he castle in ¦wiebodzin is believed to have been erected at the end of the 13th or beginning of the 14th century, perhaps at the same time that the village gained town rights. The first mention of the stronghold dates back to 1329, listing civitas ad castrum Swibzin as the property of
Henry IV, Duke of ¯agañ (d. 1342). From 1333, the town belonged to the Kingdom of Poland, but as early as 1335 it returned to the dominion of the Duke of G³ogów, and then became a fiefdom of King of Bohemia
Jan Lucemburský (d. 1346). When the Duchy of G³ogów was partitioned in 1378, ¦wiebodzin came under the ¯agañ district, and the castle became the seat of the duke's widows and an administrative center for eastern Brandenburg. In 1435-67 it belonged to the Order of St. John and was presumably expanded during this period.
EASTERN ELEVATION OF THE CASTLE IN THE 1960S AND AT PRESENT
n 1506, the governor of the Czech King in G³ogów,
Zygmunt Jagielloñczyk (later Polish King Zygmunt the Old), gave the castle as a pledge to Johann von Nostitz, and three years later, his brother, King
Vladislav Jagellonský of Bohemia, granted it to Johann and Wilhelm von Haugwitz. After ¦wiebodzin became part of the empire (1526), the castle was administered by Habsburg-appointed district commanders and starosts, including distinguished representatives of the von Knobelsdorff family, successively Sebastian (d. 1568), Maximilian (d. 1609), Johann Georg (d. 1637) and Kasper Siegismund (d. 1675). The most prominent of these, Maximilian, rebuilt the Gothic castle into a Renaissance mansion at the end of the 16th century. When he died in 1609, the right to the estate was given to his son Johann Georg, but until he came of age it was managed by Maximilian's widow, Eva von Knobelsdorff de domo von Bornstädt.
¦WIEBODZIN IN AN ENGRAVING FROM THE WORK OF GEORG BRAUN AND FRANS HOGENBERG
"CIVITATES ORBIS TERRARUM" (WORLD ATLAS 1572-1618), THE CASTLE IS ON THE LEFT
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he local starosts at the time were considered royal governors, holding supreme authority not only over the town council, but also over the judiciary and craftsmen's guilds. One of them, Kasper Siegismund Knobelsdorff, rebuilt the castle, which had been destroyed during the Thirty Years' War. He was succeeded in 1674 by Marshal Jobst Hilmar von Knigge (who died in a duel in 1683), followed by Imperial oberleutnant Franz Jobst. Two decades later, Emperor
Leopold I leased the castle and adjoining estate to Theodor von Sommerfeld, but changed his decision four years later, handing them over in exchange for a loan of 31,000 guilders to the Cistercian nuns of Trzebnica. From then on, the castle gradually began to lose its defensive character, becoming the administrative center of the Cistercian estate.
THE TOWN IN AN ENGRAVING BY FRIEDRICH BERNHARD WERNER FROM 1744-68, THE CASTLE IS ON THE RIGHT
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n 1868, the then owner of the castle, Gustav Kramman, an entrepreneur who was building a railroad from March to Greater Poland, sold it to the town council, and the latter gave the building to the Borromean nuns, who organized a hospital, a Catholic school and a kindergarten in it. In the interwar period, the nuns erected new wings of the hospital building, which obliterated the historic layout of the entire complex. Immediately after the end of World War II, Caritas operated in the former castle for a short period, and since 1946 the building has housed an orthopedic hospital. At that time, the castle wing including staff accomodation and the chapel was abandoned and fell into ruin. Although work was undertaken in 1984 to save the monument, it was discontinued after the fall of the communist regime, and so far (2022) we have not lived to see its continuation.
¦WIEBODZIN CASTLE ON POSTCARDS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE XX CENTURY
o far, no research has been carried out on the castle in ¦wiebodzin to provide a comprehensive description of its appearance and spatial layout in medieval times. It is believed that it originally consisted of one or two residential wings and a cylindrical stone tower located in the southeastern part of the courtyard. The castle was fenced off from the town by a watered-in ditch connected to a moat surrounding the town wall, and the entrance to it led from the southwest through a gate with a drawbridge and a fortified farm-yard. The town's fortifications were built on a roughly circular plan and reinforced with as many as fifteen towers, most of which opened from the inside.
H. TARKA, TOWN PLAN COVERING ITS MEDIEVAL PART: 1. CASTLE, 2. HOSPITAL BUILDING ADDED IN THE XX CENTURY,
3. ST. MICHAEL CHURCH, 4. FORMER PARISH SCHOOL, 5. TOWN HALL, 6. NEO-GOTHIC CHURCH
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n the second half of the 16th century, the castle was expanded with a new residential wing, which gave the whole building a horseshoe shape, as can be seen in a 17th-century drawing by Georg Braun. At the time, it consisted of buildings grouped around two courtyards, flanked by three cylindrical towers, and surrounded by a moat over which a bridge was spanned. The main entrance led up a staircase in a covered, columned porch. The residential wings in the upper story may have been built as a half-timbered construction, and were covered with gabled roofs.
CASTLE AT THE TURN OF THE XVI AND XVII CENTURIES, EXCERPT FROM THE WORK OF GEORG BRAUN AND FRANS HOGENBERG
"CIVITATES ORBIS TERRARUM" (WORLD ATLAS 1572-1618)
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fter the reconstruction caused by the devastation of the Thirty Years' War, the castle had only one cylindrical tower, as evidenced by Friedrich Werner's engraving from the mid-18th century. The distinctive Lateran cross formed from cannonballs embedded in the walls probably dates from this period. The building formerly had a two-track interior layout, which was obliterated during the last remodeling carried out here in the 1930s.
CASTLE IN AN ENGRAVING BY FRIEDRICH BERNHARD WERNER FROM 1744-68
A CROSS MADE OF CANNONBALLS EMBEDDED IN THE SOUTHERN ELEVATION (THE SECOND ONE IS IN THE EASTERN ELEVATION)
he castle has survived to the present day, although its appearance has been severely modified over the centuries and the original layout of the medieval stronghold is difficult to recognize nowadays. Relics of the oldest foundation are located in the eastern part of the buildings, which have been integrated into the modernist architecture of the orthopedic hospital. Also partially surviving are the northern and southern sections of the walls that surround the inner courtyard. The areas of the former farm-yard and moat to the north and east are now occupied by a park. The historic part of the complex has been out of use and deteriorating for many years. There are some plans (unspecified) to reconstruct it.
It is not allowed to enter the grounds of the former castle. We will also not enter the castle park.
The castle, or rather the hospital, stands in a highly urbanized area. In addition, it is a takeoff and landing area for ambulance helicopters. Formally, however, there is no ban on flights.
IN THE SUMMER, THE EAST WING IS HARDLY VISIBLE
PARK EAST OF THE CASTLE
GETTING THERE
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he hospital is located about 200 meters east of Market Square, on Zamkowa Street. After leaving the train station, head north on Grottgera Street and £±ki Zamkowe Street (800 m).
You can park your car in the tiny parking lot at the entrance to the hospital (rather unrealistic during business hours) or in one of the paid parking lots on Szpitalna Street.
Bike racks are located at the main entrance to the hospital.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. B. Bielinis-Kopeæ: Zamki, dwory i pa³ace województwa lubuskiego, WUOZ w Zielonej Górze 2008
2. L. Kajzer, J. Salm, S. Ko³odziejski: Leksykon zamków w Polsce, Arkady 2001
3. J. Kuczer: Szlachta jako dzier¿awca dóbr królewskich w ksiêstwie g³ogowskim..., IPiA PWSZ 2007
4. A. Wagner: Murowane budowle obronne w Polsce X-XVIIw., Bellona 2019
5. K. Wasilkiewicz: Templariusze i joannici w biskupstwie lubuskim, Instytut Kultury Europejskiej 2016
VIEW OF THE CASTLE AND HOSPITAL FROM THE SOUTHEAST, BEHIND THEM WE SEE ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH
Castles nearby: £agów - the castle of the Hospitallers of Saint John from the 14th century, 21 km
Sulechów - the ducal castle from the 14th century, 21 km Miêdzyrzecz - the ruined royal castle from the 14th century, 27 km Zb±szyñ - relics of a bastion castle from the 17th century, 36 km
Krosno Odrzañskie - the ducal castle from 13th to 14th centuries, 42 km
WORTH SEEING:
Renaissance town hall (200 m), rebuilt in the 19th century, with an original tower topped with a crenellation. Cross-ribbed and star vaults have been preserved in the basement of the town hall and in several rooms on its first floor. The building currently houses the Regional Museum, the Registry and Civil Affairs Office, and the offices of the Town Council.
Late Gothic, four-nave parish church of St. Michael from the 15th century. Inside, valuable furnishings have been preserved: a Gothic triptych of St. Anne in the main altar, as well as a Rococo altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary. An unusual and unique feature of the church is its proportions. This is because it is wider than it is longer (27x31 m). The temple stands on Szpitalna Street (200 m).
A modest but historic parish school from the early 17th century. Remnants of late Gothic vaults, once probably present in all rooms, have been preserved to this day in its hallway. The current appearance of the building was formed during a major reconstruction carried out in the second half of the 19th century. The parish school stands on Szpitalna Street, opposite St. Michael's Church (200 m). The photo on the left shows the building before its renovation.
Remains of town fortifications from the 14th-16th centuries (150 m). In the Middle Ages the entire town was surrounded by walls supported with twelve towers and three gates. Segments of the stone walls, three towers and relics of the moat have survived to the present day.
The statue of Christ the King (2.2 km) is similar to
the Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro, but a bit taller than it. It is 33 meters tall (without the pedestal), making it the tallest Jesus in the world. It is now one of the province's biggest attractions, although for many it is also a symbol of idolatry and human stupidity.
