egends say that the castle was erected here by the first representatives of the Świnka family as early as 900. However, the hypothesis that during the Piast times in the 11th century, a castle was erected here, which was the princely castellany, seems closer to the truth. The first time the castle Zuini in Polonia was mentioned by the Czech chronicler Kosmas in 1125. From the description of this chronicler we learn that in 1108 Mutina and his uncle held a secret meeting in Zuini in Polonia to discuss the plan to overthrow the Bohemian prince Świętopełek.
The castle was to guard the route connecting the Czech Republic with Poland through the Lubawska Pass. In the thirteenth century, castellans in the castle were: Tader from 1230, Jaksa from 1242 and from 1248 Petrico de Swyn (Peter of Świny),
View from the south-east, photo by ZeroJeden, IX 2003
to whom Bolko I gave the castle as his property. Świny remained in the hands of the Świnka family until 1713. At the beginning of the fourteenth century, they erected a residential tower preserved to this day, and the walls built at that time surrounded the castle courtyard. The tower has four floors above the surface of the courtyard and deep dungeons. On the ground floor there was a knight's hall, the remains of which can be seen in the window niches, and the Gothic portal at the entrance has also been preserved. At the turn of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the castle was expanded with a new residential wing at the tower.
In the 17th century, the Gothic stronghold was rebuilt in the Renaissance style - Jan Zygmunt Świnka created a new, spacious residence with towers in the corners. In the original buildings, window openings were widened and decorated, and the entire castle was surrounded by bastion fortifications.
After the death of the last male representative of the Świnka family, George Ernest, the castle was sold in 1713 to his daughter's husband - Sebastian Henry von Schweinitz. During the Seven Years'
Aerial view from the south-east, photo by ZeroJeden, X 2013
War, the castle was completely plundered by the Russian army stationed in the area. After the death of the then owner, Baron Hans Friedrich von Schweinitz, the family, immersed in debt, had to sell the castle and the farm at a forced auction in 1769. The new owner changed the castle into a grain and straw warehouse, which caused the building to deteriorate. In 1840, a storm tore off the roof of the residential tower, in 1868 another hurricane damaged the roof and slowly all the ceilings collapsed. A fire in 1876 completed the ruins.
The first security works were undertaken at the beginning of the 20th century. The leaseholder of the castle was the Association of Friends of Bolkowy Gaj, which took care of strengthening the walls and renovated the castle tower by covering it with a new roof. During World War II, a small Wehrmaht unit guarded the aircraft engines stored here in the castle. In the sixties, the building was thoroughly renovated. Since 1991, it has been in private
Tower with a staircase from the north-west, photo by ZeroJeden, V 2005
hands.
There are numerous tales and legends associated with the castle in Świny, which I will quote here after Ryszard Rogiński.
One of the legends says that the name Świna derives from the place where the knight Biwoj knocked down a powerful boar, which was the terror of the whole area. Another says that at the top of the castle tower there was a magic chamber, where the castellan Agnes saw her future husband among the paintings gathered there.
The story of the knight Świnka and the beautiful Adelaide Zedlitz, the daughter of the castellan of the castle in Bolków comes to mind. Since Świny is located about 3 km from Bolków, the customary law required to come to each other's aid in case of danger. When in 1345. The Czechs suddenly attacked the castle in Bolków Henryk Świnka did not come to the rescue of his neighbors. This incident soon turned into an armed conflict between two Polish crews. The pigs got to the fortress of Bolków through a secret underground corridor. But the fight did not take place, because the attackers discovered the daughter of the castellan, Adelaide, locked in a chamber. It turned out that her father was hiding her there from a rejected pretender to the hand. Young Pig fell in love at once, and the armed feud ended in a wedding.
There are also accounts of tendencies to abuse alcohol by some representatives of the Pig family. For example, during a feast at the castle, one of them, Konrad, is said to have said: If the devil is going to kidnap me, let him do it during a cheerful meeting with friends. At that moment lightning struck, the lord of the castle fell dead, and the cup
photo by ZeroJeden, V 2005
he was holding in his hand was so melted by the thunderbolt that hot metal poured over his hand. He was buried in a grave with a chalice, so that he would not part with it even after death.
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gends say that the castle was erected here by the first representatives of the Świnka family as early as 900. However, the hypothesis that during the Piast times in the 11th century, a castle was erected here, which was the princely castellany, seems closer to the truth. The first time the castle Zuini in Polonia was mentioned by the Czech chronicler Kosmas in 1125. From the description of this chronicler we learn that in 1108 Mutina and his uncle held a secret meeting in Zuini in Polonia to discuss the plan to overthrow the Bohemian prince Świętopełek.
