Castle in Bytom

he location of the Bytom castle is unknown, as is the date of its construction. The castle was founded by Duke Casimir, son of Władysław Opolski. The stronghold was certainly built after 1281, when the Duchy of Opole was divided. The first document, probably issued in the existing castle, is dated 1299.

When it comes to the location, historians are divided. According to Gramer, the Bytom chronicler, there were two castles in the city - one next to today's Franciscan church, the other - on today's Grunwaldzki Square. However, later archaeological research ruled out the existence of the first of these castles. The second hypothesis places the castle at the gate called "SlokischeTor", which according to this hypothesis was originally called the Castle Gate.

However, the German architect Kurt Bimler, working in the first half of the 20th century, believes that the castle existed outside the city walls. Bimler found a mason who supposedly demolished the cross vault and found a fragment of a stone pillar in this place, which he identified as the remains of the castle. There are several other premises that strengthen this hypothesis. It may be supported by the fact that on two plans from the second half of the 18th century, outside the city walls, near the Kraków Gate, there are unidentified buildings that could be castle ruins, or rather buildings 

photo by ZeroJeden, XII 2020

erected using the remains of a medieval building. The castles in Opole, Cieszyn and Racibórz built by Kazimierz's brothers at the same time are located outside the city walls, so Kazimierz most likely drew on the same experiences. The castle most likely had a rectangular plan with a well in the middle of the courtyard. The main building must have been two-story, because a document from April 30, 1369 mentions that Duke Przemysław Noszak received guests in the lower hall of the castle. In addition to the brick buildings - the main one is called Steinhaus in the documents - there was also a wooden structure. There was also an entrance gate leading to the courtyard and a tower.

Assuming the castle was located outside the city walls at the Kraków gate, it can be concluded that it was adjacent to the city moat, which divided it from the city. From the south, the Żabiniec pond increased its defenses, from the east - the Żabiniec stream, and from the north - the Klukowiec pond.

In 1369, the city was divided between the princes Konrad II Oleśnicki and 

photo by ZeroJeden, XII 2020

Przemysław I, Duke of Cieszyn. The castle itself was also divided at that time.

The aforementioned 18th-century city plans allow for the location of the castle with great probability. On subsequent plans, it can be seen that the northern wing and part of the eastern foundations were demolished, and the rest were transformed into a brewery. In the second half of the 19th century, the southern wing and the remains of the eastern wing were demolished.