In the Poznań Voivodeship there is an interesting attraction - the Castle in Mesopotamia (Miеdzyrzecz, Mendzyrzecz, Meseritz) - a town that arose from a settlement on the road leading from Magdeburg to Gniezno, and was first mentioned as Mezerichi by the medieval chronicler Titmar of Merseburg during the campaign of 1005 of the German king Henry II.
The castle (rather a fortress), very pretty, I would even say a toy one (like the Oreshek fortress, but bigger), memorable. It is located on an islet (which was originally a hill) between two floodplains of the Obra and Paklitsa rivers. It looks very picturesque and photogenic: rivers, park, silence, beauty. You can get into the castle through a wooden fortress bridge. The original ruins have been preserved inside. But in fact, the castle was reconstructed, so there is little historical here, but it is worth seeing.
The current height of its walls and bastions is 9 meters (it is believed that it was originally a little higher), and the thickness of the walls is 2.6 meters. We gladly climbed around the fortress walls, looked inside, and had a photo session. We did not take a paid tour, because they did not see the point. His story can be gleaned from the net. And it is, like most Polish castles, complex.
Most likely, fortifications (earthen settlement) on the site of the fortress arose in the second half of the 9th century. This castle mound was one of the most important Polish fortresses during the time of the first Piasts, who defended the territory of Veliko Polski from the northwest. Then all this was surrounded by a dam, erected in 1350 by Casimir III the Great. And already in the 13th century, a stone tower was erected (which no longer exists), and the entire fortress was completed in the middle of the 14th century.
Due to the location of the fortress (dangerous places), the castle was expanded and modernized, although in medieval times there was not a single major battle. In 1474, the coolest king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus (Matvey Korvin - that is, "The Raven") captured the castle. In 1520, the castle was badly damaged by the Teutonic Order during the war with Poland, after which the castle was modernized, and in 1574, two bastions (towers) with loopholes were built around the castle. And the moat in the 16th century was up to 12 meters wide, surrounding the castle from the west, south and east. It is also known that in the 16th century there was a brewery, a bathhouse, three stables, sheds, a carriage house, granaries, and further south - a mill and an oil mill by the pond.
In 1655 the castle was destroyed by the Swedes. In the first half of the 18th century, the castle was so destroyed that even after reconstruction it could not be used. After the second partition of Poland, Prussian troops handed over the castle to a Prussian family of landowners.
The interior of the castle was used as a warehouse, and the upper floors were used for a winery (vines grew on the slopes of the hill). Since 1945, the castle has housed a museum. In 1954-1958, a number of archaeological excavations were carried out. In the 1950s and 1960s, the castle was renovated, and this did not allow it to become ruins. Therefore, now you can visit this pretty attraction and feel almost like in the Middle Ages.
The castle (rather a fortress), very pretty, I would even say a toy one (like the Oreshek fortress, but bigger), memorable. It is located on an islet (which was originally a hill) between two floodplains of the Obra and Paklitsa rivers. It looks very picturesque and photogenic: rivers, park, silence, beauty. You can get into the castle through a wooden fortress bridge. The original ruins have been preserved inside. But in fact, the castle was reconstructed, so there is little historical here, but it is worth seeing.
The current height of its walls and bastions is 9 meters (it is believed that it was originally a little higher), and the thickness of the walls is 2.6 meters. We gladly climbed around the fortress walls, looked inside, and had a photo session. We did not take a paid tour, because they did not see the point. His story can be gleaned from the net. And it is, like most Polish castles, complex.
Most likely, fortifications (earthen settlement) on the site of the fortress arose in the second half of the 9th century. This castle mound was one of the most important Polish fortresses during the time of the first Piasts, who defended the territory of Veliko Polski from the northwest. Then all this was surrounded by a dam, erected in 1350 by Casimir III the Great. And already in the 13th century, a stone tower was erected (which no longer exists), and the entire fortress was completed in the middle of the 14th century.
Due to the location of the fortress (dangerous places), the castle was expanded and modernized, although in medieval times there was not a single major battle. In 1474, the coolest king of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus (Matvey Korvin - that is, "The Raven") captured the castle. In 1520, the castle was badly damaged by the Teutonic Order during the war with Poland, after which the castle was modernized, and in 1574, two bastions (towers) with loopholes were built around the castle. And the moat in the 16th century was up to 12 meters wide, surrounding the castle from the west, south and east. It is also known that in the 16th century there was a brewery, a bathhouse, three stables, sheds, a carriage house, granaries, and further south - a mill and an oil mill by the pond.
In 1655 the castle was destroyed by the Swedes. In the first half of the 18th century, the castle was so destroyed that even after reconstruction it could not be used. After the second partition of Poland, Prussian troops handed over the castle to a Prussian family of landowners.
The interior of the castle was used as a warehouse, and the upper floors were used for a winery (vines grew on the slopes of the hill). Since 1945, the castle has housed a museum. In 1954-1958, a number of archaeological excavations were carried out. In the 1950s and 1960s, the castle was renovated, and this did not allow it to become ruins. Therefore, now you can visit this pretty attraction and feel almost like in the Middle Ages.
Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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