Ząbkowice Śląskie Castle (Frankenstein Castle)

In 1467 the citizens of Wrocław besieged the castle at Ząbkowice Śląskie, but their stone cannonballs made no impression on walls almost 3 metres thick. They took the fortress only with the help of the "great gun" — a cannon weighing 80 hundredweight, pulled by 24 horses. The ruins of the Renaissance residence of the Poděbrady dukes stand in the centre of a town known for its Leaning Tower and for the story behind its German name, Frankenstein.

History: from Piast border fort to ruin

The first castle was built here around 1290 by Duke Bolko I of Świdnica as a border fortress. Stone for the walls was brought from nearby quarries, including Stolec and Kobyla Głowa. From 1351 the castle was the seat of the government of the Duchy of Ziębice and Ząbkowice. In 1428 the Hussites burned the town but did not risk attacking the castle. In 1467 alone the castle was besieged and taken twice, and in 1468 the citizens of Wrocław destroyed it.

It was rebuilt by Duke Charles I of Poděbrady. According to the municipality, the Renaissance residence on a roughly square plan was built, with interruptions, between 1516 and 1530, modelled on the castle of the Hungarian kings in Buda. The design is attributed to the Czech architect Benedikt Rejt. Only the east wing was ever fully completed. During the Thirty Years' War the castle changed hands many times, in 1646 part of the fortifications was blown up, and after a fire in 1784 it fell into ruin.

What to see

• The gate tower in the east wing, with the coat of arms of Charles I of Poděbrady dated 1527 above the entrance, its fields showing the eagles of Ziębice and Oleśnica, a chequerboard and the Kłodzko bend.
• The courtyard, measuring 37.6 × 36.7 metres, probably used for tournaments and drills.
• The south-east corner tower with remains of paintings in the window vaults, including a black Silesian eagle; the duchy's chancery was on the upper floor and the court on the lower one.
• The bulge in the south wall — the line of the earlier Gothic fortress — and the last surviving latrine oriel.
• Traces of Renaissance arcades by the east wing, considered among the earliest in Poland alongside those at Wawel and Brzeg.

Good to know

The "great gun", worth a thousand ducats and captured in 1467, was taken by the Bohemians to Prague. Duke Charles I died in 1536 and lies with his wife Anna of Żagań in the Kauffung Chapel of St Anne's Church in town. Between the world wars the gate tower housed a youth hostel, and the courtyard was used for fire-brigade drills and school gym lessons.

Tripto tips

The castle is maintained as a "permanent ruin", and conservation work has been carried out in stages. Recently the municipality announced a temporary closure to visitors during the next stage of revitalisation, so check the latest notice from the town hall or tourist information before you go. Thirty to forty-five minutes is enough for the ruins; combine them with the Leaning Tower, the town walls and the Frankenstein Trail sights in the centre.