Castle in Tyniec

lready in ancient times, there was a stronghold here, where the local population took refuge in times of danger. In 1044, Casimir the Restorer brought the Benedictines to Tyniec, who soon erected the first brick elements in the place of the stronghold - a Romanesque church and monastery buildings with a small arcaded patio. From 1247, the defensive importance of the monastery increased, as it became a frontier 

View of the castle on an aerial photo, photo by ZeroJeden, VI 2019

fortress. At that time, the monastery was already surrounded by a perimeter wall with towers. In 1259, it was destroyed during the Tatar invasion. The rebuilt monastery was again destroyed by the army of bishop Jan Muskata.

In the fourteenth century, the stronghold had a defensive tower and the building of the starosty, and the entrance led through two gates. In the first half of the fifteenth century, the border of the Polish state moved to the south-west, and therefore the monastery ceased to be an important fortress. The neglected fortifications were renovated once again, but in the mid-fifteenth century, the building previously used by the royal crew was given to the monks and the abbots' apartments were arranged in it. In the sixteenth century, the complex was expanded.

The monastery suffered significantly during the Swedish wars, in the seventeenth century defensive walls with towers were erected at the foot of the monastery hill, later modernized with bastions.

The close vicinity of Krakow meant that the monastery was used in the 18th century 

photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2011

by the army during the Bar Confederation. During the construction works carried out from 1769, the Tyniec monastery became a strong bastion fortress, repeatedly harassed by foreign troops.

In 1831, the destroyed monastery buildings were consumed by fire, after which the use of the fortress was discontinued. It was not until the interwar period that the Benedictines returned to the monastery and gradually raised it from the ruins. Today, most of the monastery buildings are already renovated.