Castle Hill in Lubin

A small rise in the centre of Lubin was once home to a castle where Duke Louis I of Legnica lived for a decade. Swedish troops levelled it in 1641 and it was never rebuilt. What survives is the Gothic castle chapel, used as a gallery since 1990, and sections of wall – enough to see where the medieval town began.

History: from stronghold to gallery

Before the castle there was a timber-and-earth stronghold, later the seat of a castellan, mentioned in 1224. Its position at a crossroads of trade routes helped the town grow. A stone castle is confirmed by a document of 1312; it was probably built by Duke Conrad II of Żagań.

Later Piast dukes kept extending it. Duke Louis I lived here from 1349 to 1359 before moving to Brzeg, and on his orders the castle walls were joined to the town walls. Within the castle stood the ducal residence, farm buildings, a stone tower about 12 by 14 metres and a chapel. To the north, the entrance was guarded by a passage with a gate tower, a moat and a drawbridge; the timber portcullis survived until 1841.

In 1641, during the Thirty Years' War, Swedish troops besieged the castle and almost completely destroyed it. Only the outer walls, the gate tower and the chapel remained. Townspeople asked for it to be rebuilt as late as 1658, but money was never found. After 1675 an estate office was built on the old foundations and rebuilt after a fire in 1757.

What to see

• The former castle chapel, a small Gothic building with a turret whose west front was joined to the defensive wall. Since 1990 it has housed the Castle Gallery with art exhibitions.
• Sections of stone wall around the hill on the north, east and south.
• The hilltop laid out as a small green with a stone cross-shaped monument.

Did you know?

The first excavations took place after 1970. They confirmed a free-standing stone tower, the strongest point of the castle's defences, which still stood in the 18th century. The "Castle Hill" cultural centre that worked here for years was merged with the Lubin Historical Museum in 2019.

Tripto tip

Castle Hill is a short stop of 20–30 minutes, best combined with the Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa and the town hall with the Historical Museum, a few hundred metres away. The Castle Gallery's opening hours depend on current exhibitions, so check the museum's programme before you go.