The Ducal Castle, also known as the Castle of the Dukes of Pomerania, and the Szczecin Castle, is a

renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

in the city of

Szczecin Szczecin ( , , ; ; ; or ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship in northwestern Poland. Located near the Baltic Sea and the Poland-Germany border, German border, it is a major port, seaport, the la ...

, Poland, located at the Castle Hill in the Stare Miasto (''Old Town'') neighbourhood, near the

Oder The Oder ( ; Czech and ) is a river in Central Europe. It is Poland's second-longest river and third-longest within its borders after the Vistula and its largest tributary the Warta. The Oder rises in the Czech Republic and flows through wes ...

river. It is built in the gothic and Pomeranian mannerism architectural style. The castle was the seat of the dukes of Pomerania-Stettin of the House of Pomerania, who ruled the

Duchy of Pomerania The Duchy of Pomerania (; ; Latin: ''Ducatus Pomeraniae'') was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (''Griffins''). The country existed in the Middle Ages between years 1121–11 ...

from 1121 to 1637. The building history originates in 1346, when Duke Barnim III began the construction of the ducal housing complex, and continues to 1428, when, under the rule of Casimir V, it was expanded, forming the castle. Currently, it is one of the largest cultural centres in the

West Pomeranian Voivodeship West Pomeranian Voivodeship is a Voivodeships of Poland, voivodeship (province) in northwestern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Szczecin. Its area equals , and in 2021, it was inhabited by 1,682,003 people. It was established on 1 Janua ...

, Poland.

History

Barnim the Great of Pomerania-Stettin erected the castle within Szczecin's walls against the will of the burghers in 1346; an older Pomeranian fortification had been leveled in 1249.Werner Buchholz, ''Pommern'', Siedler, 1999, p.121, In 1490 the castle was partially reconstructed for Bogusław X's wedding with Anna Jagiellonka (daughter of King

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (Casimir Andrew Jagiellon; ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447 until his death in 1492. He was one of the most active Polish-Lithuanian rulers; under ...

). Between 1573 and 1582 the castle was rebuilt again, this time in the

mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

style for Duke John Frederick by Italian stonemasons according to design by Wilhelm Zachariasz Italus. Two new wings were added to close the courtyard before the medieval southern and eastern wings. The main gate was adorned with ducal crest, the eastern wing was enhanced and the northern wing was intended for chapel. In 1648, due to the tenets of the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought peace to the Holy Roman Empire ...

, the castle become a seat of Swedish governor. Before 1705, another reconstruction prepared the castle for the Queen of Poland, Catherine Opalińska, who lived here with her daughters Anna and

Marie Leszczyńska Maria Karolina Zofia Felicja Leszczyńska (; 23 June 1703 – 24 June 1768), also known as Marie Leczinska (), was Queen of France as the wife of King Louis XV from their marriage on 4 September 1725 until her death in 1768. The daughter of St ...

(future Queen of France) and a small court between 1705 and 1711. In 1711 King Stanisław I Leszczyński, seeking refuge from pursuing

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

and

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

forces, joined his wife and daughters at the castle. After the

Great Northern War In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern Europe, Northern, Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the ant ...

, in 1720, the city of Stettin become part of

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

and the castle was allocated to the garrison commander Christian August, Prince of Anhalt-Zerbst, whose daughter Sophie Friederike Auguste (the future

Catherine II of Russia Catherine II. (born Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst; 2 May 172917 November 1796), most commonly known as Catherine the Great, was the reigning empress of Russia from 1762 to 1796. She came to power after overthrowing her husband, Peter I ...

) was born here in 1729 and was raised in the castle. Since 1721, French church services of the city's French

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

community were held in the castle chapel. Under Swedish and later Prussian rule, the castle was extensively modified. In 1840-1842, a tower in

Classical architecture Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Ancient Greek architecture, Greek and Ancient Roman architecture, Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De archit ...

in allusion to the architecture of

Karl Friedrich Schinkel Karl Friedrich Schinkel (13 March 1781 – 9 October 1841) was a Prussian architect, urban planning, city planner and painter who also designed furniture and stage sets. Schinkel was one of the most prominent architects of Germany and designed b ...

was erected, and the south wing was built in the style of

Frederician Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

. Polish conservators maintain that these modifications during Prussian rule in the 19th century were barbaric, devastating the many Renaissance elements in the castle (arcades, attics, vaulting). Eventually about 60% of the castle was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(August 1944). Under Polish rule, the castle was rebuilt between 1958 and 1980 with some modifications. The castle was seen as a point of contact with the lost Slavic past of Szczecin, supporting and legitimizing the expulsion of the German population and consequent

Polonization Polonization or Polonisation ()In Polish historiography, particularly pre-WWII (e.g., L. Wasilewski. As noted in Смалянчук А. Ф. (Smalyanchuk 2001) Паміж краёвасцю і нацыянальнай ідэяй. Польскі ...

of the city. The castle was restored to its original 16th-century appearance according to

Matthäus Merian Matthäus is a given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: ;Surname * Lothar Matthäus, (born 1961), German former football player and manager ;Given name * Matthäus Aurogallus, Professor of Hebrew at the University of Wittenberg ...

's engraving of 1653 and other sources. The reference to the Renaissance appearance was important because during that time the city, then part of the

Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...

, was ruled by the

House of Griffin The House of Griffin or Griffin dynasty, (; , ; Latin: ''Gryphes''), or House of Pomerania (see ), was a dynasty ruling the Duchy of Pomerania from the 12th century until 1637. The name "Griffins" was used by the dynasty after the 15th century ...

, whose Slavic or even

Piast The House of Piast was the first historical ruling dynasty of Poland. The first documented Polish monarch was Duke Mieszko I (–992). The Piasts' royal rule in Poland ended in 1370 with the death of King Casimir III the Great. Branches of ...

descent is debated among historians. The castle thus became a ''

lieu de mémoire A (French for "site of memory" or memory space) is a physical place or object which acts as container of memory. They are thus a form of memorialisation related to collective memory, stating that certain places, objects or events can have special ...

'' for the new inhabitants of Szczecin.

Gallery

File:Zamek Ksiazat Pomorskich w Szczecinie (widok z wiezy).jpg, View from one of the towers File:Szczecin zamek3.jpg, The Ducal Castle in Szczecin File:Szczecin zamek dziedziniec menniczy.jpg, The tower seen from the courtyard File:Szczecin 05-2017 img08 Castle.jpg, Side view with one of the towers File:Szczecin zamek1.jpg, Inner courtyard File:Schloss-Stettin-160402-091.JPG, Former castle chapel File:Szczecin Zamek Ksiazat Pomorskich zegar.jpg, Clock on the castle's clock tower File:2009-05-30-polska-by-RalfR-48.jpg, One of the chambers File:2009-05-30-polska-by-RalfR-36.jpg, Gate File:Szczecin, Centrum Informacji Kulturalnej i Turystycznej.JPG, Culture and Tourism Center

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Spherical panoramas of the Castle

The Association of Castles and Museums around the Baltic Sea
{{Authority control Castles in West Pomeranian Voivodeship History of Pomerania Duchy of Pomerania Buildings and structures in Szczecin Museums in West Pomeranian Voivodeship Culture in Szczecin Burial sites of the House of Pomerania Renaissance architecture in Poland Old Town, Szczecin Buildings and structures completed in 1346 Buildings and structures completed in 1428 Rebuilt buildings and structures in Poland Royal residences in Poland Renaissance castles Residential buildings in Szczecin

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links