The Wojnowice Castle is located about 25 km from the centre of Wrocław. It lies at the lowest point of the forested area dotted by bogs. Originally it was a defence castle surrounded by the moat, but nowadays, with the adjacent park, it is a tourist attraction. The architectural design of the building (four-sided, with three storeys on the north side and two storeys on other sides) was based on classical, small defence castle which contained an inner courtyard with a Rennaissance, four-sided well made of sandstone. Initially only one side of the square (the east side) was a habitable building, while the crenellated walls with battlements ran along the other sides. Wooden stairs led to the battlements; a drawbridge; when lowered, made access to the castle possible. Such design was typical for most small defence castles in Central and Eastern Europe.A few elements of the original defence structure survived. One of them is the moat, initially two-ringed. (The remnant of the outer ring still exists, in front of the castle.) Parts of the defence walls have been incorporated into the existing building, the west wing containing most elements of the original structure described in the fourteenth century chronicle Codex Diplomaticus Silesiae.

In the years between 1513 and 1570 the old defence castle was remade into a residence in Renaissance style. Its owners, educated and familiar with the then current trends in European art, came from distinguished families of Wrocław. The first expansion of the initial structure was made by Nicolaus Scheibitz, between 1513 and 1537. The work continued under Lucretia Boner (kin to the Boners of Cracow) and her husband Andreas Hartwig, who have given the building its current architectural outlook. During this period of time the tower was build. The next owners, the Hubers, added the final touches. The inscription tablets on the façade above the portal (the main and only entrance to the castle) contain information about those who have contributed to the development of the building.

The architectural plan of the castle was based on the local architecture called Princely. A comparison with the castles in Brzeg and Chojnów reveals many common features, e.g.: Renaissance detail and arcades opened onto the courtyard. Fragments of the frescoes on the second floor (decorative floral motifs) date from the same period. They were uncovered during the most recent restoration work between 1964 and 1986. The sandstone frames around windows point out the two phases of the castle's remodelling, and the tablet with the inscription “1545-1546” narrows down the chronology of the stonework in the south and the west wing. Around 1560s the above mentioned arcades were build supported by two ionic columns. Their addition removed the initial asceticism of the design and separated the area of the courtyard.

The subsequent remodellings have not changed the architectural character of the castle. New owners accepted the existing layout and shape of the building, though added a number of decorative elements. For example, in 1650 a new frame of the main portal was build, and one hundred years later the dormer above the entrance. In the 1860s the wooden bridge was replaced by the brick one supported by three archs. The bridge existing now, completed in 1985, uses that nineteenth century structure. And, last but not least, the crenel was added to the upper part of the tower in 1864. During the nineteenth century, in accord with the spirit of time, a large farmstead was added , the remains of which are still in good shape. In the 1940s the fundaments of the castle were strengthened and the walls anchored.

The post WW II period was not best in the history of the castle and other such buildings in Lower Silesia. Without owner the castle was left to the mercy of elements till 1960s, when the Wrocław Chapter of the Association of Art Historians was granted ownership and began the work of restoration. Thanks to the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and Art, as well as the Wrocław Council for Preservation of Historical Sites (the primary institution responsible for all construction work in the castle and in the park) the castle regained its lost beauty. The work of furnishing the castle was financed from the fund earmarked for the development of culture. The Council for Preservation of Historical Sites designated the castle as the House for Creative Work. The castle is currently administered by the Association of Art Historians and serves creative and scientific associations of Wrocław and the country. It houses a gallery of art. “Prezentacje”, it is also a place of open-air meetings, artistic workshops and conferences.

The gates of the castle are open to all who value architectural as well as landscape beauty, and to those who appreciate the value of such historical objects.

Iwona and Franciszek Oborski

Managers of the Castle