Castle in Oswiecim
Bridge over Sola River
with Castle in background
Photo Credit: Tomasz
Cebulski - www.republika.pl/polin_travel
Another view of Bridge
over Sola River
Door into tunnel under
Castle hill
The Castle in Oswiecim is located on
what appears to be a man-made hill, which overlooks the Sola
river. Most of Poland is as flat as a pancake and a hill rising
out of nowhere seems out of place. According to information in
a brochure about the town, the hill was built in the 11th century
as a place of pagan worship. When the hill was first constructed,
it was the site of a fortified stronghold with wooden buildings.
The buildings were repeatedly destroyed by fires and floods,
and in 1813, almost half of the city buildings fell into the
Sola river in a mud slide.
The tower of the Castle dates back to
the 13th century when it was one of the earliest brick buildings
in the region called Malopolska or Lesser Poland. It is now almost
completely hidden by trees and can only be seen when the leaves
have fallen. The southern section of the Castle, originally built
in the beginning of the 16th century, was later rebuilt. The
middle part of the Castle was built in the first half of the
20th century. The castle looks like an ordinary building, not
at all ornate like a typical Castle.
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