n the 11th century, a wooden fortified town was built here to guard the trade route from Silesia to Bohemia. Possibly it replaced an older, early medieval hamlet, which, according to some researchers, was supposed to be located in the eastern part of castle hill until it was destroyed by Czech troops. Existence of the castle in the times of Polish prince Boles³aw Krzywousty is confirmed by relation of Prague chronicler Kosmas (d. 1125), according to which Czech ruler Mutina, pretending to go hunting wild boars, met secretly in 1108 with his uncle Niemoj at the castle Zvini In Polonia to discuss plans for a conspiracy to overthrow Prince Svetopoluk. It is the oldest surviving historical text mentioning the name of the medieval stronghold in ¦winy.
NORTHERN ELEVATION OF CASTLE, 2020
¦
winy was mentioned again in papal bull, signed by
Hadrian IV (d. 1159), which describes the castle as a castellany being under the authority of Silesian duke Boles³aw Rogatka (d. 1278) or his son, the Jawor duke Henryk Brzuchaty (d. 1296). Between 1230 and 1248, Tader castellanus de Swina (1230), comes Jaxa castellanus de Swina (1242) and Petrico castellanus de Zuini (1248) were mentioned. However, the detailed history of the castle from this period is unknown. According to one of the hypotheses, when a new administrative centre was formed in nearby Bolków, the castle lost strategic importance and became private. Based on another assumption, in pagan times ¦winy was the seat of Slavic rulers of the ¦wiñska G³owa (Pig's head) family. When the Polish prince Mieszko conquered Silesia (b. 992), they became vassals of the Piast dynasty, and from then on performed the function of castellans.
t is likely that even before 1272 the prince's stronghold passed into the hands of knight dominus Jan de Swin. Later documents mention Peter, Konrad and Gunzelin de Swyne (d. 1327/28), the next owners of the castle and more than twenty villages. In 1323 ¦winy was administered by Henricus de Swyn (d. c. 1355), a courtier of
Henryk of Jawor and
Bolko of Ziêbice, a participant of the Crusade to Rhodes. Presumably it was that knight who in the first half of the 14th century built a residential stone tower and surrounded it with a wall. Since then, this massive Gothic building, repeatedly expanded, modernized and transformed according to current trends and needs, served as the main seat of the Silesian line of family until 1769, beeing the symbol of its centuries-long reign on this land.
THE OLDEST KNOWN IMAGE OF ¦WINY CASTLE, 1655
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he son of Henricus, Nickel (d. 1370) had three male descendants: Gunczil (d. 1407/09), Jamo vom Sweyn (d. c. 1400) and Heinrich (d. 1441), called Odyniec, a protoplast of the Jägendorf family line, whose representatives still live in Germany, Italy and even in Brazil. The founder of younger Schweinichen family line was Gunczil vom Sweyne (d. before 1443), who took over the land from his uncle, also Gunczil (son of Nickel, d. 1407/09). He was followed by
Gunczil Sweinichen von Swein (d. 1503 at the age of 83 or 93), who killed his rival Hans von Tschirn (d. ca. 1455) from nearby P³onina. This robber-knight extended the castle by erecting a western residential building and new fortifications.
F. B. WERNER, "TOPOGRAPHIA SEU COMPENDIUM SILESIAE 1744-68"
The legend says, that the surname ¦winka comes from a wild boar, formerly called a pig. The first time it was to be used by a certain Biwój, who in 721 gave the queen Libusza a hand-hunted wild boar. He was rewarded for this by receiving the wild boar coat of arms, the lands and princess Kazia as his bride.
The ¦winka family took over the name from ¦winy, a castellan's castle, which in the middle of 13th century lost its importance for the new administrative and political center in Bolków. The family was known not only in Silesia, but also in Poland, Bohemia and Germany - i.a. from its Great Poland line the archbishop of Gniezno
Jakub ¦winka (d. 1314) came. According to Konstantin von Schweinichen, in the early Middle Ages, there were many families with the common name of ¦wiñska G³owa (Pig's head). By decree of one of the Czech kings, they were later given separate coats of arms with similar motifs. The ¦winka from Silesia, as the main and the oldest family line, received a coat of arms depicting the wild boar in most magnificent form. In the fourteenth century, with the fall of Polish customs at ducal court, the Slavic-sounding surname began to be gradually germanized, and the terms Swyn, Zuini and Swinino were transformed into Swin and Swein. By the end of the fifteenth century the typical German name Schweinichen was already in use.
¦WINY IN DRAWINGS BY F. B. WERNER, "TOPOGRAPHIA SEU COMPENDIUM SILESIAE 1744-68"
IN THE FOREGROUND YOU CAN SEE THE CASTLE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS, IN THE BACKGROUND - THE CASTLE IN BOLKÓW
B
urgmann von Schweinichen (d. 1566) was born in 1456 and reached the incredible age of 110, dying of an ordinary cold, not because of old age. His son
Johann Sigismund the Elder (d. 1606) apparently inherited his father's good genes, because he also enjoyed a long life. However, he could not taste all his charms without limitations, because his wife
Barbara von Rothkirch (d. 1586), brought up in a strict protestant rule, limited the amount of wine he consumed to one cup a day, provided that he had previously was able to summarize the whole page of Holy Bible. Barbara and Johann had an only son, Adam, as well as a step-daughter,
Ursula von Zeidlitz (d. 1588), who passed away at the age of 17 from ingesting a needle. It was probably a suicide.
THE CASTLE BRIDGE
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fter Barbara's death, Johann entered reprehensible - from the point of view of modern times - relationship with 15-year-old Katharina von Sommerfeldt und Falkenhain (d. 1630). Despite the fact that at the time of his wedding the "groom" was already 81 years old, he was able to spend the next 15 years with his young wife, keeping two sons. One of them, Johann Sigismund the Younger (d. 1664), in the first half of 17th century made a great reconstruction of the castle in Renaissance style, giving it a form similar to the Italian residences from that period. The von Schweinichen family seat was then divided into an upper castle with a Gothic tower and a lower castle with a new representative palace and bastion-type fortifications. Aesthetic ambitions of the owner have been reflected in renovated interiors and their painting decorations, new facades, as well as Renaissance roofs, portals and window frames. Johann Sigismund was a traveler and theosophist. Thanks to his wide-ranging contacts with mystics, alchemists and Rosicrucians, he founded a mystic-theosophical library. When died, it was written on his tombstone: At the best male age, he moved away from the temporal world and spent most of his life alone researching the mysteries of God and nature, while at the same time he beautified and expanded his castle at great cost.
THE GRAPHICS FROM THE 2. HALF OF THE 18TH CENTURY
J
ohann Sigismund the Younger never married and did not have a legitimate heir, so after his death the castle passed into hands of his nephew, Ernst von Schweinichen (d. 1695), and then his son, Prussian Lieutenant George Ernst (d. 1702). When George Ernst died, the estate was taken over jointly by widow Erdmuthe Sophia (d. 1729) and his eldest brother Hans Ernst (d. 1704). Next, the castle was handed over to Siegmund Seyfried von Zedlitz, who in 1713 sold it to Georg Ernst's son-in-law Sebastian Heinrich von Schweinitz (d. 1721) for 24,000 thalers. When Sebastian Heinrich died, his only son Ernst Ferdinand sold the castle to Hans Friedrich von Schweinitz from Ciechanowice (d. 1769).
VIEW OF THE CASTLE FROM THE EAST, "TYGODNIK ILUSTROWANY" 1881
T
he reign of Hans Friedrich in ¦winy was marked by the Seven Years' War, during which in 1761 the stronghold was invaded and plundered by Russian troops, that destroyed and robbed its furnishings and decoration. In 1769, the estate was purchased in an auction by Prussian Minister Johann Heinrich, Count von Churschwandt of Stolec. However, the new owner did not manage to take any action to save the already abandoned residence, as he unexpectedly died less than two years after transaction. The widow, Marie Therese de domo Countess von Nimptsch (d. 1806), gave the castle to her second husband, Ludwig, Count von Schlabrendorf (d. 1803), and then it was handed over to their eldest daughter
Marie Theresie von Schlabrendorf (d. 1862). Since then, until World War II, ¦winy were inherited in a straight line by descendants of Marie Theresie and her husband, Count Hans Ernest Hoyos von Sprinzenstein (d. 1849).
STEEL ENGRAVING BY HUBNER ACCORDING TO THEODOR BLATTERBAUER'S DRAWING, 1885
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he then owners of ¦winy resided in Vienna and they didn't pay too much attention to the castle. The building, like other von Hoyos' residences in Jastrowiec and Stare Rochowice, was leased and used as a grain and straw warehouse. Under the tenant's administration, the castle was being devastated quickly, but the real damage was caused by hurricanes that hit the village in 1840 and 1868, breaking the roof of the tower and its ceilings. Destruction was complemented by fire of 1875, which ravaged the castle's interiors, and a massive thunderstorm which resulted in the collapse of tower staircase. Despite the fact that the castle belonged to Rudolph von Hoyos (d. 1896), a philanthropist and a great lover of antiquities, he rarely visited Silesia and didn't pay much attention to it. When in 1875 the counts Hoyos von Sprinzenstein moved to Silesia, it was too late to save the castle. Apparently, no rescue operations were even planned, since as early as in the 1880s the then owner Stanislaus Count von Hoyos (d. 1918) allowed to use the stone from ruins to build a guesthouse, and he rented the castle cellars ...for cultivation of mushrooms.
ONE OF THE OLDEST PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE CASTLE, TAKEN AROUND 1870
CURRENTLY THIS SPECTACULAR VIEW IS OBSTRUCTED BY TALL TREES
RUIN OF A BAROQUE PALACE, 1903
A
t the turn of the 19th and 20th century the owners finally decided to save the ruins, as a result of which the tower was given a new roof, which, however, was described as not very nice. In 1905, by decision of Stanislaus von Hoyos, the castle was put under care of Heimatverein Bolkenhain organization, and in the 1920s a renovation began - the castle walls were strengthened, the vaults were secured, as well as the roof of the tower was changed. The castle was opened to tourists: in the 1930s, August Föst, a hired keyman, made the ruin available for a small fee of 20 phenigs. The ¦winy estate no longer existed at that time, because due to the great crisis, Count Rudolph Alois von Hoyos Sprinzenstein (d. 1945) was forced to sell the manor, leaving 100 hectares of forest and a 14-hectare parcel with a fortress standing on it.
RUIN ON COLOURED POSTCARDS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY
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few years later, when NSDAP took over the government in Germany, the local authorities suggested to rebuild the castle and adapt it to the needs of the national socialist youth welfare institution. Therefore, pressure was put on its owner to sell the ruin. Von Hoyos was opposed to the Nazis, but perhaps to save his wife, who had been imprisoned in Gestapo's jail in Wroc³aw, he finally decided to sell the castle to district authorities, which was done on 25 September 1941. Contrary to initial plans, however, the Germans did not rebuild the castle, but handed it over to the army, which in 1942 organized here a warehouse for Luftwaffe aircraft parts. After the war, the building was abandoned, but thanks to its classification by new authorities as one of the so-called Piast castles, urgent repairs were made in the 1950s and 1960s, including replacement of ceiling and roof covering. In 1991, Aleksander von Freyer bought the ruin from the state, with intention of installing in it a cabinet of wax figures. However, he failed to realize this idea and in 2008 he sold the castle to hotel operator. Ambitious plans of new owner focused on rebuilding the old knight's seat and opening a hotel with a restaurant in it also did not go beyond the project phase. Consequently, the castle was again put up for sale.
¦WINY ON THE REVERSE OF THE SUBSTITUTE MONEY WITH THE FACE VALUE OF 1.5 DEUTSCHE MARK
Since the end of World War II, stories and legends are going around, regarding period when the Germans were liquidating the warehouse of airplane parts. The witnesses reportedly claimed that the Nazis had brought several hundred chests to the castle before escaping from Silesia, and then placed them in deep drifts, whose corridors were later blown up. One of the more fantastic versions of this story suggests a connection with
the Amber Chamber, another follows the trail of lost gold from Czech Prague, and another perceives this place as a hidden warehouse for goods stolen from Cracow by gauleiter
Hans Frank. Maybe all these hypotheses are the effects of a deeply rooted mythology of the Sudetes as an area free of Allied air raids, thus very attractive for Germans in many ways. The fact is, however, that just after the war ¦winy was carefully guarded by Russians, who on the castle hill had to organize some activities for participants of
the Hagana (a Jewish military organization operating in Palestine) training camp located in nearby Bolków.
he medieval castle was erected in the highest part of the rocky promontory, probably on the site of the former castellan's seat or next to it. The oldest part of it is a 14th century stone donjon, built on a rectangular plan with sides of 12x18 meters. The tower has four storeys, is cellared and covered with a gable shingle roof, although originally it was probably topped with blanks and covered with a high roof. The main entrance was located on the second floor, and was decorated with a Gothic portal. A ladder led to it, based on a platform, fragments of which have survived to the present day. The first floor of the tower was occupied by a one-space knight's hall, covered with a wooden ceiling, and equipped with a rich stucco decoration,
remains of which can still be seen near the windows. Residential interiors on the other storeys were divided by wooden partition walls and illuminated by arched windows. In the initial phase of castle's operation, communication between different floors was ensured by wooden stairs. Sanitary needs were realized with the use of
latrine bays suspended on the second and third storey, on the north side of the tower. The Gothic building was surrounded by an oval-shaped defensive wall.
PLAN OF THE CASTLE IN THE 1ST HALF OF 14TH CENTURY
GOTHIC TOWER WITH THE STAIRCASE (ADDED IN THE 17TH CENTURY)
T
he first major castle expansion took place in the mid-15th century, when Gunczil Sweinichen von Swein was the owner of ¦winy. At that time, the tower was supplemented with a western,
double-gable house and a
southern gate with portcullis, the remains of which were preserved to this day. A
bay window grew above it, although this element may be a result of the later, 17th century modernization of the castle. According to unconfirmed information, it was supposed to be decorated with a poem (free transl.):
The King and Emperor eat roasted pigs
Smacking their lips
Soldier, listen to this lesson intently
And treat our castle gently!
SOUTHERN ELEVATION OF THE CASTLE RUINS, SKETCH FROM 1954
THE RUIN OF XVTH CENTURY WESTERN HOUSE
T
he biggest transformations of von Schweinichen's headquarters took place in the first half of 17th century during the times of Johann Sigismund the Younger. The existing layout was then extended by a representative palace and new fortifications.
The three-storey palace was flanked in its northern part by two cylindrical towers, which no longer had only a military function, but were also a decorative element demonstrating the wealth of the owners. On the ground floor it was cut by a
wide hallway covered with rich stucco, from where one could directly get to cellars, stables and the so-called squires' hall (serving as the hostler's quarters). Here was also the entrance to the double internal staircase, which was the oldest architectural concept of its kind in Silesia. The access to the hallway led through a
gate and a narrow pedestrian wicket, decorated with a magnificent portal in the style of a triumphal arch with
the coat of arms of von Schweinichen family.
NORTHERN ELEVATION OF THE XVII-CENTURY LOWER CASTLE (PALACE), RECONSTRUCTION FROM 1887
A FRAGMENT OF THE PALACE FAÇADE, PRESENT CONDITION
A
ll elevations of the palace were ornamented with sgraffito decorations dividing facades into large rectangular fields with windows. The palace, sometimes called the lower castle, as well as the tower and 15th century western house were surrounded by modern, trapezoidal fortifications, consisting of a peripheral wall flanked from the south by
two open roundels, and from the north by
two palace towers. During the Thirty Years' War, a small bastion was erected in the middle of western curtain. At that time Johann Sigismund the Younger rebuilt the Gothic tower and erected an adjoining comfortable staircase.
PLAN OF THE CASTLE: 1. GOTHIC TOWER, 2. XV- CENTURY WESTERN HOUSE, 3. STAIRCASE,
4. LOWER CASTLE (PALACE), 5. ENTRANCE HALL, 6. NORTHERN TOWERS, 7. SOUTHERN ROUNDELS, 8. BASTION, 9. MOAT
winy Castle is one of the oldest Piast fortified strongholds in Silesia. It has survived to the present day as a picturesque ruin, whose entire beauty and former majesty can only be found after entering its courtyard, because from the outside, especially from the south, the fortress is
tightly hidden behind a trees. The castle is dominated by a
Gothic residential tower with remnants of sgraffito decorations and a roofless western house, in fact today
only its external walls. It is worth noting the western facade of donjon, where an incredibly plastic and
very old ivy tree grows, which is over 250 years old. According to verbal message from the key-man and guardian of the castle, August Föst (born 1850), ivy was already old and large in his childhood.
VIEW FROM THE EAST TO THE RUIN OF A GOTHIC HOUSE
IN THE LEFT PART OF THE PICTURE WE CAN SEE THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE TOWER WITH OLD IVY
IN THE GOTHIC TOWER
T
he lower castle is occupied by
the ruins of an early Baroque palace with preserved window stonemasonry and a decorative portal. In the eastern tower you can see unusual paintings depicting 17th century nobility, made by hand of an anonymous German soldier in the 1940s, which unfortunately are disappearing at very fast rate
[photo 2005],
[photo 2020].
RUIN OF A BAROQUE PALACE (LOWER CASTLE)
GATE PASSAGE AT THE LOWER CASTLE
The castle is open from April to October. An entrance ticket costs 16 PLN. Children under four years of age enter for free (2023).
The castle tour can be easily completed in less than half an hour.
You can visit ruins with your dog, provided it is on a leash. It is, of course, the owner's duty to clean up after his dog.
The immediate vicinity of the castle is convenient for taking pictures from a slightly longer perspective, especially from the northeast and possibly from the south, where there is a lot of space and no residential buildings. However, you should always remember to fly responsibly.
ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS OF THE CASTLE IN ¦WINY
GETTING THERE
T
he castle stands on a rocky, forested hill in the Bolkowskie Foothills geographical region, about 2 km north of Bolków. Its picturesque profile is perfectly visible from the north, from the road no. 323 leading from Jawor to Bolków. To get the castle, You need to turn from this road in the upper part of village
into a narrow, steep alley, which leads directly to ruins (there is a signpost). (map of castles in Lower Silesia)
You can leave your car
in the small clearing near the castle gate. The parking place is free-of-charge (2020).
You can ask the gatekeeper for permission to bring your bike into the castle courtyard.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. M. Chorowska: Rezydencje ¶redniowieczne na ¦l±sku, OFPWW 2003
2. O. Czerner, J. Rozpêdowski, Bolków i ¦winy, Ossolineum 1960
3. L. Kajzer, J. Salm, S. Ko³odziejski: Leksykon zamków w Polsce, Arkady 2001
4. R. £uczyñski: Zamki, dwory i pa³ace w Sudetach, Wspólnota Akademicka 2008
5. M. Perzyñski: Zamki, twierdze i pa³ace Dolnego ¦l±ska i Opolszczyzny, WDW 2006
6. M. ¦wie¿y: Zamki, twierdze, warownie, Foto Art 2002
7. A. M. Rosiek: Siedziby rycerskie w ks. ¶widnicko-jaworskim do koñca XIV wieku, Inst. Arch. UJ 2010
8. A. Wagner: Murowane budowle obronne w Polsce X-XVIIw., Bellona 2019
SOUTHERN ELEVATION OF THE LOWER CASTLE WITH THE GATEWAY
VIEW OF THE CASTLE AND CASTLE CHURCH FROM THE NORTH
Castles nearby: Bolków - the ruins of ducal castle from the 13th century, 4 km
K³aczyna - the relics of castle from the 15th century, 9 km Lipa - the ruins of knight's castle from the 14th century, 10 km P³onina - the ruins of knight's castle from the 14th century, 12 km Jawor - the ducal castle from the 13/14th century, rebuilt, 16 km
My¶libórz - the relics of castle from the 13/14th century, 18 km
WORTH SEEING:
Romanesque-Gothic castle church of St. Nicholas, which is the oldest preserved country church in Silesia, first mentioned in 1313. It is a simple single-aisle building with a gable roof and a tower attached from the west. Inside you will find valuable equipment from the 15th to the 16th century, among others, the lodges of Lords von Schweinichen and painted benches for peasantry (whose dimensions correspond to the average height of a man 400 years ago and today are a bit tight), wooden Gothic entrance door and a Renaissance baptismal font. However, the unique and most valuable decoration here are the tombstones of the von Schweinichen family and the magnificent epitaph of Johann Sigismund von Schweinichen (d. 1664). Opposite the entrance to the church, in the
old linden alley, there is a
monument commemorating German soldiers, the inhabitants of Bolków and surrounding villages, killed during the First World War.
