Sieraków Castle

Sieraków, Poland

Sieraków Castle was built at the end of the 14th century on the initiative of the Nałęcz family. Maćko Borkowic, the Poznań voivode or his daughter Wichna, most probably began the process, and her grandson Wincenty continued it. In the middle of the 15th century Sieraków received Łukasz Górka coat of arms Łodzia, who rebuilt the castle. In 1571 it was taken over by the starost Jakub Rokossowski, and in 1591 Sieraków bought the castellan Jan of Bnin Opaliński, who raised the castle houses and converted them into a baroque residence. In 1763 castle and estate were bought by the baron Piotr Mikołaj Neugarten von Gartenberg, using the Polish name Sadogórski, and probably during his time demolition of the northern wing was carried, leaving only the southern wing. In 1829 in relation with the construction of a new road, the remains of the castle were demolished. Only the south wing survived. In 1991 it was decided to restore the remains of the castle and to put in it the tombs of the Opalinsk family. Construction work lasted two years. In the lack of the sources of the castle’s appearance, it was decided to reconstruct the southern range only.

The castle was east of the town and was separated from it by a moat. It stood on a regular, artificial mound. Its defenses was increased by  the river, surrounding from the south. The earliest phase is connected with the emergence of brick curtain walls with the gate from the east. From the south, a residential range, initially timber or half-timber framed, was located. In the 15th century a brick north range with a width of 8 meters was erected with characteristic corner buttreses. At the same time, or slightly later, a new southern building of similar dimensions was constructed. Another redevelopment introduced new partition walls and a shorter west range connector.

Today, in the rebuilt south range of the castle, there is a museum which expositions present the history of the Sieraków Region from the earliest to the present. Particular attention should be paid to the tombs of the Opalińsk family, discovered in 1991 in the crypt of the church of St. Bernard.

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Founded: 14th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Poland

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medievalheritage.eu

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User Reviews

Mateusz Kortus (6 months ago)
Free parking, regular admission ticket PLN 6, concessions PLN 4. Interesting sightseeing, about 25 minutes. Clean, warm.
2PPrzemo (6 months ago)
The Opaliński Castle and the very intimate museum it houses must be visited. Situated on the bank of the Warta River, the restored fragment of the former castle looks very interesting from the outside. The infrastructure surrounding the castle presents numerous historical curiosities about the castle, its history and its owners, encouraging further exploration.
Дмитро Шемена (12 months ago)
Кирпичный замок был построен в конце 14 века по инициативе семьи Наленчей, которая в то время была одной из самых влиятельных семей в Польше. Строительство, скорее всего, было начато Вичной и продолжено ее внуком Винсенти. Построенный в то время замок имел в плане четырехугольник с двумя параллельными флигелями, соединенными звеном с запада. В каждом из флигелей было по две камеры с печами и каминами. Подвалы имели сводчатые потолки, а нижние этажи - деревянные. Чердак использовался как амбар для хранения зерна. Ворота находились на восточной стороне. Во дворе замка имелся подвал. Все это было окружено рвом. В середине 15 века Серакув был передан Лукашу Гурке , гербу Лодзи , который перестроил южное крыло. В 1571 году замок перешел в руки старосты Якуба Рокоссовского. В 1591 году Сераков был куплен кастеляном Яном из Бнина Опалинским, который значительно перестроил его. Реконструкция в эпоху Опалинских заключалась в добавлении двух этажей к существующим готическим стенам и уменьшении площади двора. Корпус замка получил ренессансные фронтоны. Все интерьеры первого этажа сводчатые. Вокруг небольшого двора на первом этаже было деревянное крыльцо. В 1763 году замок и усадьбу купил барон Петр Миколай Нойгартен фон Гартенберг, носивший польскую фамилию Садогурский, и, вероятно, при нем разрушенное северное крыло было снесено, оставив только южное крыло. В 1829 году в связи со строительством новой дороги остатки замка были снесены. Только первый этаж южного крыла, который уцелел, был превращен в ледяной дом. В 1991 году, после извлечения саркофагов семьи Опалинских из склепа постбернардинского костела, было принято решение восстановить остатки замка и разместить в нем сохранившиеся гробы. Благодаря инициативе воеводы Познани доктора Влодзимежа Ленцкого этот проект был реализован в очень короткие сроки. В 1991 году команда, состоящая из д-ра хаб. Ян Скуратович и доктор Томаш Вуевски из Института истории искусств Университета Адам Мицкевич в Познани начал исследования. Строительно-изыскательские работы длились два года. Из-за отсутствия источников с появлением замка было решено лишь «восстановить» южный флигель, добавив сохранившиеся подвалы и накрыв здание высокой крышей, покрытой черепицей
Dmytro Shemena (12 months ago)
The brick castle was built at the end of the 14th century on the initiative of the Nałęczy family, which at that time was one of the most influential families in Poland. Construction, most likely, was started by Vichnaya and continued by her grandson Vincenty. The castle built at that time had a quadrangle in plan with two parallel outbuildings connected by a link from the west. Each of the outbuildings had two cells with stoves and fireplaces. The cellars had vaulted ceilings, while the lower floors were wooden. The attic was used as a barn for grain storage. The gate was on the east side. There was a cellar in the courtyard of the castle. All this was surrounded by a moat. In the middle of the 15th century Sieraków was given to Łukasz Górka, coat of arms of Łódź, who rebuilt the southern wing. In 1571, the castle passed into the hands of the headman Yakub Rokossovsky. In 1591, Serakov was bought by castellan Jan from Bnin Opalinsky, who significantly rebuilt it. Reconstruction during the Opalinsky era consisted of adding two floors to the existing Gothic walls and reducing the area of ​​the courtyard. The castle body received Renaissance pediments. All the interiors of the first floor are vaulted. There was a wooden porch around a small courtyard on the ground floor. In 1763, Baron Piotr Mikolaj Neugarten von Hartenberg, who bore the Polish surname Sadogursky, bought the castle and the manor, and, probably, the ruined northern wing was demolished under him, leaving only the southern wing. In 1829, in connection with the construction of a new road, the remains of the castle were demolished. Only the first floor of the south wing that survived was turned into an ice house. In 1991, after the removal of the sarcophagi of the Opalinsky family from the crypt of the post-Bernardine church, it was decided to restore the remains of the castle and place the preserved coffins in it. Thanks to the initiative of the governor of Poznań, Dr. Wlodzimierz Leński, this project was implemented in a very short time. In 1991, a team consisting of Dr. Hub. Jan Skuratowicz and Dr. Tomasz Wujewski from the Institute of Art History at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań started the research. Construction and survey work lasted two years. Due to the lack of sources, with the advent of the castle, it was decided only to “restore” the southern wing, adding the remaining cellars and covering the building with a high roof covered with tiles
Mark Gyk (13 months ago)
The museum is located in the southern wing of the former castle, rebuilt in the 1990s. There are, among others, unique in Europe sarcophagi of the Opaliński family - the owners of the castle, and exhibitions showing exhibitions of castle interiors and family mementoes. There are cyclical concerts of classical music, lectures, festivals, sessions of the city council and you can even get married. The central part of the castle is the Representative Hall, which resembles the former dining room. You can see portraits of family members, as well as a tiled stove, reconstructed from the original 18th-century tiles. In the Arch Room, mementoes of the former owners have been collected - documents, maps, graphics from the 18th and 19th centuries. In the museum's basement, in the tomb crypt, there are historic Opaliński sarcophagi, and in the attic, you can see temporary exhibitions. The history of the castle itself dates back to the 14th century, when the building was erected on the initiative of the Nałęcz family. At the turn of the century, successive owners rebuilt the building many times. In 1991, it was decided to restore the remains of the castle, and in 1995, the current museum was established.
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