Grodno Castle (German: ''Kynsburg'') is a castle located in the southern parts of the Wałbrzych Mountains, on the Choina Mountain (450 metres), standing to the left of the river Bystrzyca. The valley of this river, formerly known as the Silesian Valley (Śląska Dolina,
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
), creates a natural boundary between the
Owl Mountains
The Owl Mountains ( pl, Góry Sowie, cs, Soví hory, german: Eulengebirge) are a mountain range of the Central Sudetes in southwestern Poland. It includes a protected area called Owl Mountains Landscape Park.
Geography
The Owl Mountains cover ...
and to the west of it the Wałbrzych Mountains. The castle is located in
Zagórze Śląskie
Zagórze Śląskie (german: Kynau) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Walim, within Wałbrzych County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland.
The settlement within the northern Owl Mountains lies approximately ...
(11 km east of
Wałbrzych
Wałbrzych (; german: Waldenburg; szl, Wałbrzich; sli, label= Lower Silesian, Walmbrig or ''Walmbrich''; cs, Valbřich or ) is a city located in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in southwestern Poland. From 1975–1998 it was the capital of Wa ...
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
.
The picturesque location of the castle is exacerbated by the barraged Lubachowskie Lake in the foothills of the mountain.
History
According to tradition the castle was built in 1193, by
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...
Bolesław I the Tall. The castle, together with a network of fortresses was used as a defense line between the
Duchy of Jawor
Duchy of Jawor ( pl, Księstwo Jaworskie, german: Herzogtum Jauer) was one of the Duchies of Silesia established in 1274 as a subdivision of the Duchy of Legnica. It was ruled by the Silesian Piasts, with its capital at Jawor in Lower Silesia.
...
and the
Kingdom of Bohemia
The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...
. In the sixteenth century Grodno Castle was expanded by a
gatehouse
A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mo ...
, on which there is precious
sgraffito
''Sgraffito'' (; plural: ''sgraffiti'') is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colours to a moistened surface, or in pottery, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive laye ...
, and a sundial clock from 1716. The castle was devastated in battles against the Swedes during the
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history, lasting from 1618 to 1648. Fought primarily in Central Europe, an estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died as a result of battle ...
, slowly falling into ruins. In the nineteenth century the tower had collapsed. The last owner of Grodno, was the Zedlitz family, which had continued renovation works and strengthened the castle.
When the region fell to Poland in 1945, the castle was initially renamed as ''Zamek Chojny'', only later called ''Zamek Grodno''.
File:Zagórze Śląskie, Zamek Grodno - przedbramie 01.jpg, Gate tower
File:Grodno castle gate 121545.jpg, Main gate
File:Grodno castle 125059.jpg, Courtyard
File:4769viki Zagórze Śląskie - zamek Grodno. Foto Barbara Maliszewska.jpg, Entrance to a gatehouse