Romantic tower ruins in Orzech

On a wooded hill east of Orzech, a village in the Świerklaniec municipality, stands a round stone tower that many take for the remains of a medieval castle. In fact it is an artificial ruin, most probably built in the 19th century as a garden folly for the Henckel von Donnersmarck family of Świerklaniec. A short walk to it combines the legend of the "castle" with the story of the fashion for romantic ruins.

A ruin built as a ruin

The National Heritage Board of Poland describes the structure as part of a landscape park linked to the Donnersmarck residence in Świerklaniec. Such buildings were erected in English-style parks when there were no genuine ruins to include in the garden design – they imitated ruined castles, bridges or temples and were meant to prompt reflection on transience. Orzech itself belonged to the Donnersmarcks from around the 17th century: of the village's 227 ha, as much as 181 ha belonged to the lords of Świerklaniec.

The Orzech folly imitated a medieval castle. It was built of rubble stone, with brick used for the door surround and window arches. Originally it had an almost square plan with four corner towers, a projection on the west front and a north entrance topped with a pointed arch, with keyhole-shaped arrow slits.

Ornament, cold store and hunting stop

The ruin was not purely decorative. According to the National Heritage Board it also served as a cold store, and since it stood in the western part of the extensive park, it was used as a resting place during hunts in the Świerklaniec forests. Between the world wars a water tower was built in the middle of the former courtyard. A postcard published in Tarnowskie Góry around 1900 still shows a tall tower and walls with pointed-arch openings.

What remains

Today the remains of one tower and the adjoining sections of wall survive. It is not known exactly when and why the building began to decay; the heritage board suspects the process started in the second half of the 20th century, when the residences of the Świerklaniec complex were also destroyed. The site is entered in the Silesian Voivodeship heritage register under number A/635/66.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: the ruins stand in woodland on a hill surrounded by fields, east of the houses of Orzech. Dense trees hide the tower well, so look out for it close up.
• Safety: the walls are damaged – do not climb them and keep an eye on children.
• When: in early spring and late autumn, without leaves, the tower is easiest to see.
• Nearby: Świerklaniec, where the Donnersmarck residences stood that the ruin was designed to complement.