t is not known on whose initiative and when exactly Sokolec Castle was built. Due to the fact that these lands belonged to the Dukes of Wrocław in the past,
Duke Henryk Brodaty (the Bearded, d. 1238) or his son Henryk II Pobożny (the Pious, d. 1241) are sometimes identified as the alleged founders of the rock stronghold. However, it seems more likely that the castle was erected by one of the Świdnica-Jawor dukes, in order to protect a route leading through the Bóbr valley or to guard surrounding villages.
HISTORICAL NAMES OF THE CASTLE
Vesten Walkenstein (1362), Burg Falkenstein (1372) House Falkenstein (1399), Falkinsteyne (XV w.) Burg Falkenstein (XIX w.), Sokolec (after 1945)
THERE IS A PICNIC AREA AT THE SITE OF THE FORMER EASTERN CASTLE COURTYARD
T
he first known burgrave of Sokolec was Clericus Bolcze, listed in documents from 1369. This is the only certain information regarding the castle in the 14th century, as its status at that time is often questionable. According to some historians, Agnes of Habsburg (d. 1392) leased the castle to the knight Hannos Reinbaben in 1372, and after his death (ca. 1385) it passed into the hands of Rudiger von Wiltberg, court marshal of the dukes of Świdnica, who sold the rights to it to a certain Ticzko von Schnidel. At the beginning of the 15th century, the stronghold belonged to the Bohemian knight Wenceslas of Donin, then to his brothers Beneš and Štěpán, and later to Jungelin von Tscheschaw (1406). However, this is only one of two versions of the history of the place. According to the second one, the entire period of the castle's existence from the time of Clericus Bolcze until its fall should be linked to the representatives of the von Tschirn family: Heinrich (from 1372), his son Hans of Płonina (from 1406), Opitz and his brother Hayn von Tschirn.
CASTLE RECONSTRUCTION BY M. SÝKORA, DRAWING BY J. OSTRADOVIEC
D
uring the Hussite Wars (1419-36), the owners of Sokolec repeatedly took advantage of chaos and anarchy that prevailed at the time to commit looting and robbery. At the beginning of the war, they favored the rebellious Hussites, but later decided to go over to the side of the bishop and Silesian cities. So, under the pretext of a military meeting, they invited to Sokolec the Hussite commanders: Bedřich of Strážnice and Michálek, and then captured them to pass them into the hands of the bishop of Wrocław (Michálek, however, managed to escape). In an act of revenge, on the night of August 11-12, 1434, the Hussites invaded the castle, looted it and then burned it down.
WESTERN COURTYARD SURROUNDED BY ROCKS
I
n 1442 the castle belonged to Conrad von Nimptsch, then to his uncle Hans Wiesse, and in 1448 to Heinrich von Nimptch, Conrad's brother. At the time, Sokolec, probably after some makeshift reconstruction, may have served as the seat of a not very wealthy knights or some bands of knights engaged in robbery. According to historians, it was destroyed by royal Bohemian-Hungarian troops operating here as part of an expedition aimed against rebellious castles and their crews (1475/76). At the beginning of the 16th century, Czech King
Vladislav II. Jagellonský (d. 1516) issued a document transferring these lands as a fief to Anton Schaffgotsch of Chojnik (d. 1508), in which the stronghold was described as a ruin. In 1604 Count
Hans Ulrich von Schaffgotsch (d. 1635) became the owner of Sokolec.
REMNANTS OF BRICK CASTLE BUILDINGS: SOUTHERN (ABOVE) AND NORTHERN
A
t the beginning of the 19th century, the Sokole Mountains belonged to the vast domain of Duke
Wilhelm von Preussen (d. 1851) and his wife
Maria von Hessen Homburg (d. 1846). After the duke's death, they passed to their daughter
Elizabeth von Preussen (d. 1885) and remained in the hands of the Hessen dynasty until the end of World War II. Meanwhile, in 1904, archaeologists found iron spearheads while excavating the castle ruins. In the 1930s, these artifacts were presented to the public in the form of distorted, fabricated sketches to support Nazi propaganda about (alleged) Germanic settlement in the area in the early Middle Ages. In fact, the spearheads probably date back to the 15th century, the period of the Hussite Wars.
MEDIEVAL SPEARHEADS FOUND AT SOKOLEC CASTLE
Near the ruins is an impressive rock called Cross Mountain (Krzyżna Góra, Falkenberg), which rises to an altitude of 654 meters above sea level. Its name
comes from the cross that was placed on it in 1832 by order of Princess
Maria von Hessen Homburg to commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary of the birth of her husband
Wilhelm von Preussen. This cross is 6 meters high, and its arms reach a span of 3.5 meters. It was cast at the Royal Foundry in Gliwice.
PANORAMA OF KARKONOSZE VIEWED FROM KRZYŻNA GÓRA, PHOTOS TAKEN IN SPRING AND EARLY AUTUMN
VIEWS FROM KRZYŻNA GÓRA ARE AMONG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL IN POLAND
he castle was built of granite and partially of wood, on a quadrangular plan measuring about 32x20 meters. It was enclosed on three sides by a perimeter wall with rounded corners, while on the south it adjoined a huge rock. Due to very scant remains a layout and spatial arrangement of this mountain stronghold cannot be identified beyond reasonable doubt. It probably consisted of three main segments: a large eastern courtyard, a central upper castle and a smaller western courtyard, which may have been protected by guard towers built on the rocks. The entrance to the castle led from the west through a gate flanked by two small buildings of unknown purpose. In addition to the walls and watchtowers on the rocks, the castle fortifications included ditches and ramparts.
HYPOTHETICAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE UPPER CASTLE ACCORDING TO P. RAJSKI
PLAN OF SOKOLEC CASTLE ACCORDING TO M. SÝKORA: 1. EAST COURTYARD, 2. WOODEN WATCHTOWER,
3. UPPER CASTLE, 4. TOWER, 5. SOUTHERN BRIDGEHEAD, 6. WEST COURTYARD
At a distance of about one kilometer from the castle ruins are two granite rocks named Sokolik Duży and Sokolik Mały. Sokolik Duży (642 meters above sea level) is topped by a
viewing platform, offering a magnificent panorama of the Rudawy Janowickie and the Karkonosze mountain range, as well as the Kaczawskie and Izerskie Mountains. In a closer view, one can see villages scattered across the Jelenia Góra Valley, including Trzcińsko with its characteristic
Baroque church of Our Lady of Częstochowa, as well as numerous ponds and picturesque rock formations. The place is popular among rock climbers. It is worth mentioning that all the greatest Polish Himalayan climbers, including
Wanda Rutkiewicz and
Jerzy Kukuczka, trained here.
he foundations of perimeter walls, faint remnants of residential (?) buildings, as well as relics of earthen ramparts and dry moat have been preserved.
Free admission
It will take you at least one hour to walk up from the tourist shelter, visit the top of the mountain, explore the ruins and return.
You can visit the place with your dog.
The strenuous climb to the top of the mountain and the challenging ascent to the rock can be very difficult for people with physical disabilities.
THE ASCENT TO THE TOP OF KRZYŻNA MOUNTAIN IS SHORT BUT CHALLENGING
VIEW FROM THE EAST ON THE RELICS OF SOKOLEC CASTLE
GETTING THERE
T
he ruin is located near the ascent to the top of the rock forming the culmination of Krzyżna Mountain. The path to the castle leads through
Szwajcarka hostel, from where one should follow the black trail towards Sokoliki. Near the Hussite Rocks viewpoint,
the trail turns left and continues until it reaches the stairs at the foot of the rock. Going by car, one should head from Janowice Wielkie in the direction of Karpniki. The nearest railway station is in Janowice Wielkie, 7 km away.
You can park your car
at Karpnicka Pass (about 1.5 km from the ruins, fee 15 PLN in 2022). Alternatively, you can drive up to the hostel, but: 1. there is a fee there too, 2. a driving up is not recommended for cars with low clearance, 3. there are usually no free parking spaces there.
The route from the hostel to the ruins, in my opinion, is not suitable for cycling. I suggest leaving bikes at the hostel.
ON THE HIKING TRAIL LEADING TOWARDS KRZYŻNA GÓRA
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. A. Boguszewicz: Zamki Piastów fürstenberskich na pograniczu księstwa jaworskiego..., 2010
2. M. Chorowska: Rezydencje średniowieczne na Śląsku, OFPWW 2003
3. M. Chorowska, T. Dudziak, K. Jaworski, A. Kwaśniewski: Zamki i dwory obronne w Sudetach, 2009
4. L. Kajzer, J. Salm, S. Kołodziejski: Leksykon zamków w Polsce, Arkady 2001
5. N. Poniatowska-Wasiak: Rudawy Janowskie, e-przewodnik turystyczny, 2016
6. A. Wagner: Murowane budowle obronne w Polsce X-XVIIw., Bellona 2019
7. https://www.jelonka.com/skarby-zamku-sokolec-103026
VIEWS FROM THE KRZYŻNA MOUNTAIN, IN THE PHOTOS WE SEE (FROM THE TOP): ŚNIEŻKA PEAK, KARPNIKI CASTLE,
WESTERN RANGE OF KARKONOSZE WITH ITS HIGHEST PEAK - SZRENICA
Castles nearby: Karpniki - the castle from the 14th century, 4 km Janowice Wielkie - Bolczów castle ruins from the 14th century, 5 km Bukowiec - the fortified mansion from the 16th century, 8 km
Czarne - the fortified mansion from the 16th century, 16 km
Dziwiszów - the Renaissance mansion from the 16th century, now palace, 19 km Płonina - the ruins of Niesytno castle from the 14th century, 19 km Siedlęcin - the residential tower from the 14th century, 21 km Lipa - the ruins of a knight's castle from the 14th century, 22 km Kamienna Góra - the ruins of Kreppelhof Castle from the 16th century, 24 km Rybnica - the castle ruins from the 14th century, 24 km Chojnik - the ruins of a ducal castle from the 14th century, 25 km
Stara Kraśnica - the fortified mansion from the 16th century, 25 km Bolków - the ruins of a ducal castle from the 13th century, 28 km Stara Kamienica - the ruins of a knight's castle, 28 km Świny - the ruins of a knight's castle from the 14th century, 30 km
WORTH SEEING:
Rudawy Janowickie - not very high, but a very attractive mountain range, where it is worth seeing the Szwajcarka hostel at the foot of Krzyżna Mountain, Sokolik Mountain, as well as colorful lakes formed as a result of the exploitation of pyrite, called "fool's gold". Hiking in the Rudawy, we can also find numerous
picturesque rocks. In the northeastern part of the range (9 km from the castle) are the remains of the mining town of Miedzianka, which, after 450 years of existence, was demolished in the 1960s and its population resettled in Jelenia Góra city. The reason for the demolition was collapse of houses caused by the existence of a uranium mine at the site. In fact, only the church and the former German Schwarzer Adler inn have survived.
MIEDZIANKA VILLAGE, ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH
GASTHOF "SCHWARZER ADLER" IN THE 1930S AND TODAY
ONLY THE BRICK PILLARS OF THE GATE REMAIN FROM THE BAROQUE MANOR HOUSE
It is worth coming here at least for a while to compare the current appearance of the settlement with archival photographs of the town - such a comparison may come as a shock!
MIEDZIANKA MARKET SQUARE ON A POSTCARD FROM 1907, ON THE LEFT - ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH
ABANDONED TOWNHOUSES AT THE MARKET JUST BEFORE THEY WERE DEMOLISHED, 1967
"MARKET SQUARE" IN MIEDZIANKA NOW, ON THE LEFT - ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH
