Wieruszyce – tower house

History

   The first tower house in Wieruszyce was built in the 15th century. It belonged to the family Wieruscy coat of arms Szreniawa. In 1531 Wincenty Wieruski made castles extensive development, then his descendant, Sądecki standard-bearer Jan Wieruski, rebuilt the court in the renaissance style. In possession of the Wieruscy manor remained until the mid-seventeenth century. Later owners, Ołtarzewscy, built a baroque mansion in vicinity and the renaissance court they turned into a granary and a carriage. Declined monument was neglected until 1981 when it became privately owned.

Architecture

   The oldest part of the complex was located south of the currently preserved building, on the edge of the hill plateau, falling into the valley of the Stradomka River. It was a rectangular building with dimensions of 11 x 14 meters, probably a tower-like. In the second phase, at the beginning of the 16th century, the original layout was extended and a 14.5 x 15 meter defensive-residential tower house was erected.
   As a result of the reconstruction in the 30s of the 16th century, a gothic-renaissance defensive court was built on a rectangular plan of stones and bricks, with a round turret of similar height on the north-eastern side. It was covered with a very characteristic, high, two-part roof covered with shingle, while the cylindrical tower was covered with a separate hip roof, also covered with shingle.
   From the south, the entrance was a stone gothic portal. Smaller windows were pierced on the lower floor and larger, Renaissance ones on the upper floor. There were also a number of key loop holes around the lower floor of the tower house. Inside the rooms of the lower storey were covered with barrel vaults, the higher ones had probably wooden ceilings. The former probably had economic and defensive functions, while residential rooms were located at the top.

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bibliography:
Kołodziejski S., Średniowieczne rezydencje obronne możnowładztwa na terenie województwa krakowskiego, Warszawa 1994.

Krasnowolski B., Leksykon zabytków architektury Małopolski, Warszawa 2013.
Leksykon zamków w Polsce, red. L.Kajzer, Warszawa 2003.