 1987 r., Wrocław
1987 [manuscript in: Faculty of Architecture, Wro cław University
of Science and Technology].
[6] Ałykow K., Napiórkowska-Ałykow M., Dokumentacja konserwa-
torska. Mury zamku Górnego Zamku Grodno (XIII w.) w miejsco
wości Zagórze Śląskie. Badania architektoniczne, 2012 [manu-
script in: Archiwum Delegatury Wojewódzkiego Urzędu Ochrony
Zabytków, Wałbrzych].
[7] Wartenberg K., Witkowska A., Uzupełniające badania architekto
nicz ne i stratygraczne II i III kondygnacji zamku Grodno w Zagó
rzu Śląskim, gmina Walim, Wrocław 2016 [manuscript in: Archi-
wum Delegatury Dolnośląskiego Wojewódzkiego Konserwatora
Zabytków, Wałbrzych].
[8] Chorowska M., Biel R., Zamek Grodno. Badania architektoniczne
murów domu zamkowego na poziomie drugiego i trzeciego piętra,
Wrocław 2018/2019 [manuscript in: Archiwum Delegatury Dol-
nośląskiego Wojewódzkiego Konserwatora Zabytków, Wałbrzych].
[9] Chorowska M., Rezydencje średniowieczne na Śląsku. Zamki,
pa łace, wieże mieszkalne, Ocyna Wydawnicza PWr, Wrocław
2003.
[10] Chorowska M., Dudziak T., Jaworski K., Kwaśniewski A., Zamki
sudeckie, t. 2: Księstwo jaworskie, Wydawnictwo I-BIS, Wrocław
2001.
[11] Chorowska M., Lasota C., Kamienica mieszczańska w Świdnicy.
Karczma i mieszkanie w XIII–XVIII w., Ocyna Wydawnicza PWr,
Wrocław 2013.
[12] Czettritz-Neuhaus H. v., Geschichte des Geschlechts von Czettritz
und Neuhaus, bearb. V. H. v. Czettritz und Neuhaus, Görlitz 1907.
[13] Landbuch księstw świdnickiego i jaworskiego, wyd. Jurek T., t. 1:
1366–1376, Poznań 2004, t. 2: 1385–1395, Poznań 2000, t. 3:
1396–1407, Poznań 2007.
[14] Małachowicz M., Małachowicz A., Łuniewicz Z., Zamek Grodno
w Za górzu Śląskim. Wyniki badań architektonicznych na zamku gór
nym, Autorska Pracownia Macieja Małachowicza, Wrocław 2019
[manuscript in: Archiwum Delegatury Dolnośląskiego Woje wódz-
kiego Konserwatora Zabytków, Wałbrzych].
[15] Regesten zur schlesischen Geschichte, Bd. 4: 1301–1315, C. Grün-
hagen, K. Wutke, Breslau 1892, Bd. 7: 1334–1337, K. Wutke, Bre-
slau 1923.
[16] Lehns- und Bezitzurkunden Schlesiens und seiner einzelnen Fürsten -
thümer im Mittelalter, C. Grünhagen, H. Markgraf, Bd. 1, Leipzig
1881.
[17] Jurek T., Obce rycerstwo na Śląsku do połowy XIV wieku, Wydaw-
nictwo Poznańskiego Towarzystwa Przyjaciół Nauk, Poznań 1998.
[18] Büsching J.G.G., Die Kinsburg in ihrem gegenwärtigen Zustande
mit Erinnerungen aus dem Fremdenbuch auf derselben, Verlag der
Kunst- und Buchhandlung J.D. Grüson & Comp., Breslau 1827.
[19] Svoboda L., O pláštových hradech, “Archaeologia Historica”
1995, roč. 20, č. [1], 355–388.
[20] Chorowska M., Kudła A., Architektura i historia średniowiecznego
zamku w Miliczu, [in:] M. Chorowska, E. Różycka-Rozpędowska
(red.), Nie tylko zamki. Szkice oarowane profesorowi Jerzemu
Rozpędowskiemu w siedemdziesiątą piątą rocznicę urodzin, Ocy-
na Wydawnicza PWr, Wrocław 2005, 83–96.
[21] Schaetzke V., Schlesische Burgen und Schlösser (Iser, Riesen,
Waldenburgergebirge und Vorberge). Ein Beitrag zur Burgenkunde
mit Abbildungen, Verlag L. Heege, Schweidnitz 1927.
[22] Weber R., Schlesische Schlösser, Bd. 2, Meisenbach Riart & Co.,
Dresden–Breslau 1910.
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century 19
Abstract
Chronology of transformations in Grodno Castle from the 13
th
to the mid-16
th
century
The aim of the article is to present the results of the architectural research on Grodno Castle which was carried out by the author in the years
2017–2019 in cooperation with Radosław Biel and a query of published written sources by Agnieszka Gryglewska. They shed new light on the chro-
nology of transformations in the structures of the upper castle in the period from the end of the 13
th
to around the mid-16
th
century. Contrary to what
has been previously thought, the shape of the upper castle consisting of three wings of buildings with a height of 3–4 storeys was formed in a dierent
way at that time. This was previously attributed to construction actions undertaken in the early modern age. The late-medieval origin also refers to
the tower perimeter of the middle castle and the lower part of the wall protecting the zwinger.
As a result of the conducted studies and eld research, construction actions which were undertaken in the Middle Ages in the upper castle, can
be grouped into three phases that occurred in around 1300, 1350 and 1500. In phase 1, a high perimeter wall with battlements and a hoarding over-
hanging the entrance gate to the castle and a section of the southern wall from the rocky slope and the road running along the River Bystrzyca Valley,
were constructed. The wall climbed a rocky slope, culminating on the eastern side. There, at the highest point of the hill, it formed a square tower in
plan with the same height as its adjacent sections. This fact makes us connect Grodno Castle with the type of the so-called coat castles, relatively rare
in Silesia, but numerous in the territory of Bohemia. The wall surrounded a large courtyard and the rock on which the princely house was built. The
entrance to the castle led from the south-west through a high ogival gate arcade secured with a portcullis.
In around the mid-14
th
century, a long two-winged house was added to the inner side of the defensive wall. It had two storeys and reached half the
height of the present 2
nd
storey of the castle. From the east, the southern wing reached the rock on which the oldest castle building was built. The last
medieval extension probably took place at the beginning of the 16
th
century, due to the fact that the Czetryc family obtained a royal privilege in 1502
and a lucrative customs house in Jedlinka. As a result, the two-storey stone house was transformed into a four-storey stone and brick house, although
some of its internal divisions and the rooms above the kitchen were made of wood. The storeys of the heightened house “climbed onto the rock” on
which the house from phase 1 previously stood and were closed from the north with a thick stone wall. Even further to the north there was a brick
kitchen. The most important room in the house was a magnicent two-storey hall which occupied the entire central part of the southern wing on the
3
rd
storey. Thus, it turned out once again that the scope of construction works which were carried out in the castle in the Middle Ages and the size of
its body turned out to be larger than originally assumed.
Key words: Grodno, castle, Middle Ages, Knights’ Hall
Streszczenie
Chronologia przemian na zamku Grodno od XIII do połowy XVI wieku
Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie wyników badań architektonicznych zamku Grodno przeprowadzonych przez autorkę w latach 2017–2019,
przy współpracy Radosława Biela, oraz kwerendy publikowanych źródeł pisanych przygotowanej przez Agnieszkę Gryglewską. Rzucają one nowe
światło na chronologię przeobrażeń zabudowy górnego zamku w okresie od końca XIII do około połowy XVI w. Inaczej niż dotychczas sądzono,
ukształtowała się wówczas bryła zamku górnego, złożona z trzech skrzydeł zabudowy o wysokości 3–4 kondygnacji, co przypisywano dotąd dzia-
łaniom budowlanym podejmowanym w dobie nowożytnej. Średniowieczną metrykę przypisano także do obwodu basztowego średniego zamku
i dolnej części muru osłaniającego międzymurze.
W wyniku przeprowadzonych studiów i badań terenowych stwierdzono, że działania budowlane podejmowane w średniowieczu na górnym
zamku można pogrupować w trzech fazach zaistniałych ok. 1300 r., ok. 1350 i ok. 1500 r. W pierwszej fazie powstał wysoki mur obwodowy z blan-
kowaniem i hurdycją nadwieszoną nad bramą wjazdową do zamku i odcinkiem muru południowego od strony skalnego zbocza i traktu drożnego
biegnącego doliną rzeki Bystrzycy. Mur wspinał się po skalnym zboczu, osiągając kulminację po stronie wschodniej. Tam, w najwyższym punkcie
wyniesienia formował kwadratową w planie basztę, o tej samej wysokości co przyległe jego odcinki. Stwierdzenie tego faktu każe wiązać zamek
Grodno z typem tzw. zamków płaszczowych, stosunkowo rzadkich na Śląsku, lecz licznych na terenie Czech. Mur opasywał obszerny dziedziniec
i skałę, na której zbudowano książęcy dom. Wjazd do zamku prowadził od południowego zachodu przez wysoką, ostrołuczną arkadę bramną zabez-
pieczoną broną.
Około połowy XIV w. do wewnętrznej strony muru obronnego został dobudowany długi, dwuskrzydłowy dom. Miał on dwie kondygnacje i sięgał
do połowy wysokości obecnego I piętra zamku. Od wschodu skrzydło południowe dobijało do skały, na której wznosił się najstarszy budynek zamko-
wy. Ostatnia średniowieczna rozbudowa nastąpiła zapewne w początkach XVI w., w związku z uzyskaniem przez właścicieli zamku przywileju kró-
lewskiego i lukratywnej komory celnej w Jedlince. W jej efekcie dwukondygnacyjny, kamienny dom został przekształcony w czterokondygnacyjny
dom kamienno-ceglany, choć część jego wewnętrznych podziałów i izby nad kuchnią pozostały wykonane w drewnie. Piętra podwyższonego domu
„weszły na skałę”, na której wcześniej stał dom z I fazy, i zostały zamknięte od północy grubą, kamienną ścianą. Jeszcze dalej na północ znajdowała
się murowana kuchnia. Najważniejszym pomieszczeniem domu była potężna, dwukondygnacyjna aula zajmująca na poziomie II piętra całą środko-
wą część skrzydła południowego. Tym samym po raz kolejny okazało się, że zakres prac budowlanych, jakie prowadzono na zamku w średniowieczu,
i jego bryła były znacznie bardziej rozległe, niż początkowo przypuszczano.
Słowa kluczowe: Grodno, zamek, Middle Ages, Knights’ Hall
Zagórze Śląskie, Grodno Castle.
The gate building of the lower castle
from around 1570.
View of the gable wall to the south-east
(photo by A. Gryglewska, 2021)
Zagórze Śląskie, zamek Grodno.
Budynek bramny dolnego zamku
z około 1570 r.
Widok ściany szczytowej
od południowego wschodu
(fot. A. Gryglewska, 2021)