Details’ wandering – transformations of architectural details and sgraffito of Grodno castle in Zagórze Śląskie

2021

4(68)

DOI: 10.37190/arc210406

Teresa Dziedzic*

Details’ wandering – transformations of architectural details

and sgraffito of Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie

Introduction

The modern, 16

-century portals have long been wo-

ven into the architecture of the castle in Zagórze Śląskie,

to a large extent inuencing the perception of the entire

monument. Their location, form and relocation, anastylo-

sis and reconstruction related to the destruction and subse-

quent repairs of the castle, which took place at the end of

the 19

and 20

centuries, have an impact on the present

appearance of the monument. Portals as an architectural

detail correspond to the human scale, catch the eye and

attract attention with their form, ornament and content of

the representations.

The article presents architectural research aimed at

chronological stratication of the structure of portals, de-

termination of building techniques and materials used in

the individual phases of modernization and conservation

works at the castle. The research makes it possible to iden-

tify and evaluate the historic substance. The attempted

analysis will allow for the determination of research and

conservation priorities. Such a solution is essential due to

the relocation of portals, changes in their form and numer-

ous additions and modications.

Modern reconstruction

and conservation works

at Grodno Castle

The modern reconstruction of Grodno Castle in the

half of the 16

century was associated with one of

the most powerful and inuential Silesian families – von

Logau (Matthäus [Matthias] der Ältere and his sons Kas-

par, Georg). Its representatives held the highest oces

in Silesia (staroste, bishop, general staroste), aspired to

princely honours – implementing unfullled plans to have

a principality. It was a Catholic family closely related

to the Habsburgs, living on friendly terms with Protes-

tants. Decorating the castle with rich stonework is asso

ciated with the period when it belonged to the Georg von

Logau family. Matthias der Ältere had already made an

investment in the castle, he handed over the castle to

Georg, who probably nished the initiated works, de-

scribed in the urbarium in 1595, with debts (after: [1,

p. 310]). After his death in 1596, the castle and its goods

passed into the hands of Emperor Rudolf II in 1601.

Since then, despite excellent owners, the castle has never

undergone such a large investment and was, along with

its goods, the object of many negotiations, pledges and

sales, passing from hand to hand. The castle was aban-

doned in 1774 in the fth century of its existence, and af-

ter 15 years its outer wall collapsed. There was also a re

in 1686, when lightning struck the castle tower [1, p. 58].

The castle avoided its already planned demolition and in

1823 it became the property of Johann Gustav Büsching,

an expert on Silesian monuments [2, pp. 34–37, 46–51,

81–83].

According to Büsching, in 1823 renovation and recon-

struction of the castle were carried out, the aim of which

was adapting the structure for visitors – the works con-

sisted in arranging the places used as viewpoints and were

to ensure the safety of visitors. The reconstruction works

were carried out by a construction master from Walim

– Schlosser [3, pp. 1–17]. It was the 1

stage of changes to

the castle for the purpose of displaying its ruins. Succes-

sive owners of the castle continued the adaptation works.

After Büsching’s death in 1829, the castle passed into

the hands of Count Friedrich Burghaus, who continued

* ORCID: 0000-0003-2855-0074. Faculty of Architecture, Wro-

cław University of Science and Technology, email: teresa.dziedzic@

pwr.edu.pl

64 Teresa Dziedzic

Fig. 1. List of the analysed portals (photo by A. Gryglewska, A. Chodkowska, 2019, elaborated by T. Dziedzic)

Il. 1. Zestawienie analizowanych portali (fot. A. Gryglewska, A. Chodkowska, 2019, oprac. T. Dziedzic)

 Details’wandering–transformationsofarchitecturaldetailsandsgraffitoofGrodnoCastleinZagórzeŚląskie 65

1870 and from 1903, then after 1945 and in the 1980s

, as

well as in 2015), but also within amateur repairs.

The material analysed in the article consists of sixteen

modern portals, which changed their location over the

course of 200 years, underwent modications and more or

less professional restoration procedures (Fig. 1).

Main portal of the gatehouse

The entrance gate is closed with a full arch in the portal

frame (Fig. 1A). Above it, there is a pediment resting on

entablature with a triglyph frieze with a tympanum and

a rococo Zeidlitz cartouche with the inscription Fortiter

etdeliter. The portal’s composition is complemented by

a sgrato decoration – a ferrule ornament around it with

“roaring” heraldic lions as holders. It was built together

with the gatehouse during the expansion of the castle in

1570 and was restored by Noellner between 1903 and

1904 [6, p. 19]. August Zemplin wrote in 1826 that the

gatehouse was covered with a gable roof similar to the city

gates. The renovated building housed Büsching’s sum-

mer apartment [2, pp. 13, 14]. One hundred years later,

in 1927, Viktor Schaetzke described the exact appearance

of the gate and portal, mentioning that the upper part of

the full arch of the gate is closed by a beautiful, forged

grate from 1565. He mentioned that in the superstructure

there is the Zedlitz family’s coat of arms, borrowed from

an old tombstone and the maxim Fortiteretdeliter. He

also noted that the sgrato decoration dating back to the

best Silesian Renaissance around 1570 and diering from

the popular ones with the extraordinary richness of mo-

tifs, delicate lines and vivid multi-coloured polychrome

catches the eye most. A very important piece of informa-

tion given in the description is that during the analyses

it turned out that, contrary to previous assumptions, the

plaster does not consist of two dierently coloured lay-

ers. Rather, there was one layer of lime plaster, with an

undercoat 1 cm deep. As Robert Weber pointed out, the

relief with its very delicate lines delighted visitors even

before 1910 [8, p. 28]. Later, after the restoration works

were carried out, it was completely painted, with the back-

ground of the frames in dark blue and red, and the car-

touche in grey and leather colour, and the remaining ele-

ments yellow, red, and green, respectively. The restoration

carried out by Noellner [4, pp. 304–306] was consulted

by Bodo Ebhardt, an outstanding conservator and creator

of historical architecture [9, p. 205]. The present condi-

tion of the sgrato surrounding the portal is the result of

subsequent restoration works from 2015

. Based on the

archival photographic documentation and contemporary

eld research, numerous dierences can be noticed in the

Architectural inventory of the castle with documentation of in-

dividual portals comes from 1985. The documentation was prepared

by the District Geodetic and Cartographic Enterprise in Wrocław. The

material was developed by G. Frankiewicz and E. Dzierżyńska [7].

In 2015, conservation and restoration works were carried out in

the gatehouse of Grodno Castle (sgrato). The works were nanced

by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Program: Cultural

Heritage, Priority 1. Protection of Monuments.

the works making the castle available to visitors, and

transformed the room above the gate into a “historic-style

living room” with coats of arms in the windows made of

coloured glass. In 1855, after the count’s death, the castle

passed into the hands of his wife and then his second son

– Max Ferdinand, baron von ZedlitzNeukirch. He made

a family crypt out of two cellars, the opening of which

took place on November 22, 1868. At that time, the dress-

ings of the windows and gates were restored [1, p. 64].

The next stage of restoration and construction works was

carried out in the period between 1903 and 1907. At that

time, the sgrato decoration on the gatehouse was ren-

ovated. It was conducted by architect and painter Emil

Noellner from Wrocław. In addition, the round tower in

the north-eastern corner was raised [4, p. 306, 308]. After

World War II, the care of the monument was entrusted to

the Wałbrzych branch of the Polish Tatra Society (PTT),

which started its activity in the castle in 1947. The castle

was not damaged during the war and was prepared for

tourist purposes. The achievements of PTT were tak-

en over in 1950 by the newly established Polish Tour-

ist and Sightseeing Society (PTTK). Between 1951 and

1952, it carried out works securing the crown of the walls

of the upper castle, and between 1957 and 1958 a re-

proof ceiling was installed over the 1

oor of this part

of the building [5, p. 13]. In 1957, Jerzy Rozpędowski

published his master’s thesis, which was an architectural

design preceded by a historical and conservation study.

It contained conservation conclusions for Grodno

Castle.

The conclusions developed in the form of postulates

were to serve as guidelines for the design of repurposing

the castle into a museum and PTTK chalet. The author’s

main postulate was that the complex should retain its

characteristic silhouette, resulting from the coexistence of

layers of dierent style eras, creating a plastic whole [6,

p. 25]. During the functioning of the chalet and museum

in the castle, run by the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing So-

ciety, numerous repairs and renovations were carried out

using do-it-yourself methods. In 1985 it was important

to prepare the inventory documentation of the castle part

and individual portals as part of the general renovation of

the castle, which took place between 1984 and 1985 [5,

p. 14].

Analysis of modern portals

In Grodno Castle, within the buildings and ruins of

the upper and lower castle that have survived to this day,

a large complex of portals and window dressings made

during one of the construction stages around 1568–1587

have survived. Made of cream, yellow and red sandstone,

they consist of both historical fragments, also with pre-

served traces of polychrome, as well as fragments re-mod-

elled in the fashion of the original ones. The original

fragments bear numerous traces of mechanical damage,

but also, for example, of sandstone burnout during a re.

Their supplements (plugs, putty, stucco work, and partial

or complete replacement of portal elements) were carried

out in several stages of the restoration works undertaken

here (between 1823 and 1829, between approx. 1855 and

66 Teresa Dziedzic

image of evil and sins) and Justice, Moderation, Mercy,

Strength (Courage), Patience, Prudence on the archivolt,

to gures with laurel wreaths and palm branches (also on

the archivolt), being the symbols of victory and triumph

[11, p. 254]. In 1826 August Zemplin wrote about the gate

as the best-preserved element of the complex, which was

adorned by the portal created by a “high-class sculptor”

according to Italian patterns reproduced in Germany in the

century. The entire work was made of negrained,

almost white sandstone. The quoted author describes in

detail two columns with their entablature and cornices

protruding to the front. These columns are surrounded by

leaf decorations and set on high pedestals. He mentions

two grins holding, according to him, a RomanImperial

eagle, under which on the frieze there are relief coats of

arms of the following families from left to right: Logau,

Seidlitz, Ogygel, Reideburg, Seidlitz, Reibnitz, Mühlheim,

Nimptsch. In the semicircular arcade, in the elds of the

arch area, the aforementioned personications lean out.

The arch area of the arcade is decorated with roses in cof-

fers [2, pp. 14, 15]. Referring to this portal, Büsching em-

phasized the need for renovation [3, p. 8]. Another author

also described the portal as “quite ne sculptural work” of

negrained sandstone in the 16

century style. The portal

is described almost in the same way as by Zemplin [12,

pp. 16, 17]. Schubert also mentioned a 16

-century portal

made of white negrained sandstone [1, p. 5]. So far, the

descriptions mention white or light sandstone of which

the portal was made. Only the description by Schaetzke

from 1927 shows that the Renaissance portal consists

of red and yellow sandstone. The author noted that it is

one of the most beautiful portals in Silesia. A detailed de-

scription of the monument shows that its condition was

good. Schaetzke drew attention to a pair of grins, which

hold a shield with a two-headed eagle and a mitre hover-

ing above it, referring to Bishop Kaspar von Logau. He

emphasized, however, that Paul Knötel, professor of art

history, believed that we are not dealing here with the

headdress of the Prince of the Church, but with the Austri-

an crown depicted here. An important observation noted

by Schaetzke is the preserved form of the portal’s crown

with a symbolic representation of two reballs [4, pp. 308,

309]. According to Jakub Jagiełło, the portal was renovat-

ed many times. Presumably between 1868 and 1869, dur-

ing the renovation of the castle, the most damaged details

were replaced [11, pp. 255, 256]. This portal is one of the

best preserved portals in the castle. Over the centuries, it

was not subjected to any signicant conservation proce-

dures, and today we only nd traces of minor restorations

in the form of plugs or putty. On the inside of the arch,

directly above the head of the left pilaster, there is a frag-

ment of red sandstone

(Fig. 1C). The spheres at the top of

the frieze have been replaced and no longer have ames.

In numerous archival photographs, including in Weber’s

publication [8, p. 27] one can notice the changes that took

place at the beginning of the 20

century. The damage to

the portal that is noticeable today is mainly the broken

Based on own eld research.

program, drawing of decorations and technique. The right

side of the sgrato has fewer errors related to the decora-

tion program, but similarly to the whole, it lost its delicate

lines and nesse after the last conservation.

Currently, numerous detachments, bulges and shedding

of the conservation material covering the old sgrato with

a several-millimetre layer are visible. Numerous errors in

the decoration program constitute yet another problem of

the most recent restoration works.

On the basis of the examined stone sample

taken on

the right side of the jamb – rustications, it was established

that the material of the portal was yellow-grey sandstone.

The dominant graining fraction is medium-grained sand.

These rocks have a claysilica binder with an admixture

of a ferric binder, and its composition is dominated by

quartz. Yellow-grey sandstones of medium grain size oc-

cur in the vicinity of Lwówek Śląski. The deposits in the

vicinity of Lwówek Śląski were already exploited in the

Middle Ages [10, pp. 4, 19].

Side portal of the gatehouse

Probably, during the restoration works between 1903

and 1904, this Renaissance portal was inserted into the

door opening and modied. The portal consists of a pro-

led strip with a decoration in the lower part made of

jugs with owers (Fig. 1B). In addition, two reused stone

blocks were inserted in the lower part, thanks to which

it was raised. The reused blocks show scratches of the

rubbedout original decoration, which makes it possible to

identify these blocks as elements of another Renaissance

portal or window framing

A sample of the material for petrographic tests was taken

from the right side of the jamb, at a height of about 110 cm,

adjacent to the plastered wall surface. As in the case of

the portal of the gatehouse, grey-yellow, medium-grained

sandstone with a clay-silica binder from the vicinity of

Lwówek Śląski was identied here [10, pp. 4, 19].

Main portal of the foregate

The entrance to the foregate building is framed by an

arcade enclosed in a renaissance aedicule portal from

around 1570 (Fig. 1C). Above the carved archivolt of the

portal there is a horizontal frieze showing the eight coats

of arms of families associated with Georg von Logau. The

portal is crowned with a double-headed eagle with two

grins [6, p. 17]. The portal was created during the recon-

struction of the castle from the times of Georg von Logau.

It is distinguished by the richness of gural decorations

from the personication of virtues: Faith and Hope on the

pillars (symbolically trampling masks of monsters – the

On the basis of the decision issued by the Lower Silesian Monu-

ments Conservator, the Wałbrzych branch, of January 2, 2020, a per

mit was granted to conduct architectural research, including petrogra-

phic tests. The tests of sixteen samples taken from selected portals

was performed by Dr. Wojciech Bartz and presented in the form of

a report [10].

Based on own eld research.

 Details’wandering–transformationsofarchitecturaldetailsandsgraffitoofGrodnoCastleinZagórzeŚląskie 67

p. 32]. On the basis of iconographic research, it is possi-

ble to establish an outline of the chronology of changes

that took place in the case of this portal. The rst can be

observed in an illustration by Friedrich August Tittel from

the collections of the Herder Institute, dated at the begin-

ning of the 19

century

. It clearly shows that the portal

had a narrower clear opening thanks to the internal arcade,

which still existed at that time, based on two pilasters with

stems with a candelabrum motif, referring to the depic-

tions of plants in jugs on internal portals preserved to this

day. In addition, there are still preserved bases for spheres

on the edge of the cornice crowning the portal and closing

the arch with a sculptural form on the top. In the pencil

drawing made in 1824

, the analysed portal is already in

a signicantly changed form. A decorated inner arcade

was missing, which made the clear opening wider. The

right caryatid was also missing. The lower part of the right

side of the portal was invisible because it was blocked by

bushes. The cornice, the arch crowning the portal and the

window in its tympanum area were visible and unchanged.

Based on the analysis of the chronology of conserva-

tion

works within this portal (Fig. 2), it can be concluded

that it underwent many changes and additions made both

in the 19

and 20

centuries. Change in the shape – a nar-

rower clear opening of the portal – took place in the 1920s.

In the 2

half of the 19

century or at the beginning of the

century, the portal was supplemented with a recon-

structed right caryatid. It seems to be an exact mirror image

of the existing left gure, but there are dierences in the ar-

rangement of the folds of the tunic surrounding the gure’s

legs. It is also not known whether the cantilever of the right

gure is reforged on the basis of the left one,

or if it is the

original element re-inserted in its place. Important infor-

mation is provided by the analysis of the pedestal with the

gure of an armed cherub on the right side of the portal.

In the illustration from the beginning of the 19

century

and the cited engraving from 1824, the pedestal area is

covered by a bush growing there. The original fragments

of the portal cannot be found in this zone, but photograph-

ic documentation from the 1930s and 1957

most likely

features the authentic pedestal. The decoration shows

an armed cherub (Fig. 2), but unlike the modern one, he

holds his weapon in his right hand, so he is not a mirror

image of the one on the left. In the Informator turystyczny

–ZamekGrodno [Tourist Guide – Grodno Castle], pub-

lished by the Lower Silesian Educational Society, we can

nd a photograph taken by J. Mi lik, M. Schabenbec from

1969, where the above-mentioned preserved pedestal

with a cherub has been completely removed. Today, the

existing reconstruction, most likely from the mid1980s

was done incorrectly, without any iconographic research.

Cf. the article by G. Sanik in this issue of “Architectus”.

A pencil drawing by Karl Bräuer, Johann David Grüson in 1824,

source Herder Institute for Historical Research on East Central Europe

– Leibniz Community Institute, no. P2740.

Cf. G. Sanik in this issue of “Architectus”.

Fig. 18 in [6].

As part of the general renovation of the castle between 1984 and

1985 [5, p. 14].

corners of its arcade and the peeling stone of the columns’

pedestal zone made of red sandstone.

Three samples were taken from this portal for petro-

graphic tests. The rst one was obtained from the right

jamb at the rear in the place where the anchor was fas-

tened. Another sample was taken for testing from the

capital of the left jamb on the inside, below the hinge. In

the case of both samples, the tests showed that it is me-

diumgrained sandstone with a signicant proportion of

negrained sand. It adopted the features of negrained

sandstone with a clay-silica binder from the vicinity of

Lwówek Śląski [10, pp. 4, 19]. The sample taken from the

base of the column pedestal on the left side of the portal,

made of red negrained sandstone, had dierent charac-

teristics. The silica and ferric binder that dominates here

is an important colouring component that gives the rock

a red colour. On the basis of comparative tests, the ana-

lysed sample can be considered as convergent with the

material from the currently exploited Bieganów deposit

near Nowa Ruda in the Kłodzko Region [10, pp. 11, 18].

Side portal of the foregate

The portal is fully composed of original fragments

(Fig. 1D). Based on our research, it was found that it had

been assembled from various 16

-century portal frag-

ments or window dressings and inserted into its current

location. The sample collected for petrographic tests was

taken from the inner face of the right jamb of the portal

at a height of about 60 cm. The tests have shown that it is

grey-yellow, medium-grained sandstone with a clay-silica

binder from the vicinity of Lwówek Śląski [10, pp. 4, 19].

Main portal of the upper castle

– portal with caryatids

The portal leading to the entrance hall is distinguished

by two caryatids with capitals in the form of fruit baskets

(Fig. 1E). It is a motif rarely found in portals in Lower

Silesia. The armoured angels in the lower part of the portal

constitute the original part of the decorations [11, pp. 256,

257]. In the description from 1826, Zemplin mentioned

the third gate leading to the house, decorated with sculp-

tures made by the same workshop as in the case of the

main portal of the foregate. He noticed a lot of damage

and noted that in 1823 one of the large gures was torn

out and, as an ordinary stone, set in a nearby farm. At the

same time, he pointed out that many doors, locks and win-

dow dressings were transported to neighbouring houses

[2, pp. 15, 18]. The portal was modied many times, and it

certainly acquired its present form at the beginning of the

century. Schaetzke mentioned both caryatids carrying

baskets lled with fruit, placed on pedestals raised with

consoles, with a large area framed in the form of a semi-

circle, garlands stretching from the archivolt key in both

directions [4, p. 309]. Rozpędowski noticed that the portal

was an element of the reconstruction of the earlier gate,

where part of the opening was walled up and only a win-

dow place was left as a witness [6, p. 16]. He also stated

that the portal was subject to conservation in 1826 [13,

68 Teresa Dziedzic

Based on our own research, it has been established that the

pedestal with the cherub was made as a mirror image of

the right one, which is inconsistent with the iconography.

Another detail of the portal that diers from its his-

torical shape is the bust of a man on the top. Originally,

as conrmed by iconographic documentation from the

beginning of the 19

century

, there could have been

a sphere on a pedestal at the top. The entire upper part of

the portal was repaired many times with plaster and cov-

ered with paint which is peeling today, showing numerous

layers. These repairs resulted in a distortion of the prole

of the cornice and arcade

For petrographic tests, a sample was taken from the

pedestal cornice under the left caryatid, in the area of the

prole defect. The sample was identied as mortar. The

mortar’s binder is a carbonate (micrite) mass, which is

Cf. G. Sanik in this issue of “Architectus”.

Based on own eld research.

probably coloured due to its unusual features (yellowish

shade). It can also be proved by numerous particles of

non-transparent components, some of which may be nat-

ural minerals, but some are probably particles of the col-

ouring substance [10, p. 17]. A very important piece of

information is that the museum of Grodno Castle has one

original stone crown – the right caryatid – in its collection.

Portal with herms in the hall of the upper castle

This portal (Fig. 1I) was built during the reconstruction

of the castle for Georg von Logau and was probably made

by the same workshop that made the external stonework

at that time. The portal leading to the former pantry, cur-

rently the Knight’s Hall, is unique – probably the smallest

in Lower Silesia with herms. The nial with gural deco-

ration is also unusual for such a small portal. The coats of

arms in the cartouche, held by angels, belong to the Logau

(husband – on the left side of the portal) and Seydlitz (wife

– on the right side of the portal) families. The three female

Fig. 2. Portal of the upper

castle – portal with

caryatids. Inventory of

the portal with the analysis

of the chronology of

conservation works

(drawing by A. Szefer,

elaborated by T. Dziedzic)

Il. 2. Portal górnego zamku

– portal z kariatydami.

Inwentaryzacja portalu

z analizą chronologii prac

konserwatorskich

(rys. A. Szefer,

oprac. T. Dziedzic)

Original parts of the portal

Reconstruction from the 2

half of the 20

century

The original shape of the portal

Elements added in the 1

half of the 19

century

Reconstruction made at the beginning of the 20

century

Conservation from the 2

half of the 20

century

– plastered brick

Original components partially changed or supplemented

mortar and covered with paint

Contemporary sheet metal work, originally there were

roof tiles here

 Details’wandering–transformationsofarchitecturaldetailsandsgraffitoofGrodnoCastleinZagórzeŚląskie 69

gures in the nial were probably the personications of

virtues. In the lower part of the portal there are gures of

knights symbolizing guards [11, p. 259]. The portal is most

likely the result of the creation of artistic conservation, as

it consists of door or window dressing with a motif of a jag

at the bottom with a fascia, and two herms and supraports.

Both parts were made of dierent types of stones (Fig. 3).

The threshold with visible wear marks due to longterm

use is most likely in its original location. The drawing of

the façade of the upper castle made by Tittel at the begin-

ning of the 19

century also shows a fragment of the inte-

rior with a hall, which still lacks the portal leading to the

former pantry. It can be assumed that the existing arrange-

ment of the portal was created later. Today, apart from mi-

nor restorations using putty in the portal decoration and

two stone plugs in the jamb frame, no more conservation

activities can be observed. A large defect in the lower part

of the right jamb appeared after 1957 [6, Fig. 11].

The condition of the knights in the lower part of the

portal is noteworthy. The bas-relief on the left side has vis-

ible surface damage, which resulted in the lack of detail.

There is a signicant dierence between the right and left

gure. The right gure probably comes from the 1980s

According to the documentation of movable monuments of the

Voivodeship Oce for the Protection of Monuments, in 1978, prepared

In an illustration from 1957, this gure has clearer details

of both the face and the costume [6, Fig. 11]. Numerous

restoration works carried out on the wall in the vicinity

of the portal resulted in a layer of plaster, which covered

the portal in its extreme planes and made it embedded in

a recess in relation to the wall surface.

On the basis of the petrographic tests performed on

a sample taken from the side of the herm on the left side

of the jamb, mortar was found. The composition of the

conservation mortar is quartz sand, the binder is carbonate

(micrite) mass, in which relics of hydraulic phases can be

seen. The mortar was probably prepared on the basis of

lime with an addition of cement [10, p. 17].

Portals in the enfilade of rooms

on the 1

floor of the castle

The portals located in one row of rooms on the 1

oor

of the upper castle were created during the reconstruction

of the castle for Georg von Logau around 1570, but are not

located in situ. The place of their current location results

from the later functional and spatial changes carried out

in the castle, because according to the urbarium (after: [1,

by T. WoźniakKsiążek, extensive defects were found in the lower right

part and cracks [14].

Fig. 3. Portal with herms in

the hall of the upper castle.

Inventory of the existing

condition and analysis of

conservation activities

(drawing by T. Dziedzic,

photo by A. Chodkowska,

2020)

Il. 3. Portal z hermami

w sieni górnego zamku.

Inwentaryzacja stanu

istniejącego i analiza

działań konserwatorskich

(rys. T. Dziedzic,

fot. A. Chodkowska, 2020)

Original material supplemented with putty – conservation from the 2

half of the 20

century

Damage after 1957

Original material reassembled

A re-sculpted element

70 Teresa Dziedzic

p. 310]) the functions of the rooms could be dierent than

those of the reconstructed rooms. It is possible that the re-

versal of access to the enlade took place when the stairs

were built around 1640 or in the 19

century, when the

castle was adapted for tourist purposes. The portals were

made by the same workshop as the stonework elements

in the rest of the castle. All portals have a characteristic

candelabra motif consisting of a jug with stems and leaves

similar to acanthus leaves, curling in the form of rolled

ornaments. Two of them are crowned with the presentation

of women’s masks in scarves, with fruit, garlands or vines.

The rst three portals are crowned with a serrated cornice,

also used in other portals of the castle [8, p. 260]. The rst

portal (Fig. 1K) located in the enlade is closed from the

top with an arcade crowned with a keystone. On both sides

of it, in a reclining position, there are gures of women,

one with a trunk on the left and the other with a wreath on

the right. There are no traces of polychrome on the portal.

On the inside, no holes for mounting the hinges or the lock

were found. The portal is closed with a door mounted on

hinges xed into the wall. The portal was completely cut

out at the beginning of the 20

century

The next portal (Fig. 1L) is characterized by a lintel

with a frieze strip with a woman’s mask among bunches

of fruit hanging on ribbons and with visible traces of poly-

Based on eld research.

chrome in this area. On the other hand, the serrated cor-

nice and the vertical elements of the jamb do not contain

such polychrome relics. On the inside of the portal, there

are hinge holes on the right side of the jamb (viewed from

the front). On the basis of our eld research, it was found

that the elements of the jamb and the serrated cornice are

made of dierent stone than the portal cornice. This may

prove that the portal is a composition consisting of an

original cornice, pilasters and a cornice made in the 19

or 20

century. The most interesting of this group is the

portal with a woman in a scarf among garlands on its nial

(Fig. 1Ł). Its attractiveness involves the preservation of

traces of polychrome. A layer of colour is observed on the

plant decorations, the leaves are dark green, while the fruit,

like the vases, bear traces of the use of burgundycoloured

paint. The woman’s mask was painted red and was framed

by a dark green scarf. Most of the polychrome elements

have been covered with light beige paint, which is peeling

signicantly today. The head on the left side of the portal

was largely damaged which probably happened after 1957

[6, Fig. 13]. Among this group of portals, this one contains

the most original elements, and only the serrated cornice

is a secondarily added element. On both pilasters, in the

upper part, we can also notice stone restorations in the

form of plugs (Fig. 4).

On the inside of the portal there are hinge holes and

a lock for the door. On the right side (viewed from the

front) there are hinge holes, and on the left side, at a height

Fig. 4. Renaissance portal

on the 1

floor of

the upper castle.

Inventory of the existing

condition and conservation

analysis of the portal

with a woman’s mask

between garlands

(drawing by T. Dziedzic,

photo by A. Gryglewska,

2020)

Il. 4. Renesansowy portal

na 1. piętrze górnego

zamku. Inwentaryzacja

stanu istniejącego i analiza

konserwatorska portalu

z maską kobiety między

girlandami

(rys. T. Dziedzic,

fot. A. Gryglewska, 2020)

Reconstructions made at the beginning of the 20

century

Damage after 1957

Fillings with putties – restoration works from the 2

half of the 20

century

 Details’wandering–transformationsofarchitecturaldetailsandsgraffitoofGrodnoCastleinZagórzeŚląskie 71

of about 1 m, there are two holes used to mount the lock.

Additionally, also on the left side, right next to the portal

on the wall, there are other hinge holes.

The last of the enlade portals is a portal closed in the

form of a full arch (Fig. 1M). The arch is lled with a pan-

el with an oval opening and a decoration in the form of

triangular rosettes in the corners. Below it there is a lintel

with a decoration of a woman’s mask on an axis and gar-

lands on both sides. The panel and the lintel clearly dier

in terms of technique and material used from the jambs.

Based on eld research, it has been established that they

were probably made at the beginning of the 20

century.

The original jambs are reused elements of window stone-

work, because their decoration and proportions dier

from the decorations and proportions of the neighbouring

portals. The jambs have a fascia prole and the lower part

is decorated with jugs with owers.

Samples for petrographic tests were collected from

each of these portals. They come from the following plac-

es: the rst portal in the enlade (Fig. 1K) on the left jamb

next to the frame, from the next portal (Fig. 1L) from the

rear part of the lintel in the left corner, from the portal

with a woman in a scarf (Fig. 1Ł) from the rear side of the

left jamb, at the fracture, while from the last portal of this

group (Fig. 1M) a sample was taken from the right jamb

at the anchor xing point. All tests results showed that it is

grey-yellow, medium-grained sandstone with a clay-silica

binder from the vicinity of Lwówek Śląski [10, p. 19].

Portals on the balcony of the 1

floor

The last of the analysed portals are two portals located

on the balcony of the 1

oor. Both consist of original ele

ments from the 16

century and elements cut out during

restoration works from the beginning of the 20

century

The door openings were closed at the top with arcades,

above which a lintel was placed in the form of entablature

with a keystone on an axis, supported on both sides with

heads. The capitals consist of acanthus leaves and four

volutes. The portals are crowned with serrated cornices.

The portal jambs contain proled slats with a decoration

of jugs with owers in the lower parts. The northern por-

tal (Fig. 1N) has two original fragments. The rst one is

the right side of the jamb that is about 140 cm high with

a strip decoration and a jug with a ower, the second is

a small fragment about 30 cm high on the right jamb. Also

the southern portal (Fig. 1O) has a similar arrangement of

the original fragments. Also here, the right door frame, up

to a height of about 140 cm, is original with a clear defect

According to eld research.

in the vase decoration. A small original fragment of the

slat prole has also been inserted on the left side. Due

to insucient protection against water, the upper parts

of both portals were signicantly damaged. Petrographic

tests of samples taken from the vicinity of the lock and

door hinges showed that here also grey-yellow, medi-

um-grained sandstone with a clay-silica binder from the

vicinity of Lwówek Śląski was used [10, pp. 3, 4, 19].

Conclusions

The results of the research on the group of the present-

ed modern portals give the opportunity to get acquainted

with the displacements of details and determine which

are preserved in situ. The portals made at the end of the

century were transferred, lled and joined, such as

the portal from the upper castle – the portal with carya

tids. Other portals, like the portals from the rooms on the

oor of the upper castle, changed their location many

times, so today it is dicult to determine their original

location. The few traces of reforging may indicate that

they were located in other congurations and rooms. For

this reason, the identication of the original material is ex-

tremely dicult, and the petrographic tests did not allow

to remove the doubts that appeared during the research.

Another problem that should be emphasized concerns the

unintentional damage to the monuments presented here,

that occurred during numerous restoration works in the

last 200 years of the history of the castle. Some of these

works, performed ineptly, resulted in an irreversible loss of

the artistic value of the portal decoration. Such a situation

occurred in the case of the portal of the gatehouse, where

the recent restoration works on the sgrato led to the dis-

tortion of the drawing and the loss of delicacy and nesse

that this representation was characterized by previously.

The main portal of the foregate (portal with grins) is the

only magnicent and wellpreserved portal in the castle.

However, the condition of individual stone ele ments re-

quires undertaking immediate renovation measures. The

results of petrographic tests carried out on sixteen sam-

ples showed that the vast majority of them are fragmental

sedimentary rocks – sandstones. These are yellowgrey

to grey-beige sandstones from deposits in the vicinity of

Lwówek Śląski. The red sandstone sample, which accord-

ing to comparative tests, may come from the Bieganów

deposit near Nowa Ruda in the Kłodzko Region, has dif-

ferent characteristics. This article is only an introduction to

further research into the problem of pre servation, location

and “wandering” of details of door and window dressings.

Translated by

Junique Justin Nnorom

References

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72 Teresa Dziedzic

Abstract

Details’ wandering – transformations of architectural details and sgrato of Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie

The article attempted to trace the history of the creation and conservation as well as changes in the location of modern portals in Grodno castle

(Kinsburg). The turbulent history of their transfer, assembly and restoration is closely related to the history of the castle in the last 200 years. Research

based on the analysis of archival materials from the 19

and 20

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supplemented with an analysis of iconography and the results of eld research conducted between 2019 and 2021 by a team from the Faculty of

Architecture of the Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

The presented research results revealed the problem of determining the original location of several portals and the origin of their components.

The condition of the portals requires an urgent conservation intervention. This article encourages undertaking more extensive research and analysis

of the details of window and door dressings in Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląskie.

Key words: portal, Grodno Castle, architectural detail, sgrato

Streszczenie

Wędrówka detali – przemiany detalu architektonicznego i sgratów zamku Grodno w Zagórzu Śląskim

Tematem artykułu jest próba prześledzenia historii powstania i konserwacji oraz zmian w lokalizacji nowożytnych portali w zamku Grodno

(Kinsburg). Burzliwa historia ich przenoszenia, składania i uzupełnień łączy się ściśle z historią zamku w okresie ostatnich 200 lat. Studia oparte na

analizie archiwaliów pochodzących z XIX i XX w., które jednak w sposób cząstkowy ujmują problematykę portali, uzupełniono analizą ikonograi

oraz wynikami badań terenowych, prowadzonych w latach 2019–2021 przez zespół z Wydziału Architektury PWr.

Zaprezentowane wyniki badań pozwoliły ujawnić problem związany z ustaleniem pierwotnej lokalizacji kilku portali oraz pochodzenia ich

elementów składowych. Stan zachowania portali zmusza do podjęcia pilnej ingerencji konserwatorskiej. Niniejszy artykuł jest przyczynkiem do

podjęcia szerszych badań i analiz detalu obramowań okiennych i drzwiowych w zamku Grodno w Zagórzu Śląskim.

Słowa kluczowe: portal, zamek Grodno, detal architektoniczny, sgrato

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Details’ wandering – transformations of architectural details and sgraffito of Grodno castle in Zagórze Śląskie

Teresa Dziedzic

doi:10.37190/arc210406

Abstract