Bishops' Castle in Sławków

On ul. Staropocztowa in Sławków, low stone walls rise out of the grass – the remains of a castle built by the bishops of Kraków at the end of the 13th century. When it was built, its circuit of walls, roughly 124 × 90 m, made it one of the largest fortresses in Lesser Poland, comparable to the ducal castles of Opole and Wrocław. Its position is unusual too: it stood below the level of the town, above the marshy valley of the Biała Przemsza, rather than on a commanding hill.

History: bishops, dukes and invaders

Construction was begun around 1280–1283 by the Bishop of Kraków, Paweł of Przemankowo, but stopped when Duke Leszek the Black imprisoned the bishop in early 1283. After a settlement the castle was finished on a smaller scale: instead of the grand enclosure, a residential tower surrounded by a moat and rampart was built. The castle is first recorded in 1289, when it was seized by Duke Henry IV Probus. In the early 14th century Bishop Jan Muskata added a gatehouse, rampart and moat, and Sławków became his base in his conflict with Władysław the Elbow-high – whose troops took the town in 1309. In 1327 the castle was occupied by the Bohemian army of John of Luxembourg, followed by more than a year of Hungarian occupation.

In 1433 the Hussites plundered Sławków, and in 1455 the castle and town were wrecked by unpaid mercenaries fighting for King Casimir IV. For a long time this was thought to be the end of the fortress, but a view of Sławków from 1536/1537, found in a library in Würzburg, shows the tower in good condition. The bishops later moved to a more comfortable manor house nearby – today's "Lamus" – and the tower fell into ruin.

What to see

• The ground floor of the residential tower, about 11 × 12 m, with walls some 2.3 m thick, an annex and buttresses.
• Remains of the gatehouse on the town side.
• Traces of ramparts and moats around the ruins.
• The Lamus – the former bishops' manor on ul. Zamkowa, recorded as early as 1389; it can only be seen from outside.

Interesting facts

Archaeologists recovered a mainly 15th-century collection of military equipment, including parts of plate armour, riding gear and numerous 16th-century stove tiles showing knights and courtiers. A secret passage led out of the tower – a trench about 1.2 × 1.2 m in cross-section, covered by a stone vault. In 2016 a tunnel of unknown length and purpose was discovered beneath the castle.

Tripto tip

The ruins are at the corner of ul. Browarna and ul. Staropocztowa, a few minutes' walk south-east of the market square. Allow 20–30 minutes to see the walls; access to the interior of the tower can be limited, so ask at the regional museum on the market square about information and guided visits. Sławków combines well with the Błędów Desert and Rabsztyn Castle in a day trip.