Ducal Tower of Siedlęcin: Medieval Fortification in Poland

Ducal Tower of Siedlęcin is a Medieval Fortification in Poland Displaying Unique Arthurian Wall Paintings.

Ducal tower of Siedlęcin, Lower Silesia, Poland, is one of the largest and best preserved medieval tower-houses in Central Europe.

Sitting on the banks of the River Bóbr, it fully retains its original medieval configuration.

Its fabric dates from the early fourteenth century, only with the present roof added in the sixteenth century.

Today it also boasts the oldest surviving ceiling timbers in Poland. But this is not where its greatest glory comes from.

Ducal tower of Siedlęcin. Photo courtesy of Elżbieta Bojczuk

History

The tower of Siedlęcin was founded by Duke Henryk I of Jawor, its construction started in the spring of 1313, as the dendrochronological survey revealed. Duke Henryk was a member of the Piast dynasty, Poland’s first ruling dynasty.

He came from the Silesian line, members of which established particularly close ties, be it through marriage or diplomacy, with the courts of Western Europe and fostered the tradition of courtly culture.

Henry’s great-grandfather was one of the minnesingers immortalized in Codex Manesse, his grandfather was the first to organize tournaments in Silesia, his father’s and his uncle’s courtiers carried the names of the Arthurian characters.

Little wonder that it was probably Henryk himself who commissioned a set of wall paintings depicting the exploits of the greatest knight of the Round Table in one of his seats.

Today the Siedlęcin paintings rank among the most outstandingly complete and well preserved medieval wall paintings in Europe. Upon Duke Henryk’s death in 1346, the tower passed through the hands of several different owners, mostly knightly families.

Count Henry I of Anhalt, the great-grandfather of Duke Henryk I of Jawor, minnesinger in a tournament scene, Codex Manesse. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia (https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henryk_I_(Anhalt)#/media/File: Codex_Manesse_(Herzog)_von_Anhalt.jpg)

Architecture

The tower itself is one of the largest and best-preserved tower-houses in Central Europe.

Initially crenelated, it stands 33,3 meters high (82 feet) with its fabric dating from the 1320s, with the roof added in the 1570s.

In the 1530s it was revamped and modernized, with a fireplace inserted on the first floor and new staircases added.

No substantive changes, however, were made in the 17th, 18th, 19th or 20th centuries.

The tower has a basement with three stories of living rooms above, remarkably intact.

The massive tie beams are the oldest surviving timber ceilings in Poland.

Dendrochronological research has revealed the trees used for their construction were cut down in 1313, 1314 and 1315 respectively.

Initially, the tower was surrounded by the outer wall and a moat whose parts are clearly visible today.

The first floor of the ducal tower of Siedlęcin with the fireplace inserted in the 1530s.

Photo courtesy of Artur Wosz

The first floor of the ducal tower of Siedlęcin with the fireplace inserted in the 1530s.

Photo courtesy of Artur Wosz

Wall paintings of the Great Hall

The survival of a set of early fourteenth-century wall paintings within a tower of about the same date is unusual.

According to recent research, the Siedlęcin paintings must have been commissioned c. 1320-1330 by Henryk I of Jawor, the tower’s founder.

It was then that the southern wall of the Great Hall was adorned with paintings depicting the marvelous exploits of Sir Lancelot of the Lake.

Today, they are the world’s only Lancelot wall paintings preserved in situ. In Siedlęcin cycle the story of Arthur’s greatest knight, his glittering career, adulterous love for Guinevere and subsequent downfall has been told in two registers and should be ”read” from the lower to the upper one, from left to right (as in case of many other examples of medieval cycles).

The lower register shows Sir Lancelot and his cousin, Sir Lionel, claiming the world shortly after they had been knighted.

They set off for their first big adventure to prove their valor and knightly skills in hand-to-hand combat.

In the upper register, we can see fair Guinevere with her ladies before the walls of Camelot. Lancelot accompanied by other members of the court presents himself to her.

The Great Hall of the ducal tower of Siedlęcin with its unique set of the Lancelot wall paintings.

Photo courtesy of Artur Wosz

The next scene shows the wicked knight Meleagant as he carries the queen away. As we remember he is going to be ultimately slain by Lancelot.

The latter hurries to his lady’s rescue, suffering – among many hardships – a total humiliation of riding in a cart, a form of traveling reserved for criminals.

He rescues the queen, in the end, the sinful nature of their love is shown in a depiction where they hold their left hands – a clear symbol of their adulterous affair.

In addition to the Lancelot story, wall paintings at Siedlęcin display strong Christian symbols. Put together the central depiction of St Christopher combined with the scene called Memento mori and the Lancelot set to carry a clear moralistic message.

A knight should be, in opposition to Lancelot who betrayed his sovereign, as faithful and obedient as St Christopher, who carried the infant Christ across the water on his shoulders.

The Great Hall of the ducal tower of Siedlęcin with its unique set of the Lancelot wall paintings.

Photo courtesy of Artur Wosz

At some date – we do not know when exactly – the paintings were covered over with whitewash.

They were rediscovered in the late 1880s and have been cleaned and conserved.

The archaeological exhibition, the ground floor of the ducal tower of Siedlęcin.

At the tower and its surroundings, archaeological excavations have been carried out annually, every August, since 2008.

Photo courtesy of Artur Wosz

By Katarzyna Ogrodnik-Fujcik

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