n the top of a high mountain in the 12th century there was a stronghold, which in the 13th century became the seat of the castellan. In 1320 Grodziec was bought from the Duke of Legnica Bolesław III by the knight Swolow Busewoi. The first brick foundation was probably built by the Bożywoj family in the 14th century. Until 1473 the castle remained in private hands, in that year it was bought by the Duke of Legnica Frederick I, who employed the builders Blasius Rese from Wrocław, Bartholomeus Bloeschuch from Legnica and the stonemason Hans Trauernicht from Zgorzelec for construction work. The contract concluded with them mentions the construction of a tower similar to the tower of St. Jadwiga from Legnica Castle. During the construction, which lasted until 1487, a castle was built on an elongated hexagonal plan with towers in five corners and a massive square tower in the southern corner. The entrance was placed next to the square tower. To the south of the main castle there was an extensive bailey surrounded by a wall, on its territory there were brick farm buildings.
In 1502, the Czech king gave Grodziec to the princes Frederick II and George, and after the division of the Duchy of Legnica, these areas came under the rule of Frederick II. In
1522, Frederick began expanding the castle under the supervision of the Zgorzelec architect Wendel Rosskopf. At that time, a residential building was erected along the north-western section of the walls. During subsequent construction works conducted under the supervision of Jan von Hardeck, the castle was reinforced with large bastejas from the south.
After the death of Frederick II, the castle became the property of his son Frederick III. Eagerly used by the Dukes of Legnica for representative purposes, it lost its significance after the end of the Legnica Piast dynasty. During the Thirty Years' War, the decaying castle was used as barracks for the Tsarist army, which additionally contributed to the ongoing damage. The project of erecting bastion fortifications, made at that time by Walenty Saebisch, was not implemented. At the beginning of the 18th century, the castle was abandoned, and in the years 1718-1727 the owner of Grodziec built a palace for himself at the foot of the castle hill. From the end of the 18th century, the remains of the castle belonged to Jan VI Hochberg, who carried out the so-called
Grodziec on a postcard from the interwar period
romantic conservation of the ruins, and English gardens were established on the castle grounds. The castle passed through private hands several times, and in 1889 it was purchased by the industrialist Willibald von Dirksen. In the years 1906-1908, on the orders of Willibald and under the supervision of Bodo Ebhardt, the castle was rebuilt, but little attention was paid to fidelity to the original plans. Especially in the case of severely damaged elements, their 14th and 16th century appearance was erased. At the end of World War II, the castle did not survive the destruction. In the 1970s, attempts were made to renovate the buildings for the purpose of a holiday home, but the work was not completed. Bodo Ebhardt's reconstruction made it impossible to carry out architectural work that would have explained the exact stages of construction of the complex.
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the top of a high mountain in the 12th century there was a stronghold, which in the 13th century became the seat of the castellan. In 1320 Grodziec was bought from the Duke of Legnica Bolesław III by the knight Swolow Busewoi. The first brick foundation was probably built by the Bożywoj family in the 14th century. Until 1473 the castle remained in private hands, in that year it was bought by the Duke of Legnica Frederick I, who employed the builders Blasius Rese from Wrocław, Bartholomeus Bloeschuch from Legnica and the stonemason Hans Trauernicht from Zgorzelec for construction work. The contract concluded with them mentions the construction of a tower similar to the tower of St. Jadwiga from Legnica Castle. During the construction, which lasted until 1487, a castle was built on an elongated hexagonal plan with towers in five corners and a massive square tower in the southern corner. The entrance was placed next to the square tower. To the south of the main castle there was an extensive bailey surrounded by a wall, on its territory there were brick farm buildings.
