Castle in Rzeszów

he first mention of Rzeszów comes from the royal records concerning the granting of the settlement by Casimir the Great to Jan Pakosławic. His descendants took the surname Rzeszowski from the name of the city. Probably at that time there was a castle within the town fortifications, which was the ancestral seat of the Rzeszowski family.

In 1458, Rzeszów was ravaged during the invasion of the Italians, and soon after the Tatars, who burned the settlement. After the extinction of the Rzeszowski family, the widow of their last representative married Mikołaj Spytek Lizęga. It was he who at the beginning of the seventeenth century began the construction of the castle, which was to become a strong stronghold that could face the invasions that Rzeszów had already experienced many times. The construction 

photo by ZeroJeden, V 2000

of the castle probably lasted until about 1620, and soon after, in 1624, thanks to the fortifications, Rzeszów repelled the attack of the Tatars. Documents mention three gates in the fortifications of the town - Water Gate from the east, Oak Gate at the castle from the south and Brick Gate from the north, there were also several towers, from which the fortifications could be flanked fire.

Mikołaj Lizęga also left no male heir. The castle and the town passed through marriages and inheritance successively into the hands of the Ostrogski family and then the Lubomirski family. A representative of the latter family, George Sebastian, rebuilt the castle in the second half of the seventeenth century and surrounded it with stone bastion fortifications, which could resist even a strong army. The castle, as planned, became one of the most powerful Polish fortresses.

During the Swedish Deluge, after the rightful king Jan Kazimierz left the country, the troops loyal to him had four powerful fortresses in their hands: Jasna Góra, Lviv, Łańcut and Rzeszów. It was the Rzeszów fortress that was one of the centers of directing the mobilization of the nation against the Swedish invader. The Grand Marshal of the Crown, Hieronim Sebastian Lubomirski from the Rzeszów castle, was in charge of the establishment and organization of the levy. These were the most important moments in the history of this fortress.

After the turmoil of war, at the end of the 17th century, Lubomirski ordered the architect Tylman of Gameren to erect a palace outside the moat, which has survived to this day. The fortress lost its military 

Castle in Rzeszów, photo from before 1906

significance, became a magnate residence, surrounded by magnificent gardens, and a zoo was established on the island. During the partitions of Poland, the castle was taken over by the Austrian authorities and they set up a court in it, and some of the rooms were used as a prison.

The castle began to deteriorate and during the nineteenth century, due to significant damage, some of the castle buildings were demolished. In the years 1903-1906, a quadrangle of administrative buildings with a courtyard in the middle was erected. The stone bastions resisted destruction and demolition. Only one drawing on the topographic map from 1762 has survived to this day, depicting the then seat of the Lubomirski family.

The Rzeszów castle has not been thoroughly examined by scientists so far and does not have documentation of its development. Currently, it houses the Provincial Court.