Ząbkowice Śląskie Castle

The original Gothic castle was built in the fourteenth century. The oldest records of the castle date back to 1321. In 1335 it withstood the siege by Bohemian troops, but already in the next year it was pledged by Bolko II of Münsterberg to the House of Luxembourg, and finally sold together with the city by his son Nikolaus of Münsterberg to the Luxembourgers ruling Bohemia. During the Hussite Wars, the castle was destroyed. The new owners modernized and fortified the castle. In the middle of the fifteenth century, the castle became the property of the sons of the Bohemian King George of Poděbrady. The castle was besieged in 1468 by the citizens of Breslau, Schweidnitz and Neisse and suffered damage. In 1489 the castle was conquered by the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus and remained in his possession until 1490. In the years 1522 (or 1524) to 1532, Charles I had a fortified Renaissance castle built within the Gothic walls on a square floor plan with a courtyard surrounded by arcades. The castle survived several attacks, but was abandoned in 1728 and fell victim to a fire in 1784. The ruins were saved from decay in the 20th century. A fragmentary reconstruction is being considered.