Bedzin Castle

Będzin Castle is a medieval stronghold built on a limestone hill overlooking the Czarna Przemsza, at the point where the border between the Kingdom of Poland and Silesia ran in the 14th century. The stone structure, with its distinctive round tower, towers over the town and is one of the most recognisable landmarks of the Dąbrowa Basin. It owes its present appearance to a Romantic-style refurbishment in the 19th century and a reconstruction carried out between 1952 and 1956. Since 1956, it has housed the Zagłębie Museum.

The stronghold on Castle Hill

The history of the fortifications in Będzin dates back to the early Middle Ages. On Castle Hill there was a stronghold, probably associated with the Vistula tribe, which was extended on several occasions. The settlement below the stronghold developed on the southern slope of the hill. Contrary to popular belief, the Tatars did not capture the stronghold – archaeological research has shown that the traces of burning in the rampart are older.

In the second half of the 13th century, probably during the reign of Bolesław the Chaste, a stone tower – a round tower that has survived to this day – was erected within the fortified settlement.

Casimir the Great’s Castle

The castle itself was built on the initiative of King Casimir the Great. Its construction was linked to Silesia’s passage under Bohemian rule in 1348 – at that time, the border ran along the Czarna Przemsza River, right at the foot of the hill. As early as 1349, the first Burgrave of Będzin, Wiernko, is mentioned, and the town’s charter of 1358 refers to its foundation „beneath our castle”. The castle consisted of an upper castle, surrounded by two rings of walls, and a lower castle with a gate to the north.

The castle was a royal castle. It was administered by burgraves, whilst the castle estates were held by stewards and tenants, including the Pogórski family of Pogórzyce. A survey from 1564 describes the stronghold as partly deserted and falling into disrepair.

The Będzin Pacts

The most famous episode in the castle’s history took place after the Battle of Byczyna (1588), in which the forces of Hetman Jan Zamoyski defeated and took Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, a pretender to the Polish crown, prisoner. In August 1588, negotiations between the Poles and the Habsburgs began in Będzin regarding his release; representing the Polish side was, amongst others, Zamoyski, whilst the papal legate, Cardinal Hipolit Aldobrandini – later Pope Clement VIII – acted as mediator. The agreement, known as the Będzin–Bytom Pacts, was signed on 9 March 1589.

Fires and destruction

In 1616, the castle burnt down along with part of the town and was rebuilt at the expense of the starost, Andrzej Dębiński. During the Swedish Deluge, in 1655–1656, it was burnt down again and partially demolished; following an inspection in 1660, it was rebuilt in 1665. According to tradition, in August 1683, Jan III Sobieski stayed here whilst on his way to relieve Vienna. Following the abolition of the starosties, the Będzin estate was leased by Stanisław Mieroszewski; however, the castle, which was uninhabited, fell into ruin.

A romantic restoration

In 1825, when one of the residents was killed by a collapsing wall, the authorities ordered the castle to be demolished, but the demolition was halted in 1827. In 1834, on the initiative of Count Edward Raczyński, the castle was rebuilt to a design by Franciszek Maria Lanci. The architect introduced pseudo-Gothic elements into the Gothic structure: blind arrowslits and machicolations, large windows set in brick surrounds, and he significantly lowered the height of the round tower. The castle served, amongst other things, as a Protestant prayer hall for miners from Saxony and as a hospital, but by 1849 it was once again in ruins.

The 20th century and the museum

In 1919, the Society for the Preservation of Castle Hill was founded, and in the late 1920s it began work based on a design by Professor Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz. Among the artefacts discovered at that time were spurs, swords, Gothic keys and coins of Wenceslaus II. The final reconstruction took place between 1952 and 1956, based on a design by engineer Zygmunt Gawlik. In July 1956, the Zagłębie Museum was opened in the castle – the first museum in the region – and in 1969, the viewing terrace on the round tower was opened to the public.

Architecture

The oldest part of the castle is a cylindrical tower with a diameter of 10.7 metres, built from local stone. The entrance to it originally led to the third storey. Later, a five-storey tower with a nearly square plan was built, along with an adjoining four-storey residential building. The walls were constructed using the opus emplectum technique – with facing courses of dressed dolomite blocks and infill of rubble stone set in lime mortar. Only the remains of the foundations of the lower castle have survived.

The castle today

The castle is one of the sites belonging to the Zagłębie Museum in Będzin. Visitors can enjoy permanent exhibitions and, during the summer season, a viewing point on the tower offering a panoramic view of the Zagłębie region. Castle Hill, together with the nearby Będzin Underground and the town walls, forms an attractive route through the historic centre of Będzin.