Bedzin

#108 Bedzin Castle
Katowice, Poland
1228 and 1358 plus
This is NOT an official Lego site

The site of Bedzin Castle was in earliest known a 10th century gród, subsequently destroyed in the 12th century. In 1228 a wooden castle with stone foundations and a stone tower was on the hill by King Boleslaw the Bashful, but it was burned by the Mongols in 1241. It was rebuilt in wood, but in 1358 Casimir the Great (1333-1370) replaced the mainly timber structure with the current masonry castle. The old stone watch tower was heightened, apparently to twice its current height, and a large square keep served as the royal residence. The inner curtain walls were 26 to 39 feet tall. A 16 foot tall outer curtain formed the middle ward. There are etchings of an outer ward with two entrance gate towers on the internet, but I've seen no sign of ruins. A stone wall protecting the town was added six years later, some of which remains.

Bedzin [pronounced 'bendzin'] is located between Katowice and Crakow on the main road leading from southwest Poland into Silesia, which was for centuries at the edge of the Holy Roman Empire and for a time was part of Prussia. Casimir's castle was built to protect the border of Poland from the incursions of the Germanic Silesians. It was an important market town, enhanced by the salt trade. The Swedish invasions of 1655 partially destroyed the castle, but it was rebuilt in 1855 by Francisco Maria Lanci, who lowered the tower. The town of Bedzin is frequently sadly remembered for the vibrant Jewish community that was destroyed in 1939. The Nazi SS destroyed the synagogue and eventually transported almost 10,000 Jewish citizens to Auschwitz for extermination. The castle's last major restoration took place in 1956 -- it now houses a very popular museum. The current population of Bedzin is about 60,000.

Photos of the Lego Model Built February-March, 2006 This royal castle presented several interesting problems. My other (less detailed) plan of the castle shows the path from the outer gate to the inner gate circling the entire inner ward, while the plan above shows a straight shot into the inner courtyard. The circuitous route is typical in many European castles - providing excellent protection from enemies - so I built my model that way. I can only assume that the stone column extending upward next to the old tower originally sported a latrine shed, now gone. The plan above calls the arched wall extending from the east wall "curtain wall" but its current structure is not that of a curtain wall. Let me know if you've ideas.

The view from the southwest shows the gates for both the outer and inner wards.	From the southeast one can appreciate residential range with its presumed garderobe tower.	My donjon is somewhere between the modern height and the reported historic height. I don't believe it was twice as tall!	From the NNW the entire fortification can be enjoyed.

Here's the outer gate with heraldic shields above the door.	The decorative windows in the curtain wall are presumed to be a passage from tower to donjon.	The courtyard is modest but functional with the great hall above the inner gate passage.	Finally King Casimir the Great converses with his minions on matters of Polish security.


Drawing	The ruin before restoration	Castle Plan	Casimir the Great


Northnortheast Elevation	Eastsoutheast Elevation