The castle is located in central part of the town, just off the main city square and can’t be missed when wandering the city of 40,000 people. There are older folks who still remember its good times when serving local municipal government in the 50’s of the last century. It was serving, amongst others, as a wedding place for young couples. It had offices and office employees. It had regular looking walls and wooden stairs with richly decorated railings. Nobody can explain what went wrong in the past 40-50 years when it turned into a regular ruin.
Rich baroque decorations over the main gate to the castle at its southern wing in their present shape and still worsening conditions, Żary, Poland.
In its present shape and condition, one cannot get over the feeling that it can be a perfect setting for any action-and-adventure movie production right from Hollywood. Steven Segal, Bruce Willis or Clint Eastwood would find here the stage they never dreamt of appearing on before. What if Nikita and her supervisors would also find their mysterious hideaway here, far different from what we have known now. And the castle is waiting, still waiting…
The castle’s north-western wing, damaged during the 2nd World War and soon after rebuilt, Żary, Poland.
The castle started in Gothic style back in 1260 when Żary was given the law to represent itself as the city and has since been closely embedded into the city’s history. The ruling family of Christopher and Hieronim Bibersteins who had been ruling both in Żary and the Chech’s Frydlandt for some 200 years rebuilt the castle in 1540-49 with the support of Italian architects who gave it a renaissance shape and character. Their
al fresco way of painting is still preserved inside the castle.
The columns of the Promnitzs’ castle, Żary, Poland.
Soon after, the castle became the property of Ferdinand Habsburg the 1st who, after two years of ownership, gave it to Georg Friedrich Hohenzollern-Anschbach. Then it again changed hands when it was bought (along with its all nearby properties) by Balthasar von Promnitz, the bishop of Wroclaw. Balthasar soon handed it over to his nephew Siegfrid for permanent ownership. The Promnitz family was ruling in Żary until 1765.
Baroque decorations of the columns on the castle’s south wing, Żary, Poland.
Around the year 1700 the castle’s tower was rebuilt in baroque style, it became taller and the clock was added to it. Then Johan Promnitz, the last member of the Promnitz’s family, Johann Erdmann the 3rd gave the castle along with the city-state to the Sass elector. The latter one was the most famous curator of the castle. He contributed the most of his efforts to the final shape of the castle and its glory after rebuilding it in the years 1705-26 when the most spectacular baroque part of the castle got its final shape.
The castle’s tower, Żary, Poland.
The castle became the property of Prussia after the Vienna Congress in 1815 and there was nothing more here than an administration building. In 1824 the castle started its new role as a prison, underwent a total renovation in 1930-45 and became a regional museum. During the 2nd World War its north-western wing was damaged and all the museum collections went missing.
The Promnitzs’ castle, the south wing, Żary, Poland.
The history of the castle is marked with a few people famous in the world of music. Both in Żary and in his summer residence in Pszczyna, Johann Erdmann the 3rd had Georg Philipp Telemann as his orchestra conductor who replaced Caspar Printz, a famous expert of music theory. Telemann, inspired with Polish folk music, introduced its elements, mazurkas and polonaise, to the world music in his numerous compositions.
If the word “watchdog” could be somehow explained, here it’s its exact meaning, Promnitzs’ castle, Żary, Poland.
The castle was a break away place for Polish king August the 3rd Strong who used to stay here overnight from his Dresden trips to Warsaw. At that time the castle’s walls and woodwork had rich paintings and decorations.
Coat of arms at the top of the main gate of the castle on the south side, Żary, Poland.
There were various renovation works going on after the 2nd World War in the castle but they were never completed due to lack of funds to complete everything in such high total volume of the property. Now the castle has been patiently waiting for its [very rich] saviour. It reminds of the time of glory and significant role it played between two important parts of Europe, the Silesia in one side and the Prussia and Saxony on the other.
Northern wing of the castle as of May 2009, still in the same shape, Żary, Poland.
