ccording to Jan Długosz, Sandomierz was the second Slavic metropolis at the beginning of the 11th century. It was treated as one of the three capitals of the Polish state. Already in the 10th century, there was a stronghold here.
The first fortifications on the Castle Hill, the traces of which were discovered, were built in the twelfth century. The then princely stronghold was surrounded by a wooden and earth rampart and a system of entanglements made of obliquely
photo by ZeroJeden, VIII 2005
driven piles. From the side of the upland, a moat was dug. It is likely that the buildings of the hillfort could have been partially brick. It housed the castellany, and from the turn of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries - the capital of the district duchy.
In the fourteenth century, Casimir the Great used the site of the hillfort to build a brick castle, which was probably connected to the city walls during this period. The exact layout of the Kazimierz castle is not known, the first information from which we can conclude about the appearance of the stronghold comes from 1510, when the inventory was written. The gatehouse housed an armory, the main building was a house facing the Vistula, there was also a stone house with a basement with a chapel and a room of the elder. The castle had an outer bailey with a kitchen and a brewery. Among the discovered relics, the castle of Casimir the Great includes an octagonal tower, the foundations of which are located near the current entrance.
From 1513, a gradual, long-term expansion of the castle began. In
photo by ZeroJeden, II 2016
that year and the following year, the destroyed buildings were demolished and the construction of new wings began. The southern building was built using the walls of the aforementioned house facing the Vistula, and from the east a single-bay wing with two storeys was built. The first part of the west wing was also built at that time, which was completed in 1564-1565. During this second stage, the rectangular courtyard was closed with a wall from the north with a corner tower.
During the Swedish wars, the castle was captured by the invader, and when in 1656 the Swedes withdrew - they blew up the stronghold. The southern and eastern wings were completely destroyed, the less damaged western wing was rebuilt in the years 1680-1688
Castle on a postcard from 1915
on the initiative of Jan III Sobieski. After renovation, the partially preserved southern wing was used as stables. Further destruction affected the building during the Bar Confederation, and after the third partition of Polish, Sandomierz found itself within the borders of Austria, whose authorities renovated the castle for judicial and prison purposes. At the end of the 19th century, new simple buildings were built for purposes along the southern and eastern edges of the hill. A building for the staff was added from the north.
Currently, the castle is renovated and houses a museum.
Turn off 3D
cording to Jan Długosz, Sandomierz was the second Slavic metropolis at the beginning of the 11th century. It was treated as one of the three capitals of the Polish state. Already in the 10th century, there was a stronghold here.
