Royal Castle

Royal Castle

The castle is situated on Przemysł Hill and its history dates back to 13th century. The construction was started by Great Poland's Prince Przemysł I. At that time outbuildings and a residential brick tower were probably built. As the city of Poznan developed, the castle stood within its fortification walls and was enlarged by Prince Przemysł II and his successors until the first half of the 14th century. It was the biggest secular building in Poland then, consisting of the tower, a pavilion 63m long, 17.5m wide and at least 9m tall, and of a defensive tower on the south side. After the fire in the 16th century the castle was rebuilt by starosta Andrzej Górka in Renaissance style. Subsequent destruction was brought by Swedish wars (the Swedish Deluge and Great Northern War). After the devastation the castle never returned to its magnificence. At the end of the 18th century Kazimierz Raczyński used the southern foundation to build a Classicial, hipped mansard-roofed seat of archive.

In the cellars and on the ground floor, are preserved medieval tunnel-vaulted rooms, and in the north-western wall there is a fragment of the city's fortification wall dating back to the end of the 13th century. At the entrance there is a plaque set in 1783 memorializing the building's construction by Kazimierz Raczyński. It was also rebuilt after World War II and today it houses the Museum of Functional Art.