Jawor Castle

Jawor Castle is a Piast ducal seat in the centre of Jawor in Lower Silesia, originally built in the 13th century.

Origins and first rulers

The castle began as a wooden tower on stone foundations measuring 6.3 by 7.6 metres, surrounded by an earth rampart and a moat; it was later replaced by a brick tower measuring 10 by 11 metres. After 1274, when the Duchy of Jawor was created, the castle became a ducal residence and was incorporated into the town's system of defensive walls. Between 1278 and 1287 it was the main seat of Duke Bolko I the Strict, and after him it was ruled in turn by Bernard the Nimble, Henry I of Jawor and other Piast dukes, until the death of Bolko II the Small in 1368. After 1392, until the 16th century, the castle was administered by Czech royal governors.

Renaissance expansion

Between 1510 and 1538 an artillery bastion was built in the south-western corner. After a fire in 1552, a Renaissance rebuilding was carried out between 1567 and 1572, resulting in the enclosed courtyard still visible today.

Destruction and rebuilding in the 17th century

During the Thirty Years' War the castle was occupied by Swedish forces. In 1648 it was retaken by imperial troops, who set fire to a large part of the buildings in the process, and a further fire in 1659 destroyed the roofs and interiors. The rebuilding was carried out between 1663 and 1665 by Otton Nositz.

A prison from the mid-18th century

In 1746 King Frederick II converted the castle first into a facility for the mentally ill, and then into a prison. A rebuilding in 1751 added a third storey to all the wings and gave the interiors a purely functional character. In 1869, 692 prisoners were held here, and from 1888 the site was converted into a women's prison. During the Second World War, between 1943 and 1945, women from the resistance movements of France, Belgium and Norway were held here, at times as many as 1,500 people at once, in harsh conditions. The prison operated until 1956.

Practical information

• Address: Zamkowa 1, Jawor.
• After 1956 the building was converted into council flats; some rooms today house municipal institutions and craft workshops.
• This is a partly residential building, not a museum; it is worth checking on site before a visit which parts are open to visitors.
• Within 500 metres are also the Church of Peace in Jawor and the Regional Museum in Jawor.