Kliczków (german: Klitschdorf) is a village (former

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

) in the administrative district of

Gmina Osiecznica __NOTOC__ Gmina Osiecznica is a rural gmina (administrative district) in Bolesławiec County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in south-western Poland. Its seat is the village of Osiecznica, which lies approximately north-west of Bolesławiec and we ...

, within

Bolesławiec County __NOTOC__ Bolesławiec County ( pl, powiat bolesławiecki) is a unit of territorial administration and local government (powiat) in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, southwestern Poland. It came into being on January 1, 1999, as a result of the Polish lo ...

Lower Silesian Voivodeship Lower Silesian Voivodeship, or Lower Silesia Province, in southwestern Poland, is one of the 16 voivodeships (provinces) into which Poland is divided. The voivodeship was created on 1 January 1999 out of the former Wrocław, Legnica, Wałbrz ...

, in south-western Poland. Kliczków is the location of a notable

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

dating from 1297. It lies approximately north-east of Osiecznica, north-west of Bolesławiec, and west of the regional capital Wrocław. The village has a population of 350.

History

The history of the village dates back to the 13th century, when it was located on the border of

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

and Silesia. The castle, constructed in 1297, served as a stronghold for knights. The remains of the former medieval stronghold are still intact, most notably, a rectangular stone

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

(tower) on the western side. The initial purpose of the castle was to defend the Duchy of Świdnica and Jawor. Subsequently, in the 14th century, the building changed its architectural character and purpose to serve as a manor house for wealthy nobles. Ruling aristocratic clans, like the German Rechenberg Family, greatly expanded the structure and adapted it to modern use. In the 19th century, the complex was restructured and redesigned once again. The palatial-styled

fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic (paranormal), magic, incantation, enchantments, and mythical ...

castle was located alongside a large, 80 hectare English garden. Before 1945, the castle was in eastern Nazi Germany. After World War II it was confiscated by the Polish state as it became part of Poland. In Kliczków, Prince Friedrich of Solms-Baruth was responsible for creating, beside the traditional family

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

, a cemetery for his most beloved

horses The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...

and pets. Nowadays, there are only two surviving tombstones from at least a dozen that once stood in the graveyard. The overall

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

and Renaissance Revival style of the castle make it a unique architectural gem in the region. The castle itself is a popular tourist spot in Lower Silesia.

References

Villages in Bolesławiec County Former populated places in Lower Silesian Voivodeship {{Bolesławiec-geo-stub