Jak wyglądał zamek Książ około roku 1300?

Małgorzata Chorowska, Roland Mruczek

doi:10.37190/arc250201

Streszczenie

Tematem artykułu jest najstarsza faza budowlana zamku Książ, która z powodu niejednoznaczności źródeł pisanych i ogromu przekształceń bryłowych tego obiektu jest trudna do jednoznacznego określenia. Autorzy artykułu, na podstawie wyników badań przeprowadzonych w latach 2022 i 2023, pokusili się o próbę odtworzenia początków budowli.

Omówione w artykule badania polegały na dotarciu do najstarszych murów zamku w celu obserwacji użytych materiałów, sposobu ułożenia kamieni, zapraw murarskich, styków i węzłów. Przeprowadzono je w wielu niedostępnych dotąd miejscach: we wnętrzu wieży głównej, na poziomie fundamentowania murów obronnych górnego zamku, w piwnicach pod skrzydłami: północnym i południowym, w szczelinie między górnym zamkiem a XX-wiecznym skrzydłem zachodnim.

W wyniku przeprowadzonych prac potwierdzono, że wieża główna o funkcji bergfriedu z głębokim lochem głodowym mogła powstać najwcześniej w dwóch ostatnich dekadach XIII w. Całkowitą nowością była natomiast konstatacja, że równocześnie z nią lub nieco później wzniesiono mur obwodowy górnego zamku i skrzydło północne – piętrowy budynek o funkcji mieszkalnej, zrośnięty „plecami” z tym murem. Pod nim znajdowała się piwnica piwowarska. Sama rozległość budowli jest przesłanką, że zamek miał stanowić stałą siedzibę książęcą, a nie samotną warownię obsadzoną przez kasztelana. Także czas budowy skrzydła południowego omówiono w nowym kontekście chronologicznym. Jak dotąd uznawane było ono za najstarsze po wieży głównej. Obecnie dzięki przeprowadzonym badaniom architektonicznym można stwierdzić, że było ostatnim etapem rozwoju wczesnej zabudowy zamku, ponieważ z powodu szczupłości dziedzińca usytuowano je po zewnętrznej stronie muru obwodowego, na stromym, niedostępnym zboczu opadającym ku przełomom rzeki Pełcznicy. Jego wyniosła bryła wzmocniona od strony zbocza trzema przyporami miała postać donżonu, czyli obszernej wieży rezydencjalno-obronnej.

W świetle przeprowadzonych badań oraz wzmianek z lat 1290–1293 tytułujących księcia Bolka I Surowego panem na zamku Fürstenberg można potwierdzić funkcję górnego zamku Książ jako rezydencji księcia Bolka I. Monumentalna bryła stała się manifestem władzy Bolka nad księstwem, które będąc dotąd najbiedniejszą częścią Śląska, stało się pod jego rządami najważniejszym tworem politycznym w regionie.

Słowa kluczowe:
śląsk
książ
zamek
średniowiecze
donżon
bergfried

Podgląd pełnego artykułu jest możliwy wyłącznie na większych ekranach.

2025

2(82)

Małgorzata Chorowska*, Roland Mruczek**

What did Książ castle look like around 1300?

DOI: 10.37190/arc250201

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

Abstract

The article is an attempt to recreate the oldest construction phase of the Książ Castle, which, due to the ambiguity of written sources and the enor-

mity of the castle’s structural transformations, is a dicult task. The question of Książ’s origins is crucial both for explaining the origins of castles in

the Sudetes, as well as for Książ’s role in the emerging Duchy of Świdnica-Jawor.

The research discussed in the article focused on uncovering the oldest walls of the castle in order to recognize the materials used, joints and knots.

Our research was carried out in many previously inaccessible places.

As a result, it was conrmed that the main tower with the function of a bergfried with a deep starvation dungeon could have been built no earlier

than in the last two decades of the 13

century. A completely new nding, however, was the observation that at the same time the perimeter wall

of the upper castle and the North Wing were erected – a two-story building with a residential function. There was a brewing cellar beneath it, and

the very size of the building indicates that the castle was intended to be a permanent princely residence. Also, the construction period of the South

Wing was discussed in a new chronological context. Until now, it was considered the oldest after the main tower. Thanks to the architectural studies

carried out, we can now state that the Southern Wing was the last stage of development because it was located on the outside of the perimeter wall,

on a steep, inaccessible slope descending to the gorge of the Pełcznica River. Its towering body, reinforced from the slope with three buttresses, had

the form of a keep.

In the light of our research and the references from years 1290–1293 naming Prince Bolko I Severe as Lord of Fürstenberg Castle, it is possible

to conrm the function of the upper castle of Książ as the residence of Prince Bolko I. Its monumental body became a manifesto of Bolko’s power

over the duchy.

Key words: Silesia, Książ, castle, Middle Ages, donjon, bergfried

Introduction

The subject of this article is the oldest building phase of

the Książ castle, the reconstruction of which is nowadays

a dicult task due to the ambiguity of the written sources

and the enormity of the solid transformations of this cas-

tle. The question of the origins of Książ is crucial both for

explaining the beginnings of castles in the Sudety region,

as well as the role of Książ in the emerging Świdnica-Ja-

wor Principality, in more recent literature referred to as the

Duchy of Fürstenberg (Boguszewicz 2010), i.e., the Duchy

of “Książ”. In order to solve this, it was necessary to recon-

struct the course of the defensive walls and the buildings

that were erected in the castle in the last decades of the 13

and the rst decades of the 14

century. The architectural

research of Książ Castle was carried out from July 2022

to July 2023 by a team of researchers from the Depart-

ment of History of Architecture, Art and Technology at the

Facul ty of Architecture, Wrocław University of Science

and Tech nology, consisting of Małgorzata Chorowska, Ro-

land Mruczek, Agnieszka Gryglewska and Marek Bogdała

(Chorowska et al. 2023).

An imposing structure of the Książ Castle is located in

the Wałbrzych Foothills, some 80 m above the bottom of

the rocky, the Pełcznica River valley, which breaks through

the Foothills here to form the picturesque so-called Książ

Gully. The castle was founded on an elongated rocky prom-

ontory on the right (eastern) bank of the river, at an altitude

of 395 m. The foundation stretches along the east-west axis

and covers the area of approximately 80 × 300 m. On the

* ORCID: 0000-0002-5073-4382. Faculty of Architecture, Wro-

cław University of Science and Technology, Poland, e-mail: malgorzata.

chorowska@pwr.edu.pl

** ORCID: 0000-0003-1866-3147. Faculty of Architecture, Wro -

cław University of Science and Technology, Poland.

4 Małgorzata Chorowska, Roland Mruczek

other side of the Pełcznica River, south of Książ, there was

a second medieval military site – the castle of Stary Książ

(Old Książ). The present-day Książ consists of the upper

and lower castles separated by a deep dry moat carved into

the rock. In the Middle Ages, however, the present upper

castle was divided into two parts, also separated from each

other by a dry moat. They were only joined together in

the 18

century (Fig. 1). The subject of this article is in

fact the oldest and highest-lying part of the present upper

castle within the rst perimeter of the ramparts, although

an understanding of the later architectural transformations

of the castle, especially the construction activities of the

rst decades of the 20

century, was necessary to explain

its shape and metrics.

State of research

This castle, which is currently the largest in Silesia, has

not yet received a scientic study that would explain its

origins. In the most complete work of its kind, the author

attempted to analyse written sources from the 13

–14

century, elements of the buildings and iconographic mate-

rial, but concluded by indicating a very general develop-

ment line of this fortress (Boguszewicz 2010, 262–266).

Among publications of a scientic and popular science

nature, there have been valuable items in terms of con-

tent, but they do not address the subject of medieval castle

development (Dudziak, Woch 2020). In their discussions

of the younger architecture, post-war authors generally re-

lied on pre-war monographers of the castle, such as Eze -

chiel Zi

vier (1909), who had access to written sources,

now mostly unpreserved. That is why there was such

an urgent need for a study of the castle’s earliest history

based on architectural studies of the walls themselves, the

materials used in them, the way the stones were laid in the

face, the joints and junctions. This type of analysis has

the value of basic research and provides material sources.

The rst work of this kind was carried out on the upper

castle in the 1960s by the Wrocław branch of the Monu-

ments Conservation Workshop (Pracownie Konserwacji

Fig. 1. Książ Castle divided into upper, middle and lower parts according to the numerical terrain model

(elaborated by P. Błoniewski, M. Chorowska, source: Chorowska et al. 2023, 3)

Il. 1. Zamek Książ z podziałem na człony górny, średni i dolny na numerycznym modelu terenu

(oprac. P. Błoniewski, M. Chorowska, źródło: Chorowska et al. 2023, 3)

 WhatdidKsiążcastlelooklikearound1300? 5

Zabytków – PKZ), but the resulting chronological strat-

ication of the walls of the rst oor and, in particular,

of the former cellar under the northern wing was awed

(Pilch 2005, 381). Despite the obvious characteristics of

the mortars used, they were considered to be Renaissance.

In fact, the walls of the cellars in question conceal re-

lics of at least four building phases – from the 13

to the

century.

Methods

Architectural investigations of the upper castle were

carried out wherever access to the medieval and modern

walls was possible, especially unplastered walls. In ex-

ceptional cases, it was decided to expose the face of the

walls from under the plaster and to examine the joints and

junctions. The work started with a total station inventory

of the cellar rooms in the northern wing, at the level of

the 1

oor, and a photogrammetric inventory of the two

elevations (north and south) of the oldest part of the upper

castle, carried out as part of a summer workshop of stu-

dents of the Faculty of Architecture at Wrocław University

of Science and Technology in July 2022.

The following areas of the upper castle were sur-

veyed:

1. The main tower.

The perimeter of the defensive wall through the 20

century cellars under the baroque eastern bay (storey –1)

3. The

gap between the upper castle and the western

bay from 1909–1923 (storey +1).

4. Former cellars under the north wing (storey +2) with

façade facing the north courtyard.

5. The basement of the south wing (storey +1).

6. The alcove under the ceiling of storey 3 with relics of

the former castle kitchen.

Results

Themaintower

The tower was built on one of the two rock outcrops

that gave rise to the upper castle (Fig. 2). It was built on

a roughly square plan measuring 10.5 × 11.5 m. Due to the

thickness of the walls of 3.2–3.4 m and the height of the

inner shaft (from the rock to the outcrop of about 11 m and

above, to the next outcrop of 7 m), it can be said that it was

a typical nal defence tower with a hunger dungeon, the

so-called bergfried. Above this was a vaulted chamber to

enable the ducal family to survive a siege, and above this

was an open or roofed defence platform for the guards. The

total height of the medieval tower was over 25 m.

In the Middle Ages there was one entrance to the tower

leading from the courtyard to the level of the present 4

oor

. As it was at a height of about 10 m, it must have

been accessible via a ladder-like external staircase. The

entrance itself, still marked on the castle plan of 1719 with

Nowadays, it can also be accessed from the 4

oor level of the

Baroque bay, which was used to enclose the tower in the 2

half of the

century.

its stonework and glyph, was demolished as part of the

great castle reconstruction of 1909–1923, and a wide, semi -

circular

recess was formed in its place. The entrance led

up to the level of the lower recess, into a vestibule-like

room. Below this was the hunger dungeon, and above this

was the duke’s chamber used as a shelter during a siege.

Connectivity between levels had to be provided by ladders

or wooden stairs.

The chamber had an area of 16 m

, larger than the dun-

geon at the bottom of the tower. It was covered from above

with a stone vault. It protected the inhabitants from re,

which could have penetrated from above, from the level of

the terrace for defenders and guards. Until the 16

century,

Fig. 2. Książ Castle – cross-section (E–W) through the final defence

tower with chronological stratification of walls:

1 – preserved walls from 1280–1300,

2 – reconstructed walls from 1280–1300,

3 – preserved walls from 1580–1650,

4 – reconstructed walls from 1580–1650, 5 – walls from 1670–1725,

6 – walls from 1860–1945 (elaborated by M. Chorowska,

drawing by M. Noszczyk, source: Chorowska et al. 2023, 5)

Il. 2. Zamek Książ – przekrój (W-Z) przez wieżę ostatecznej obrony

z rozwarstwieniem chronologicznym murów:

1 – zachowane mury z 1280–1300,

2 – rekonstruowane mury z 1280–1300,

3 – zachowane mury z 1580–1650,

4 – rekonstruowane mury z 1580–1650, 5 – mury z 1670–1725,

6 – mury z 1860–1945 (oprac. M. Chorowska, rys. M. Noszczyk,

źródło: Chorowska et al. 2023, 5)

6 Małgorzata Chorowska, Roland Mruczek

this was the only vault in the tower

. Light reached the in-

terior through small window openings. No relics of heating

appliances were observed in the chamber; perhaps portable

appliances were used.

Defensivewallunderthebaroqueeasternbay

The purpose of the prospecting of the eastern cellar

rooms, located on storey –1, was to nd the remains of

the upper castle perimeter wall (Fig. 3). This wall was

characterised by a stone construction bonded by lime mor-

tar with an admixture of clay sand, which was the reason

for its characteristic yellow-brown colour. The medieval

mortar in the Książ castle diered from modern mortars

by its much darker colour, the presence of large lumps of

lime and its greater cohesiveness. It was therefore easily

The vaults above the I and II oors, were introduced into the

space of the main dungeon in the 16

century, when it no longer fullled

its original function. Both are examples of cradle and cross vaults; the

upper one has clearly marked seams on the edges of the vaults.

distinguishable from 17

/18

century mortars, which had

a ne texture and a light beige colour. This formed the ba-

sis of the chronological stratication of the castle walls.

In the basement room to the south-east, relics of a me-

dieval perimeter wall were found in the wall that enclosed

this room to the north. The easternmost section of this wall

entered under the Baroque foundation of the front wall of

the castle and turned north, giving rise to the 17

-century

wall that preceded the construction of the façade avant-

corps with the Maximilian Hall. It was therefore conclud-

ed that the castle’s oldest perimeter wall did not follow to

the east as far as the now visible moat separating the upper

castle from the lower castle (MOAT 2), but ended in front

of a natural depression in the ground, or a moat carved into

the rock by which the upper castle was separated from the

middle castle (MOAT 1). The minimum depth of this moat

is marked by the lowest position of the south-east corner of

the Baroque extension of the castle, made before the end of

the 17

century (Fig. 4).

The search for relics of the medieval perimeter wall carried

out in the cellar room on the north-east side of the baroque

Fig. 3. Książ Castle – basement projection (storey –1) with chronological stratification of walls within the range of the baroque front tract:

1 – preserved wall from the last decades of the 13

century, 2 – reconstructed course of this wall, 5 – walls from the 17

century,

6 – walls from 1860–1945, 7 – rock (elaborated by M. Chorowska, drawing by M. Noszczyk, source: Chorowska et al. 2023, 6)

Il. 3. Zamek Książ – rzut piwnic (kondygnacja –1) z rozwarstwieniem chronologicznym murów w zasięgu barokowego traktu frontowego:

1 – zachowany mur z ostatnich dekad XIII w., 2 – rekonstruowany przebieg tego muru, 5 – mury z XVII w., 6 – mury z 1860–1945, 7 – skała

(oprac. M. Chorowska, rys. M. Noszczyk, źródło: Chorowska et al. 2023, 6)

 WhatdidKsiążcastlelooklikearound1300? 7

extension was unsuccessful. Where it was expected to be

present, i.e., in the south-east corner of the north basement,

only the corner of the associated modern walls was discov-

ered. Deep in the corner was a 20

-century canal, which

had been cut through the older relics. The absence of the

medieval foundation was very telling. It showed that the

medieval perimeter must have curved westwards at about

the height of the north-west corner of the main tower and

that no passage was left between it and the defensive wall.

The courtyard of the upper castle could only be accessed

on the south side, under re from the tower.

Defensivewallinthegapbetween

theuppercastleandtherear(west)bay,1909–1923

The reason for bricking up the gap entrance was to reach

the base of the western section of the defensive wall. The

ssure ranged in width from about 1 m at the bottom to

2 m below the ground oor ceiling. It was divided, over

a length of 14–15 m, by transverse walls into three sepa-

rate, unconnected chambers (Fig. 5). The southern cham-

ber, located just o the fan staircase leading from the pre -

sent ground oor to the ground oor, was investigated.

A technical inspection hole located about 2 m above the

ground oor level was opened. This opening, the size

of a window and sealed with a brick sectional arch, was

bricked up by a workman leaving the gap with a brick and

a half wall. Inside, the foundation of a medieval perim-

eter wall was encountered. The wall at a level 1.5 m be-

low the ceiling above the ground oor of the west wing

formed a shelf about 0.80 m wide. The wall below was an

escarpment of the bedrock on which the upper castle was

built. It was built of broken stone, obtained from a local de-

posit, in a layered pattern with lime mortar. The side walls

of the chamber and the wall separating it from the corridor

of the west wing were built between 1909 and 1923, partly

in stone and partly in demolition brick and 20

-century

machine-made brick.

Perhaps the gap left between the rock on which the up-

per castle rose and the added bay was due to problems with

Fig. 5. Książ Castle – inventory

of the closed room (“gap”)

between the defence wall and the

West Wing: 1 – projection of

the room, 2 – cross-section C-C,

3 – cross-section A-A with view

of the defence wall,

4 – hypsometry of the defence wall

(scanning and elaborated by

M. Bogdała,

source: Chorowska et al. 2023,

9–12)

Il. 5. Zamek Książ – inwentaryzacja

zamkniętego pomieszczenia

(„szczeliny”) między murem

obronnym a skrzydłem zachodnim:

1 – rzut pomieszczenia,

2 – przekrój C-C,

3 – przekrój A-A z widokiem

na mur obronny,

4 – hipsometria muru obronnego

(skan. i oprac. M. Bogdała,

źródło: Chorowska et al. 2023,

9–12

Fig. 4. Castle Książ as it stood before 1694, with the division

into upper, middle and lower parts added. The defensive wall

surrounding the whole establishment is the younger fortified circuit.

The older wall was obscured by the buildings of the upper castle

(elaborated by M. Chorowska, drawing by M. Noszczyk,

based on Grundmann 1982, Fig. 208)

Il. 4. Zamek Książ według stanu sprzed 1694 r. z dodanym podziałem

na człony górny, średni i dolny. Mur obronny otaczający całość założe-

nia jest młodszym obwodem warownym. Starszy mur przesłoniła

zabudowa górnego zamku (oprac. M. Chorowska, rys. M. Noszczyk,

na podstawie Grundmann 1982, il. 208)

8 Małgorzata Chorowska, Roland Mruczek

This is evidenced by the way in which the three cellar win-

dow openings were built, of which only the splayed lin-

tels and, in one case, a fragment of the splayed reveal has

survived. They were certainly primary and not secondarily

pierced, which means that they were planned and executed

already during the construction of the perimeter wall. The

gable wall enclosing this wing to the east at basement level

is medieval, constructed of stone and attached to the ram-

part

. The stone outer face of this wall shows consistently

applied levelling layers extending upwards to the level of

the ceiling above the present 3

storey, the original 1

oor

of the north wing. Obviously, this wall is punctuated by the

Renaissance and Baroque window openings. The lack of

medieval windows, apart from the cellar windows

, is to be

explained by the fact that this was the exterior elevation of

the castle (Fig. 6) exposed to military action and, in addi-

tion, the north elevation, so the large openings were prob-

ably on the courtyard side. The small medieval windows

may have disappeared when they were replaced by younger

and larger ones. Experience suggests that such actions were

the norm. A noticeable modern intervention in the structure

of the north wing’s façade was an oriel window with a win-

dow and the date “1580”, as well as three windows in fas-

cia stone frames with identical proles to the oriel window.

Two of them, located to the east of the bay window, illumi-

nated the four-arched staircase built into the north wing at

the time. With regard to the lack of traces of the medieval

toilet oriels, which are generally found on the northern ele-

vations of the residential wings, it can be hypothesised that,

as in the castle in Jawor, they were replaced by more con-

venient latrine towers. The photogrammetric image of this

elevation shows, more or less in the middle, the remains of

some kind of masonry stone structure, which would have

corresponded in dimensions to these types of towers. This

structure must have been demolished before the reconstruc-

tion of the north wing in 1580.

On the subject of the castle cellars under the north wing,

it should be recalled that they lled in the hollow between

the two rock culminations, the east and west. The west-

ern culmination is still preserved very high today. At its

highest point, it reaches to the level of the ceiling above

the mezzanine oor, between the contemporary 2

and 3

storeys. Translating this into the realities of the 13

to 14

century, we can say that it protruded by about 2.0 m above

the level of the courtyard at that time

. The north wing was

In the case of the stone walls, the jointing at the corners was car-

ried out by means of so-called stirrups extending from the previously

masoned wall every 1.0–2.0 m. No such stirrups were observed on the

section of the corner of the north wing available for study, but the mortar

joints in the defensive wall and the gable wall of the north house were

similar to each other and unstained with soil. Earth staining would have

to have occurred if the construction of the defensive wall and cellars had

been staggered over a longer period of time.

Thick stone sills were inserted into the cellar windows in the 20

century, probably as part of the 1909–1923 reconstruction. During the

Nazi reconstruction of 1943, combined with the demolition of the cra-

dle vault of the main eastern cellar, the window recesses and reveals

disappeared.

The same situation is encountered at Grodno Castle, where the

high cli, at the end of the castle opposite the entrance, reaches the level

of the 1

oor.

its surface, sloping down and forming irregular shelves

and kinks. It is possible that the presence of the gap was

the result of the external eld stairs that were left in place

in the 17

century to provide communication between the

upper castle and the terraces established on the west side

of the castle. This stair, estimated to be 1.5–2.0 m wide,

connected the upper level of the 16

-century castle kitchen

(at mezzanine level between the present oors 2 and 3) and

the medieval cellar under the north wing. Both the kitchen

and the staircase can be seen in many engravings showing

the castle from the west.

Formercellarsunderthenorthwing

Research into the cellars under the northern wing of-

fered the best chance of explaining the medieval building

history of the castle. In the 1960s, these cellars were identi-

ed as Renaissance, which disturbed the proper view of the

origins of Książ for many years, as it focused researchers’

attention exclusively on the south wing with its trefoil win-

dows in the arcades. The thesis of the 16

-century origins

of the north wing seemed to be in line with the meaning

of the references to the oldest documented building work

carried out on the castle between 1548 and 1555, which

was linked to it, and with elevations in the “Renaissance

style” (Zivier 1909, 12).

Meanwhile, an analysis of the cellars under the northern

wing and the northern section of the defensive wall shows

that these investments were carried out at a similar time.

Fig. 6. Książ Castle. Photogrammetry of the elevation of the north house

in the upper castle, as seen from the north courtyard.

The elevation is marked with levelling layers, which show the extent

to which the medieval parts of the perimeter wall have been preserved

(elaborated by M. Bogdała, M. Noszczyk,

source: Chorowska et al. 2023, 14)

Il. 6. Zamek Książ. Fotogrametria elewacji domu północnego

na górnym zamku, widziana od strony dziedzińca północnego.

Na elewacji zaznaczono warstwy wyrównawcze, które pokazują

zakres zachowania średniowiecznych partii muru obwodowego

(oprac. M. Bogdała, M. Noszczyk,

źródło: Chorowska et al. 2023, 14)

 WhatdidKsiążcastlelooklikearound1300? 9

about 25 m long at basement and ground oor level and

hit the rock, and as much as 36 m at the level of the then

oor, as it “climbed” the rock and leaned against the west-

ern section of the defensive wall. On the north-eastern

side, however, an undeveloped space was left between it

and the main tower.

The cellars consisted of two barrel vaulted chambers

and a corridor connecting them – a ramp for transporting

beer barrels (Fig. 7). Their brewing function is indicat-

ed by the presence of a small portal at the entrance to

the western chamber, demolished in 1909–1923. One of

its reveals was undercut and splayed at a certain height

to facilitate the transport of beer barrels. From the area

of nearby Świdnica, dozens of such portals are known

to have been preserved in the cellars and ground oors

of burgher houses in the Old Town. The connotation of

these forms with brewing is indisputable (Chorowska,

Lasota 2013, 68, 69, Fig. 23, XIII). The upper section

of the ramp overlooked the castle courtyard about half-

way up the wing. The cellar chambers were vaulted with

a barrel vault, as was the inner corridor connecting them.

Nowadays, only the barrel vault in the central part of it

is preserved. The barrel vault in the eastern chamber was

Fig. 7. Książ Castle. Chronological stratification of the walls of the upper castle at the level of the former cellars (present 1

floor):

1 – preserved walls from 1280–1300, 2 – reconstructed walls from 1280–1300, 3 – preserved walls from 1580–1650,

4 – reconstructed walls from 1580–1650, 5 – walls from 1670–1725, 6 – walls from 1860–1945, 7 – rock

(elaborated by M. Chorowska, drawing by M. Noszczyk, source: Chorowska et al. 2023, 15)

Il. 7. Zamek Książ. Rozwarstwienie chronologiczne murów górnego zamku na poziomie dawnych piwnic (obecne I piętro):

1 – zachowane mury z 1280–1300, 2 – rekonstruowane mury z 1280–1300, 3 – zachowane mury z 1580–1650,

4 – rekonstruowane mury z 1580–1650, 5 – mury z 1670–1725, 6 – mury z 1860–1945, 7 – skała

(oprac. M. Chorowska, rys. M. Noszczyk, źródło: Chorowska et al. 2023, 15)

demolished in 1943, when the 1

oor of the castle was

adapted as Hitler’s quarters.

The western chamber was completely demolished

during the reconstruction of 1909–1923 and, were it not

for the archival inventory of the cellars

, showing the plan

from before the last reconstruction, it would be very dif-

cult to decipher its original layout. The remains of the

basement vault are barely outlined on the rock wall that

bounded it to the south, and remnants of vaulting can be

seen in the gaps on either side of the transport corridor. The

present, collectively vaulted western chamber was hewn

out of the rock and shaped after the medieval castle cellars

in the reconstruction of 1909–1923. It is very likely that in

the Middle Ages there was only a passage (porch) running

right past the defensive wall, as the recesses of another

two medieval windows or embrasures are preserved in it

In addition to enlarging the cellar chamber and moving it

towards the west, which could only have been done af-

Although this plan bears the date 1943, it is conspicuously added

to the sheet along with other annotations, a dierent type of lettering

than the primary inscriptions.

With the sills also replaced.

10 Małgorzata Chorowska, Roland Mruczek

ter the rock there had been pinned down, the communica-

tion in the north-west corner of the castle was also rebuilt,

namely connected

to the winding staircase built between

1909 and 1923.

The connection between the cellars under the north wing and the

kitchen and courtyards on the west side of the castle must have been in

place at least since the new external castle kitchen was built, i.e., from

the mid-17

century. It is not shown on the 1943 plan, probably because

it was no longer needed after the dismantling of the external chateau

kitchen in the 19

century. The kitchen was moved to the ground oor of

the north wing, in place of the present Conrad Hall. Also not shown on

the plan is the spiral staircase connecting the basement level (the current

+1 storey with the mezzanine oor in the western section – the current

+2 storey), and this staircase dates from the 1909–1923 reconstruction.

Thecellarsofthesouthwing

It was a three-storey building situated on the southern

rock slope, on the outer side of the upper castle wall (Fig. 8).

From the beginning, it was supported by three massive but-

tresses built of broken stone, which were added on around

1866

and connected by two semicircular arcades. Accord-

ing to Zivier, the narrow south wing was built after 1509,

when Książ became the pledge property of the Hoberg

family (Zivier 1909, 8). Józef Pilch (2005, 381) dated the

south wing at the level of the Crooked Hall (the present 2

storey of the castle) to the 13

century. This metric is con-

rmed by two small, trefoil window openings, which can be

seen below the arcades joining the buttresses of the terrace

at this hall. These windows illuminated the lower storey of

the wing, which, due to its location below the level of the

castle’s lower courtyard, should be called the cellar. They

have long attracted the attention of researchers with their

form characteristic of the last decades of the 13

century or

the rst decades of the 14

century

. This would indicate

a link between the south wing and the investment activities

of the Dukes Bolko I or Bernard. However, while supporting

this early dating, attention should be drawn to the specic

relationship between the building and the defensive wall of

the upper castle, clearly indicating that it was added to the

perimeter wall from the outside (sic!). This was contrary to

the accepted principles of defence, as it did not ensure the

safety of the inhabitants. The building could not have been

contemporaneous with either the main tower of the castle,

the perimeter wall itself or the north wing attached to it, but

was younger than them. Perhaps the secret of its location lay

in the thinness of the upper plateau enclosed by the fortied

perimeter, which had to accommodate the north building

and even a minimal courtyard. The latter took on a lenticular

form over time and the name of the Black Courtyard.

Theoutercastlekitchen

Its remains are hidden in the wing from 1909–1923,

added to the upper castle on the west side. They are lo-

cated just below the level of the ceiling above the present

storey (former ground oor) and appear in the form of

a 156 cm thick section of brick wall, added at right angles

to the castle wall (Fig. 9). In the wall there is a semicircular

vaulted opening. The height of the bricks used (6.5–7 cm)

and the character of the mortar – quite hard, ne-grained,

light beige in colour – indicate that this wall was built in

the 17

century. The metrics and location of the wall cor-

respond well with the building of the external castle kitch-

en, present in the iconography of Książ since the time of

its oldest preserved representation, i.e., since 1694. They

also show a passage through the castle’s perimeter wall,

which we found vis-à-vis the castle kitchen. A plan of the

castle dated 1719 further shows that the kitchen hearth was

located in the western, low-lying part of the kitchen, while

Such a date is inscribed on the cusp of one of the arcades.

Due to windows analogous in form in such dendrochronologi-

cally dated buildings as the castle in Bolków (1289/1290) and the resi-

dential tower in Siedlęcin (1314).

Fig. 8. Książ Castle. Photogrammetry of the elevation

of the south house/donjon in the upper plan of the castle,

view from the south. The three massive buttresses stabilising

the building were connected by an arcade in 1866.

The letters A and B indicate the position of the three-winged windows

under the arcades (photo and elaborated by M. Bogdała, 2022,

source: Chorowska et al. 2023, 17, 18)

Il. 8. Zamek Książ. Fotogrametria elewacji domu/donżonu

południowego na górnym zamku, widziana od południa.

Trzy potężne przypory stabilizujące budynek

zostały połączone arkadami w 1866 r.

Litery A i B wskazują położenie trójlistnych okienek pod arkadami

(oprac. i fot. M. Bogdała, 2022, źródło: Chorowska et al. 2023, 17, 18)

 WhatdidKsiążcastlelooklikearound1300? 11

the part by the perimeter wall was located at a higher level.

Many depictions also show a stairway annex leading from

the level of the upper kitchen to the western terraces locat-

ed at the foot of the castle. The aforementioned semi-cir-

cularly vaulted opening may have been a passage from

the kitchen to the stair annex. Descending to the terraces,

one

passed the entrance leading to the basement level un-

der the north wing, which served as a larder. This entrance,

1 m wide and framed by a simple sandstone surround with

a brick segmental relieving arch, was bricked up between

1909 and 1923. The one we discovered on the +2 storey

provides further evidence of the dating of the kitchen and

its functional relationship to the basement larder.

Castle construction phases in the Middle Ages

The architectural survey of Książ castle carried out in

the years 2022–2023, despite its fragmentary nature, al-

lowed a solid reconstruction of the oldest buildings in the

upper castle, shedding light on the relative chronology of

the growth of these buildings and allowing an attempt to

place them in time – in the last two decades of the 13

early 14

century.

Phase1(lastquarterofthe13

century)

The oldest masonry building in the upper castle was the

tower of the nal defence, the so-called bergfried. Regarding

its metric, one can only comment on the basis of compara-

tive studies with analogous assumptions from Central and

Eastern Europe, especially from the Thuringian, Hessian and

Saxon regions. Taking into account the quadrilateral plan

and the vertical disposition with a deep shaft of the hunger

dungeon, it would fall at the earliest in the last decades

the 13

century (Mruczek 2018, 116, 117), i.e., during the

reign of the Duke of Silesia Henry IV Probus (1270–1290)

or the Duke of Świdnica Bolko I (1291–1301)

. On the

basis of architectural research, it is not possible to state

clearly whether the defensive walls and the basement north

wing

were erected together with the tower, or whether it was

located within the timber and earth ramparts with which

the natural defences of the narrow rocky promontory were

strengthened, as later reconstructions broke the stratigraphic

continuity of these elements with the tower.

Thus, either at the same time as the tower, or a little

later, two connected structures were built – the perimeter

wall of the upper castle and the house – a two-storey res-

idential building, fused “with its back” to this wall. From

our observations to date, it is not clear what material was

used to build the wall of the house on the courtyard side

The rst conrmed mention of Książ – Vorstinburg – dates from

1288 (Codex Diplomaticus… 1886, 107). In 1291–1293, Duke Bol -

ko I the Strict moved his seat from Lwówek to Książ, which is conrmed

by the seal with the inscription BolkodeigratiaduxSlesienetdominus

deWrstenberc (Schlesisches Urkundenbuch 1997, no. 91, 94) and the

mention Herzog Boleslaus von Fürstenberg, der Bruder Heinrichs V

(Codex Diplomaticus… 1886, 133).

On the second-oor level, there are museum rooms there and

there is no opportunity for research. The gable wall of the house was

probably made of stone.

It cannot be ruled out that the above-ground part of the

house had a mixed construction of masonry and timber,

stone, wood and clay. It should be noted that the basic func-

tional and spatial programme of the bergfried castle con-

sisting of the ramparts, the tower and the dwelling house

was

completed at this stage. There was a stone cellar under

the house, and the sheer extent of the building is an indica-

tion that the castle may have been a ducal seat rather than

a solitary mountain stronghold manned by a ducal castel-

lan. In the light of the references from 1290–1293 naming

Duke Bolko I as lord of Fürstenberg Castle, the upper limit

of this phase of castle development seems to have been

determined. However, the attribution of the castle to Henry

IV Probus, who in the late 1270s showed great interest in

the settlement areas in the Świebodzice area, cannot still be

ruled out (Boguszewicz 2010, 116).

The ramparts enclosed an enclosure similar in plan to

a strongly elongated polygon measuring 20 × 70 m. It was

stretched along an east-west axis, with two thirds of its

length occupied by a trough-shaped plateau sloping slight-

ly towards the east, and the remaining third of its length

occupied by a slope with a steeper slope, eventually turn-

ing into a moat. The tower was erected at the break of the

slope of the plateau. From here it guarded the only passage

from the lower, economic eastern part to the higher west-

ern part, centred around the main courtyard.

Phase2(4

decadeofthe13

–1

decade

ofthe14

century)

The southern wing was erected at the next stage of the

development, and its location – a steep, inaccessible slope

descending towards the gorges of the Pełcznica River, on

the outer side of the peripheral wall – must have deter-

mined the defensive, tower-like character of this build-

ing. Its lofty bulk, reinforced from the side of the slope

Il. 9. Książ Castle in view from the north-west,

intaglio by Huber according to a drawing by Theodor Blätterbauer

(published by Carl Flemming, 1885–1888;

source: from the collection of P. Siemko)

Il. 9. Zamek Książ w widoku z północnego zachodu,

staloryt Hubera według rysunku Theodora Blätterbauera

(wyd. Carl Flemming, 1885–1888; źródło: ze zbiorów P. Siemko)

12 Małgorzata Chorowska, Roland Mruczek

with three strong buttresses, took the form of a donjon,

i.e., a majestic residential and defence tower. The time

of construction, dated by the form of the trefoil windows

(1289/1290–1314), very probably points to the attribution

to the “Duke of Silesia, Lord of Książ”, Bolko I, who in the

years 1293–1301 enjoyed his greatest political successes.

Phase3(14

–15

centuries)

On the rocky ridge to the north of the main castle were

built the middle and lower bailey included in the lower

perimeter of the defensive walls reinforced with towers

and separated from each other by a moat 2. In the lower

castle, the presence of another cylindrical defensive tow-

er of the bergfried type should be noted. Its lowest room

was covered with a stone dome, which indicates the pos-

sibility of a very early metric date for this building, not

excluding the 1

half of the 13

century (Mruczek 2018,

116, 117)

. Certainly, Książ was already a formidable for-

And attributed to Duke Henry the Bearded, who located villages

in the vicinity of Szczawno and was therefore interested in the presence

of a centre of ducal power in the area. This could be conrmed by fu-

ture archaeological research carried out in the area of the lower castle in

Książ or in the Old Książ, but so far this has not been conrmed (Bo-

guszewicz 2010, 116). However, there are known cases, such as Chojnik,

where the chronologically older tower was located on the lower castle

site rather than on the highest rocky uplift.

Fig. 10. Książ Castle. Cross-section

hrough the upper castle and

building plans at the former

ground floor level

(now a mezzanine between

the 2

and 3

floors):

I – main tower,

II – north wing,

III – south wing.

The colour markings under

the cross-section show

the phases of the build-up:

1 – preserved walls from 1280–1300,

2 – reconstructed walls from

1280–1300,

3 – preserved walls from 1580–1650,

4 – extent of development

from 1580–1650,

5 – extent of development

from 1670–1725,

6 – extent of development

from 1860–1945,

7 – rock

(elaborated by M. Chorowska,

drawn M. Noszczyk,

source: Chorowska et al. 2023, 22)

Il. 10. Zamek Książ.

Przekrój przez górny zamek

i rzuty budynków na poziomie

dawnego parteru (obecnie półpiętro

między 2. i 3. kondygnacją):

I – wieża główna,

II – skrzydło północne,

III – skrzydło południowe.

Kolory pokazują fazy zabudowy:

1 – zachowane mury z 1280–1300,

2 – rekonstruowane mury

z 1280–1300,

3 – zachowane mury z 1580–1650,

4 – zabudowa z 1580–1650,

5 – zabudowa z 1670–1725,

6 – zabudowa z 1860–1945,

7 – skała

(oprac. M. Chorowska,

rys. M. Noszczyk,

źródło: Chorowska et al. 2023, 22)

III

 WhatdidKsiążcastlelooklikearound1300? 13

Fig. 11. Książ Castle visualised circa 1300.

View from the south-east

(elaborated by P. Lipczyńska acc. to M. Chorowska,

source: Zamki i dwory obronne Śląska [2025])

Il. 11. Zamek Książ na wizualizacji stanu około 1300 r.

Widok od strony południowo-wschodniej

(oprac. P. Lipczyńska według M. Chorowskiej,

źródło: Zamki i dwory obronne Śląska [2025])

tress in the 2

half of the 15

century, as evidenced by

the fact that King Matthias Corvinus survived the siege

of the castle in 1475. The lower castle, however, has not

been the subject of current research. Within the recognised

areas of the upper castle, no signicant building transfor-

mations have been recorded, at most the reconstructions

necessary after the war episodes in which the 15

century

abounded.

Summary

In the light of the architectural research carried out on

the upper castle, it is possible to reconstruct with a fair

degree of probability the lump structure of Książ from the

end of the 13

century. At that time, it was an impressive

structure, which on the small area of a narrow rock ridge

accommodated a huge free-standing bergfried, defensive

walls, a high and long dwelling house walled in to the

northern section of the peripheral wall and a monumental

tower palace – donjon, erected for lack of space on the

external side of the walls and supported by three strong

buttresses (Fig. 11). The rich architectural programme of

Książ surpassed many of the capital’s strongholds, such as

Jawor, Świdnica, Opole, Głogów, giving way at best to the

main residence of the Piast dynasty in Wrocław. Even if the

founding idea of one of the Dukes of Wrocław named Hen-

ry was behind the origins of Książ, which cannot be ruled

out, it served as the permanent residence of Bolko I the

Strict in the last decade of the 13

century. After the erec-

tion of the donjon on the southern slope of the Pełcznica

gorge, its monumental mass became an architectural mani-

festo of Bolko’s power over the principality, which, so far

being the poorest part of Silesia, became under his rule the

most important political entity in the region. It was perfect-

ly visible from the nearby Old Książ, a fortress located on

the other side of the Pełcznica gorge. The latter was dated

to the Great Moravian period (mid-9

–10

century), after

which the extinct fortress was renovated in the 2

half of

the 13

century. At one end of the fortress a stone-walled

castle was built, and at the widening other end – extensive

bailey walls and moats (Boguszewicz 2010, 116, 117). In

the ruins of Old Książ, however, the presence of medieval

walls of similar extent to those conrmed in Książ proper,

in the upper castle, has not been established. Perhaps in ac-

cordance with the pronunciation of the old name of Książ

Vorstinburg and according to the suggestions of former re-

searchers, a populous proto-urban centre – burgum – func-

tioned there at the end of the 13

century, which, however,

after the death of Bolko I could not withstand the competi-

tion with nearby Świebodzice and collapsed.

The location of the south wing outside the castle’s de-

fensive wall was contrary to the basic principles of fortress

construction in the 13

–14

centuries. In Silesia, the rst

examples of this type of action were thought to have be-

gun in the 15

century. Examples from Silesia include the

so-called Dom Kobiet (Women’s House) in Bolków cas-

tle from the 4

quarter of the 15

century, or the tower

palace in the Gryf castle, added from the outside to the

defensive wall of the upper part of the fortress around the

middle of the 16

century. A slightly dierent case would

be the residential donjon at Malbork Castle, built as part of

the Palace of the Grand Masters between 1380 and 1385

(Hermann 2023, 63). The main motive for going beyond

the outline of the Middle Castle was, it seems, the need

for representation and prestige of the building, which, on

the Nogat river side, gained a monumental expression with

a machicolated porch and corner towers. It is safe to say

that, similarly, the case of Książ was unique and must have

resulted from some special considerations. It correspond-

ed with the titulary of Duke Bolko I and his successors,

referring to themselves as dominusdeFürstenberg even

when the titular Książ remained outside their area of rule

(Boguszewicz 2010, 262, 263).

Translatedby

JanUrbanik

Acknowledgements

ThisarticlewasrealisedwithfundingfromtheNationalProgrammefor