n the fork of the Obra and Paklica rivers there is an artificial hill on which the ruins of the royal castle stand. Already at the end of the 9th century, there was a wooden stronghold here, which was often destroyed by the Brandenburgers. In 1296, it was partially consumed by fire, after which only the army was stationed in the hillfort.
The brick castle was erected by Casimir the Great, but we do not know the exact dates of the construction. It was probably started before 1340, and archaeological research shows that after 1350 it could not have been completed. The shape of the castle was quite precisely matched to the hillfort complex. The perimeter walls, with the exception of the northern section, stand on former earth ramparts, and the whole has an irregular plan. The entrance to the castle led
Aerial photo, photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2024
from the east, next to it there was a tower. Later, the entrance was moved to the middle of the eastern section of the wall, and a larger tower was erected in its former place, protruding slightly outwards. Residential buildings were located in the western and southern parts of the courtyard.
In 1474, the castle was conquered by Silesian plunderers. It was rebuilt in the fifteenth century. When in 1520 the German army went to help the Teutonic Knights, they captured and burned the Międzyrzec castle. During the reconstruction after these destructions, it was given Renaissance features. The fortifications were not forgotten either, which were thoroughly modernized in 1564. Two corner cylindrical bastions were added then.
A very well-preserved bastion is built of brick. Its internal diameter is about 10-11 meters and the thickness of the walls is 3.5 meters. The used storey of the 9-meter bastion is located 3 meters above ground level. At this height there are two types of shooting ranges - for light firearms and currently serving as windows large shooting
View from the west, photo: JAPCOK, April 2002
ranges for heavy weapons. It is not known what the original culmination of this building looked like. In Germany at that time, there were bastions covered with a roof, but it is possible that there could have been a dome made of earth with places for shooters in the breastwork.
The castle was the seat of the starosts, among whom we know J. Zamoyski and Stanisław Żółkiewski. During the Thirty Years' War in the seventeenth century, it was destroyed, after which no one cared for it for a long time.
In the years 1954-1958, Z. Ziętkiewicz carried out thorough archaeological and architectural research. Currently, it houses a regional museum.
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the fork of the Obra and Paklica rivers there is an artificial hill on which the ruins of the royal castle stand. Already at the end of the 9th century, there was a wooden stronghold here, which was often destroyed by the Brandenburgers. In 1296, it was partially consumed by fire, after which only the army was stationed in the hillfort.
