ducal castle in Szczecin, Poland

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📜 history of the object:
The first fortified (wooden) object on a natural elevation of the terrain on the left bank of the Oder, near its mouth to Lake Dąbie, was probably built in the first half of the 12th century on the initiative of duke Warcisław I. Between 1235 and 1242, duke Barnim I the Good moved his seat from Uznam to Szczecin and expanded and strengthened the Szczecin stronghold. The beginnings of brick fortifications are associated with duke Barnim III the Great, who in the mid-14th century (around 1346) built the so-called "stone house" and the castle church of St. Otto. The construction of a new princely residence, the so-called "large house", was also started (but not completed). In later years, the Szczecin castle was expanded by subsequent princes (in particular by Casimir V in the first half of the 15th century). However, it was still not possible to complete the construction of the "large house", which remained in the form of a single-storey house (although with a basement). The investment was completed only by duke Bogusław X the Great at the end of the 15th century. The existing cellars were covered with a cross vault supported by seven pillars and a two-storey late Gothic building was erected with a portal from the courtyard side and a large vaulted hall on the ground floor. It was in this building that the wedding ceremonies of duke Bogusław X and princess Anna, daughter of king Casimir IV Jagiellon, took place. In the 1530s, duke Barnim IX the Pious added a third floor to the "large house" and erected a staircase tower (today's Clock Tower) on its central axis. The building also gained a number of painted and sculptural decorations in the Renaissance style that was fashionable at the time. Unfortunately, in 1551 the building was partially destroyed by fire, which resulted in a thorough reconstruction of the interior of the princely residence. At that time, an early Renaissance eastern wing of the castle was built, the cellars and ground floor of which were intended for utility purposes (it housed, among other things, a kitchen, bakery, brewery and warehouses), while the upper floors were furnished with residential quarters. The largest reconstruction of the castle took place during the reign of duke John Frederick the Strong (1570s and 1580s). At that time, some of the medieval buildings were demolished, including the "stone house" and the church of St. Otto, and in their place a new northern wing of the castle was built, housing the prince's apartments and a new castle church with the Bell Tower. The new wing was connected to the existing buildings from the times of Bogusław X and Barnim IX, which now became the eastern and southern wings of the new castle complex. In the 1580s, a western wing was also built, thus closing the spacious quadrangular courtyard. The three-storey castle wings were unified, giving them stylistic features of the Italian Renaissance. The previously Gothic building was transformed into a luxurious Renaissance residence. Further expansion of the Szczecin castle took place in the years 1616-1619, when duke Philip II the Pious and his brother Francis I built a new wing (the so-called "museum") on the west. It was to house the prince's library (on the first floor) and rich collections: paintings, sculptures, jewels, coins (on the second floor). The lower floors also housed an armoury and a coach house. However, soon after the Griffin dynasty died out, the castle fell into Swedish hands (1637). At the end of the 17th century, a baroque astronomical clock was installed on the staircase tower of the "large house", which earned it the name of the Clock Tower. In 1720, Szczecin came under Prussian rule. The new owners also made reconstructions, and they were so serious that the building almost completely lost its Renaissance style (the vaults in the eastern wing were demolished, the southern wing was completely rebuilt, the cloisters were demolished, and staircases and corridors were built inside the castle). The building owes its current appearance to the reconstruction works that took place after World War II (the castle suffered significant damage during an Allied bombing raid in 1944). The castle was restored to its appearance from the 16th century. In 2017, a construction disaster occurred in the northern wing of the castle: a pillar of the lowest floor collapsed into a void created in the ground, which resulted in the pillars of the upper floors and the collapse of the ceilings. Currently (2024) reconstruction work is underway on the premises of castle, the aim of which is to rebuild the northern wing.
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