Majkowice - manor house - Ancient and medieval architecture

reconstruction of the 16th-century court according to A. Wagner

view from the end of the 19th century on lithography of Napoleon Orda

History

The oldest castle in Majkowice was located in the eastern part of the settlement and probably had the form of a wooden tower. It was founded perhaps in the 13th century and functioned in the first half of the fourteenth century, as a property of the Nagodzice-Jelitczyk family. An unconfirmed tradition of its construction connects it with the participant of the battle of Płowce, knight Florian Szary. To the northeast of it there was another tower or perhaps a more elaborate building, mentioned in the sources as the Castrum Surdęga. It was created in the fourteenth century or a little later. It did not exist for a long time and was dismantled in the 16th century. The castle, or rather a manor house in Majkowice, was built at the beginning of the 16th century at the initiative of the Majkowski-Nagodzice family, probably using the material from the previous building. It was expanded in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and was destroyed by the Swedish army in 1702.

plan of the manor house according to W.Tomicka-Puget: black is the wall from the second quarter of the 16th century, diagonal lines from the second half of the 16th century, white from the 17th century

Architecture

The first defensive-residential building from the end of the 13th century, the beginning of the 14th century was probably a wooden tower erected on a hill on the banks of the river. It is not known what the second building from the 14th century looked like, although it probably was made of stone. The manor from the first half of the 16th century consisted of a residential house, approximately 15.5 x 13.5 meters, to which two avant-corps were added from the north and east. East one served as a gatehouse and the chapel, and the north building housed a staircase. From the north-west a three-storey corner tower was added, which has kept renaissance stonework elements.

Current state

The manor house is in a state of advanced ruin, which includes remains of a tower, fragments of load-bearing walls and a small cellar. Admission to the castle area is free.

manor house in Majkowice, photo przemoteam.blogspot.com

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bibliography:
Leksykon zamków w Polsce, red. L.Kajzer, Warszawa 2003.
Kajzer L. Zamki i dwory obronne w Polsce centralnej, Warszawa 2004.