Castle in Niemcza

The building which can be seen today, is the result of a thorough reconstruction, which was made in ca. 1830, after a fire that destroyed the building in 1735. However, it has a thousand years of history. A fortified town was built on this hill in the 10th century. It was inhabited by people from the Ślężanie tribe and surrounded by a sloping stone palisade. The unusual stronghold certainly contributed to the defense of the town during the German invasion in 1017 AD. Duke Henry I the Bearded seasonally lived here with his wife Hedwig. The first castle was built here in the 14th century by Duke Bolko I. Destroyed by the Hussites in 1429-1434, it was rebuilt in the late 15th century. At the end of the 16th century it was transformed into a Renaissance residence, which survived the Thirty Years War. Renovated, it burnt down in 1735. Only St. Hedwig's chapel survived the fire (it was demolished in 1964 as it threatened to collapse) along with the walls of the first floor. In 1830, a new castle was built. Since 1945, a clothing factory was found in it. The castle is a two-story, two-wing structure. Note the Graffito facade of the north wing reconstructed in 1992.