Photographer’s Note
Museum - Castle of the Gorka family
The castle was built around the 15th century, completely rebuilt in the years 1512-1518, and converted into the Gothic style again in the years 1976-1989.
The building is formed by two perpendicular wings. Since 1991 the castle has housed a museum with a very fine concert hall.
Inside, there is a collection of furniture, everyday use objects and paintings from different places, including the Wawel Royal Castle. On the ground floor, in the castle hall there is a 16th century stone foundation plate.
The late-Gothic tower from 1518 situated near the main building is one of the elements of the external fortification system. Since 1957 the collection of the Ziemia Szamotulska Museum has been exhibited here. Presently, the tower is the part of "the Górka Castle" Museum.
In the years 1559-1573 the wife of Łukasz III Górka, a Lithuanian Princess, Halszka of Ostróg, was imprisoned in the tower, which is today known as Halszka Tower.
Intertwined with the history of Szamotuły, the story of Halszka was passed on to later generations by eye-witnesses of a young girl's tragedy who fell prey to her mother's selfishness and the dowry machinations of Polish, Russian and Lithuanian lords. The story is remembered through the writings of numerous poets, novelists and dramatists.
One more story which is also connected with the tower is Waldemar Łysiak's novel
The chess player. It refers to an attempt of kidnapping Napoleon Bonaparte during his stay in Wielkopolska.
One of the castle's outbuildings was built at the end of the eighteenth century, two others kept in the same style were constructed in the years 1992-1989. In 1986 a defense tower was discovered among them.
In the castle park full of old trees of varied species there still remain parts of the ancient moat.
Info from this page.
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Photo Information
- Copyright: Slawomir Szyszlo (slaszysz) (249)
- Genre: Places
- Medium: Color
- Date Taken: 2005-04-16
- Categories: Architecture
- Camera: Fuji FinePix S5500, @ ISO 100
- Exposure: f/6.3, 1/420 seconds
- Photo Version: Original Version
- Date Submitted: 2005-04-16 17:08








