CASTLE OF CASIMIR III THE GREAT IN ZŁOTORIA

Abstract

The ruins of the castle in Złotoria were not the subject of interest for a long time after the Second World War. The first architectural and construction inventory was prepared in 1966. At that time, a description of the castle ruins was also made. These were preliminary architectural studies of the monument. Special actions were recommended to save the fragments of walls that were sliding into the Vistula at that time. The next construction and conservation inventory was prepared by researchers from Toruń in 1967. The area of the castle in Złotoria had never been the subject of methodical archaeological excavations, nor detailed historical studies. Situated on the waters of the Vistula and Drwęca, the picturesque ruins of the castle gradually underwent further gradual degradation. The results of archaeological research would probably allow for a more precise reconstruction of the original spatial layout of the castle and for determining any spatial transformations that took place from the 14th to the 20th century. To this day, fragments of the castle in ruins have survived: the foundations and lower parts of the angular tower, significant fragments of the southern and south-eastern defensive walls, the foundations of the gate building standing on the southern side, as well as traces of a wide moat separating the promontory built with the stronghold from the mainland. The aim of the article is to present the results of detailed historical studies and to develop guidelines for organizing a methodical cycle of archaeological and architectural research, related to historical investigation.