Castle in Olsztyn

he oldest brick element of the Olsztyn castle is a cylindrical tower standing at the highest point of the hill. It dates back to the thirteenth century. Unfortunately, no documents confirming the construction of the castle have survived, but on the basis of the research carried out, it can be stated that it was not until Casimir the Great in the mid-fourteenth century that the defensive complex was enlarged to the size of the largest stronghold in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. The size of the expansion can be evidenced by the change in nomenclature. While in earlier documents from the trial of Bishop Jan Muskata brought by Archbishop Jakub Świnka, it is said about the Przymiłowice Castle, after the expansion made by Casimir 

The castle in Olsztyn on a postcard from the interwar period

the Great, the castle is already called Holstein or Olstin. Certainly, it is about the same place, but not quite the same object.

The earliest mention indirectly confirming the existence of the castle in Olsztyn comes from 1349. In this document, the witness was Zdzisko burgrave de Olsten. On March 15, 1369, King Casimir the Great was in the castle when he granted the Środa Śląska law to nearby Przyrów. This document has survived in its entirety to our times, but most likely the king had already stayed in the castle many times before.

The castle, in the form of which the ruins stand to this day, consists of three parts. The upper castle is the oldest, as it was already mentioned at the beginning, the tower dates back to the thirteenth century. It is currently 35 meters high, at the base it is round and built of stone. In the upper part, it was built in the fifteenth century octagonally with bricks. It was a place of final defense, the entrance to it led from the level of the perimeter walls. The dungeons 

photo by ZeroJeden, X 2005

were used to hold people sentenced to starvation. There is a large cavern in the upper castle, it probably served as a warehouse for food and ammunition. Passages and corridors carved into the rock, together with natural caves, formed a vast labyrinth throughout the castle.

Only a few traces have survived from the middle castle, as well as from the lower castle. In the lower castle there were utility rooms, a stable, apartments for servants and auxiliary buildings. In addition to these three parts, which formed a uniform whole, at the opposite end of the hill stood a lonely square tower. It fulfilled observation and defensive functions, being able to flank access to the walls of the castle proper. The castle was manned by a permanent military crew of King Casimir.

After the extinction of the Piast line, the castle fell into the hands of Władysław Opolczyk together with several other nearby castles. He was a robber and conspired with the Teutonic Knights, only Władysław Jagiełło put an end to his actions. He restored the castles in the hands of 

The ruins of the castle in Olsztyn in the photo by Henryk Poddębski from 1936

Opole to the crown, including the Olsztyn castle after a week-long siege in 1396, again manning it with a permanent crew.

In 1587, a battle for the Olsztyn castle took place, which was later described by Aleksander Fredro and Władysław Syrokomla. The army of Archduke Maximilian entered the Polish, and the Olsztyn castle, whose crew was then commanded by Kacper Karliński, stood in their way. The Austrians went so far as to kidnap the son of the Polish commander and keep him in the front line of the attackers. Tradition has it that none of the crew dared to fire at the enemy, then Karliński fired the first shot himself. His son was killed in the fight, but the prince's troops had to withdraw.