History
Panków (German: Penkendorf) housed a partially stone residence from the second half of the 14th century, perhaps built on the site of an earlier structure constructed solely of wood and earth. In 1385, a certain Hans von Girhardsdorf owned an estate in Panków, while in 1390, the settlement contained at least two feudal estates: those of Ulrich Swob and Heintschil von Ronow von Pankendorf. The Ronows had used the predicate von Pankendorf for at least two generations and may have been the founders of the hypothetical older stronghold.
In 1429, records mentioned Jorge von Schellendorf (“Ritter zu Penkendorf”), a member of the council of the starost of Świdnica, who resided in Panków as late as 1440. He may have funded the rebuilding of the castle, as its defensive wall was likely built in the second or third quarter of the 15th century. The co-owner of the Panków estate was Jorg’s brother, Wentzel von Schellendorf, who had owned Rogowiec Castle since 1429 (“Ritter zu Penkendorf und Hornsberg gesessen”). Wenzel’s sons, Hans and Nicolaus, acquired the Książ estate in 1466, but Nicolaus soon sold his rights to other properties and took over Panków exclusively. As a supporter of the Czech King George of Poděbrady, he used robberies to oppress merchants from towns favorable to the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus.
In the second half of the 15th century, the von Bock family was mentioned in records in connection with Panków, although initially they must have held only a portion of the settlement, without a castle (the more warlike Schellendorfs required a support in a defensive structure). A certain Jorg Pock von Pankendorff was recorded in 1481, Christoph von Bock between 1482 and 1518 (“zu Pänkendorf gesessen”), and then in the 1520s, his sons Hans, Dominik, and Georg were mentioned. From 1536, Panków belonged to Hans Bock von Pengkendorff, the sole owner of the village, who held it until at least 1550. The last Bocks, brothers Conrad and Christoph, were mentioned in connection with Panków in 1568.
In the final decades of the 16th century, the Panków estate, along with the castle, passed into the hands of the von Schindel family. They were likely responsible for the castle’s first major early modern rebuilding, focused primarily on improving living conditions. In the second half of the 17th century, Panków came into the possession of the von Zedlitz family, thanks to Gottfried Zedlitz, who, having married Anna Schindel, took over the castle from his father-in-law in 1671. Another member of the family, Friedrich von Zedlitz, probably around 1699 underwent another major renovation, giving castle the character of a Baroque palace. By the 19th century, it was used solely for economic purposes, but it was not until World War II and its subsequent abandonment that it fell into ruin, particularly after the roof collapsed in 1964.
Architecture
The Panków Castle was built in a shallow valley of the Bystrzyca River, between a small, unnamed stream and the river flowing on the north side, on the northwestern edge of the village. Since the first half of the 15th century, it consisted of a roughly oval circuit of defensive wall, preceded by a surrounding, irrigated moat fed by the waters of the Bystrzyca. Since the complex lacked a bergfried tower or a flanking towers, its defense must have relied primarily on the perimeter rampart or wall, likely topped with a wall-walk.
Entrance to the castle inner ward was through a quadrangular, three-story gate tower, measuring approximately 5 x 6 meters, the oldest stone part of the building, erected before the construction of the stone perimeter wall. Tower’s ground floor originally faced east and west with openings, featuring straight lintels made of thick wooden logs. The gateway had two niches with seats on either side. Above, the tower had two stories and a defensive platform protected by battlements. Around the second quarter of the 15th century, the gate openings were blocked, leaving a loophole in the eastern wall. A two-armed portal was built into the western wall, with a threshold slightly above the courtyard level.
Within the defensive perimeter, the oldest residential building was located in the southern part of the courtyard, where it likely occupied its entire length on the east-west axis and was approximately 9 meters wide. Because of this, the southern part of the castle’s defensive perimeter was the only one that was straight rather than oval. The building’s location was rather unusual, as the main residential buildings were usually situated opposite the gates, not close to their sides (the gate was then moved from the tower’s ground floor to a section of the wall on its southern side).
In the first half of the 16th century, a second residential building was constructed, located in the northwestern part of the courtyard. Its two sides were adapted to the circular defensive wall, giving it an irregular shape. The entrance was from the courtyard, while communication with the upper floor must have been provided by internal stairs. The building’s interior was likely single-spaced, with internal divisions consisting only of light timber screens. As at Owiesno Castle, deep recesses were created in its wall, likely serving as cabinets with wooden doors.
Current state
Rebuilt into an early modern palace, the former castle is now in a state of ruin. The perimeter wall has survived from the original medieval layout, except for the southern section and part of the western section, which was demolished in the 18th century during the construction of the palace. The medieval southern house was also removed at that time, but the walls of the 15th-century northern building have survived. The most interesting element of the original castle is the preserved former gate tower, currently located next to the bridge and the later gate, in front of which a watered moat is still visible. A late Gothic portal has been preserved in the ground floor of the tower.
bibliography:
Adamska D., Błoniewski P., Boguszewicz A., Chorowska M., Dudziak T., Kwaśniewski A., Zamki i dwory obronne na Śląsku, tom 1, księstwo świdnickie, Wrocław 2026.
Chorowska M., Rezydencje średniowieczne na Śląsku, Wrocław 2003.
Leksykon zamków w Polsce, red. L.Kajzer, Warszawa 2003.