What did Książ castle look like around 1300?

The article is an attempt to recreate the oldest construction phase of the Książ Castle, which, due to the ambiguity of written sources and the enormity of the castle’s structural transformations, is a difficult task. The question of Książ’s origins is crucial both for explaining the origins of castles in the Sudetes, as well as for Książ’s role in the emerging Duchy of Świdnica-Jawor. The research discussed in the article focused on uncovering the oldest walls of the castle in order to recognize the materials used, joints and knots. Our research was carried out in many previously inaccessible places. As a result, it was confirmed that the main tower with the function of a bergfried with a deep starvation dungeon could have been built no earlier than in the last two decades of the 13th century. A completely new finding, however, was the observation that at the same time the perimeter wall of the upper castle and the North Wing were erected – a two-story building with a residential function. There was a brewing cellar beneath it, and the very size of the building indicates that the castle was intended to be a permanent princely residence. Also, the construction period of the South Wing was discussed in a new chronological context. Until now, it was considered the oldest after the main tower. Thanks to the architectural studies carried out, we can now state that the Southern Wing was the last stage of development because it was located on the outside of the perimeter wall, on a steep, inaccessible slope descending to the gorge of the Pełcznica River. Its towering body, reinforced from the slope with three buttresses, had the form of a keep. In the light of our research and the references from years 1290–1293 naming Prince Bolko I Severe as Lord of Fürstenberg Castle, it is possible to confirm the function of the upper castle of Książ as the residence of Prince Bolko I. Its monumental body became a manifesto of Bolko’s power over the duchy.