Castle in Jelcz

n the first half of the thirteenth century, the village belonged to the bishops of Wrocław, later it became the property of the dukes of Wrocław. The Archbishop of Salzburg, Władysław, who came from this family, was probably the founder of the construction of the castle before 1268 on an island on the right bank of the Oder. The complex consisted of a brick rectangular manor house surrounded by wooden and earth fortifications. The manor house had dimensions of about 11.5x28 m and was built of bricks in a monk bond on stone foundations. The corners of the manor house were reinforced with buttresses. The interior was divided into three chambers, and the first floor was accessed through a wooden gallery.

In the 70s of the thirteenth century, the estates were owned by Henry IV Probus. From here, the 

photo by ZeroJeden, III 2012

prince was kidnapped by Bolesław Rogatka in 1277.

During the fourteenth century, the princes replaced the fortifications with brick ones and probably renovated the manor house. It was certainly after 1343, from which the 'das haus' is mentioned in documents. Two wings were then added to the manor, which, together with one section of the curtain wall, closed the inner courtyard.

In 1452, the princely castle was bought by the Kotuliński family, the townspeople of Wrocław. Later it became the property of the Sauermans. In 1508, the castle became the property of Konrad von Sausma. He made another Renaissance reconstruction in 1518, as evidenced by the date placed on the shooting range. The castle took the form of a four-wing residence with an internal courtyard, which was surrounded by sixteenth-century cloisters. The original manor house became the southern wing of the Renaissance building.

In the first quarter of the seventeenth century, the castle was damaged by fire. When designing 

Aerial photo, photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2021

the new fortifications, the entire complex was measured by Walenty von Sæbisch in 1623, but this project was not implemented. However, some construction works were carried out, during which a corner alcove turret was probably created.

During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was seriously damaged and lost its military importance. Initially, it was used for economic purposes, but not renovated, it slowly fell into disrepair.

In 1978, the ruins became the object of research by Czesław Lasota and Jerzy Rozpędowski. To this day, the ruins of one wing have been preserved, which is a rebuilt Gothic manor house.