The Sandomierz Royal Castle ( Polish: ''Zamek Królewski w Sandomierzu'') is a medieval structure in

Sandomierz Sandomierz (pronounced: ; la, Sandomiria) is a historic town in south-eastern Poland with 23,863 inhabitants (as of 2017), situated on the Vistula River in the Sandomierz Basin. It has been part of Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship (Holy Cross Prov ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. It was built on a slope of

Vistula The Vistula (; pl, Wisła, ) is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest river in Europe, at in length. The drainage basin, reaching into three other nations, covers , of which is in Poland. The Vistula rises at Barania Góra in ...

River by

Casimir III the Great Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He ...

and extended in the 16th century. The original building was blown up in 1656, leaving only the west wing standing. It was later transformed into a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

styled residence with the west wing preserved as a museum.

History

The 14th-century castle was built on the site of the existing stronghold in the 10th century. Between 1146-1166 it was the seat of Prince Henry of Sandomierz, son of

Bolesław III Wrymouth Bolesław III Wrymouth ( pl, Bolesław III Krzywousty; 20 August 1086 – 28 October 1138), also known as Boleslaus the Wry-mouthed, was the duke of Lesser Poland, Silesia and Sandomierz between 1102 and 1107 and over the whole of Poland between ...

. The Gothic castle was built by Casimir the Great. The remnants of the Gothic structure are visible in the foundations of the octagonal tower of the south corner, which is the oldest part of the monument. The existing tower was built during the reign of

Casimir IV Jagiellon Casimir IV (in full Casimir IV Andrew Jagiellon; pl, Kazimierz IV Andrzej Jagiellończyk ; Lithuanian: ; 30 November 1427 – 7 June 1492) was Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1440 and King of Poland from 1447, until his death. He was one of the m ...

in the 15th century as an integral part of the so-called ''Great House'', the seat of the prince. During the reign of

Sigismund I the Old Sigismund I the Old ( pl, Zygmunt I Stary, lt, Žygimantas II Senasis; 1 January 1467 – 1 April 1548) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1506 until his death in 1548. Sigismund I was a member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the ...

and

Sigismund II Augustus Sigismund II Augustus ( pl, Zygmunt II August, lt, Žygimantas Augustas; 1 August 1520 – 7 July 1572) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, the son of Sigismund I the Old, whom Sigismund II succeeded in 1548. He was the first ruler ...

, the castle was enlarged. The Sigismund the Old's cornerstone preserved above the entrance on the east side of the array. It bears the date 1520 and a cartouche with Sigismund's eagle. The construction was supervised by the Royal architect Benedyct Sandomierski, who erected two-storey arcaded cloisters around a closed courtyard. During the

Deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the Biblical book of Genesis. Deluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-Lithuanian Com ...

the castle was blown up by the retreating Swedish troops of general Sincler. About fifty Poles, who entered the abandoned castle, were killed. The survived western wing of the castle was later rebuilt during the reign of king

John III Sobieski John III Sobieski ( pl, Jan III Sobieski; lt, Jonas III Sobieskis; la, Ioannes III Sobiscius; 17 August 1629 – 17 June 1696) was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1674 until his death in 1696. Born into Polish nobility, Sobi ...

between 1680-1688.

Gallery

File:Sandomierz-Schloss-2.jpg, Exterior of the castle File:PL - Sandomierz - zamek - 2012-08-18--16-02-10-02.jpg, Side view File:Sandomierz castle gothic.JPG, Sandomierz castle in the 15th century, during the reign of

File:040513 Sandomierz Castle - 06.jpg, Eagle of Sigismund I the Old on the façade File:A.737 Zamek Sandomierz2.jpg, West wing of the castle and the gothic tower known as "Kurza Stopka" (Hen's Foot)

History

Gallery

See also