Royal Castle

The construction of the Royal Castle in Poznań, Poland, was believed to have begun in 1249 by Przemysł I on a hill that would later be known as Góra Przemysława. The initial structure was a brick tower with a well and the surrounding hill was fortified by a rampart with a palisade. In the late 13th century, a small ducal residence was added to the city walls.

Przemysł II, the son of Przemysł I, aimed to reunite Poland under his rule and decided to build a larger and more fitting castle for a king. In 1295, Przemysł became the king of Poland, but he was assassinated a year later and the castle was left unfinished. The work that had been started by Przemysł was taken up by the Piasts from Głogów who ruled in Greater Poland and was completed before 1337. The castle served as the residence of Prince Casimir, who was the governor of Greater Poland at the time.

By 1337, the Royal Castle in Poznań was the largest castle in the Polish Kingdom and was modeled after the palatium of Henry I the Bearded in Legnica. The castle consisted of the tower built by Przemysł I and a large building (63,0 m x 17,5 m) with three levels and a basement. The roof of the castle, which consisted of four parts, is uncertain if it existed at that time.

The basements were used as prisons and for storing wines, while the ground floor had charring rooms. Both floors were covered with vaults. The two higher floors probably had wooden ceilings, with representative chambers on the edges of the first floor and habitual rooms in between. The entire second floor was occupied by a chamber that could hold 2000 guests. A defense tower was located at the south end of the large building. From the reign of Władysław I the Elbow-high, the castle served as the residence of the starosta generalny of Greater Poland. King Władysław II Jagiełło ordered some minor work on the castle later on.

The Poznań Castle has a rich history dating back to the 16th century. In 1536, a fire swept through the castle, destroying it completely. The governor of Greater Poland, Andrzej II Górka, rebuilt the castle in the Renaissance style. Over the years, the oldest part of the castle was transformed into a kitchen. However, the castle's fortunes did not last long as it was destroyed during the Swedish invasion and later sacked by the armies of Russia and Saxony during the Great Northern War in 1704. The Confederation of Tarnogród also caused further damage to the castle in 1716. In 1721, the castle was partially renovated, but it could not stop the ongoing destruction. The last starosta generalny, Kazimierz Raczyński, rebuilt the remains of the medieval buildings into an archive, which was finished in 1783. After the Second Partition of Poland, the southern part of the castle was demolished by the Prussians, and the remaining buildings were used as the office of the local Regierungsbezirk. The castle also served as the seat of the Court of Appeals and the State Archive until 1939. During the battle for the Poznań Citadel in February 1945, the remaining part of the castle was destroyed by artillery fire.

In the years 1959-1964, Raczyński's archive and part of the Prussian building were rebuilt, and a small pavilion called the Royal Kitchen was built on the base of the oldest tower. Today, the castle is home to the Museum of Utilitarian Art.

In 2002, a committee for the rebuilding of the castle was established. The surviving structures include two-meter-wide supports from the 13th and 14th centuries, the inner walls of the basement, and the western wall (up to 10 meters high) from the same period, as well as a slightly newer eastern wall (up to 7 or 8 meters high) that is now integrated into Raczyński's Building. There are three plaques on the surviving part of the castle: one from 1783 marking the foundation of Kazimierz Raczyński, one from 1993 marking the 500th anniversary of homage of Grand Master of the Teutonic Order Johann von Tiefen, and another plaque commemorating the 700th anniversary of the coronation of Przemysł II.

In December 2010, work began on the complete reconstruction of the demolished parts of the castle, as well as the meticulous restoration of the surviving buildings.

The legend of Przemysł Hill has it that the hill was created by dark powers. According to the story, when Mieszko I was baptized, the Devil became angry and decided to sink the city of Poznań. He pulled out one of the hills near Gniezno and, with the help of a group of demons, tried to block the flow of the Warta River. But the evil forces got too carried away and their loud celebration woke up the roosters, causing them to crow. The devil and his demons were so frightened by the roosters that they abandoned the hill and left it on the banks of the Warta River.

Another legend is related to the mysterious murder of Ludgarda, the wife of Przemysł II of Poland. She was likely strangled by servants in the bath or in her bedroom on December 14, 1283. The Duke was implicated in the murder because the Duchess was unable to give him a son. It was said that the Foundation of the Female Monastery of Dominicans in Poznań, created in the late 1238, was Przemysł's attempt to reconcile for his alleged crime. However, contemporary chronicles only mention vague details about the circumstances of Ludgarda's death. The first clear connection between Przemysł and the murder is mentioned in the Chronicle of Oliwa from the 14th century, and the chronicle of Ernst von Kirchberga from around 1370. In his chronicles, Jan Długosz only mentions the rumors and speculation surrounding the connection.

There is also a belief that the ghost of Ludgarda, known as the White Lady, walks the halls and walls of the Royal Castle, while under the castle walls is seen the Black Knight who mourns the Duchess at her funeral.

• In 1249, the castle was the site of the wedding of Salomea, the sister of Przemysł I and Conrad II of Głogów.
• On 1 July 1250, the castle was mentioned in a document for the Cistercian Monastery in Obra as the place of signing.
• In 1251, the castle hosted the wedding of Eufemia, the youngest sister of Przemysł I, and Władysław of Opole, the duke of Opole and Racibórz.
• Przemysł II was born in the castle in 1257.
• Elisabeth Richeza of Poland was also born in the castle in 1288.
• In 1309, Henry III of Głogów, who was a pretender for the Polish crown, stayed in the castle.
• From 1329 to 1331, the castle served as the residence of Władysław I Łokietek.
• In 1337, a peace treaty between Casimir III of Poland and John I of Bohemia was signed in the castle.
• In 1341, the castle was the site of the wedding of Casimir III of Poland and Adelajda, daughter of Henry, Landgraf of Hesse.
• The castle also hosted the wedding of Bogislaw V, duke of Pomerania, and Elizabeth of Silesia, daughter of Casimir III of Poland, in 1343.
• Elisabeth of Poland, the Queen of Hungary, visited the castle in 1372 and 1373.
• Louis I of Hungary visited the castle in 1381.
• Jadwiga of Poland and Władysław II Jagiełło visited the castle in 1386.
• Eric of Pomerania visited the castle in 1424.
• In 1433, Bogislaw IV, duke of Pomerania-Stolp (Słupsk), and Mary, daughter of Siemowit IV of Płock, duke of Masovia, were married in the castle.
• The castle was also visited by Casimir IV Jagiellon and Sigismund I the Old.
• In 1574, Henry de Valois visited the castle.
• Sigismund III Vasa and Władysław IV Vasa also visited the castle.
• In 1657 to 1658, John II Casimir of Poland stayed in the castle for the winter with Queen Louis Marie Gonzaga. During this visit, the castle served as the site of a war council with Stefan Czarniecki, which was described in Józef Wybicki's "Dąbrowski's Mazurka."