History
A modest castle between the settlements of Żarki and Niegowa was likely built in the 14th century or at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. It may have been built at the behest of King Kazimierz the Great or the Silesian Prince Władysław of Opole. The village of Przewodziszowice itself was recorded in 1382 as royal property. In the first half of the 15th century, it was owned by Mikołaj Kornicz called Siestrzeniec, the burgrave of Będzin, who may have used the Przewodziszowice for his robberies and against political opponents. The castle was abandoned or destroyed at the latest in the late 15th or early 16th century.
Architecture
The main part of the castle occupied the summit of a difficult-to-access rock, with an area of approximately 165 square meters and a height of approximately 20 meters above the surrounding terrain. Nature had formed the rock as an irregular but significantly elongated east-west outcrop, isolated from other blocks of similar height. The rock was characterized by very steep, practically vertical slopes on all sides, which provided significant protection but could also hinder daily life.
The castle was built of unworked limestone, without the use of ashlars to reinforce the corners. It comprised a quadrangular, trapezoidal stone house, probably a tower-like, supported by one or two buttresses, situated on the eastern side of the rock. On its western side, another building of wooden or half-timbered construction likely stood. Due to the high and steep slopes of the rock, access to the upper part of the castle was likely possible only via ladders or wooden stairs.
Below the rocky outcrop, on its western and partially southern and northern sides, was a utility outer bailey, surrounded by a ditch and an earth rampart, likely topped with a wooden palisade. Access from the bailey to the upper part of the castle was further protected by a stone wall, up to 1.8 meters thick, forming a gentle curve at the foot of the rock.
Current state
Remnants of the upper ward walls with a total length of approximately 26 meters have been preserved. The lower section of the eastern tower house is visible, along with a buttress visible from the south. Admission to the castle grounds is free, but there is no designated entrance to the outcrop.
bibliography:
Antoniewicz M., Zamki na Wyżynie Krakowsko – Częstochowskiej, Kielce 1998.
Leksykon zamków w Polsce, red. L.Kajzer, Warszawa 2003.
Sypek R., Zamki i obiekty warowne Jury Krakowsko-Częstochowskiej, Warszawa 2003.