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Ruiny zamku Tarnowskich na górze świętego Marcina Tarnów

Ruins of the Tarnowski Castle atop St. Martin’s Hill, Tarnów

Porośnięte trawą i drzewami wzgórze z zarysem murów dawnej budowli.

33-100 Tarnów Tourist region: Tarnów i okolice

Castle in Tarnów is believed to be the first such grandeur residence built by a secular magnate in Poland. Both parts – high and low castle – totaled over 2000 square meters of fortified space.
The castle was built from 1328 to 1331 by Spicymir of Melsztyn, castellan of Krakow, who founded nearby town of Tarnów simultaneously. He was an outstanding figure, recognized advisor to King Władysław Łokietek (the Elbow-high) and the mentor of King Kazimierz Wielki (Casimir the Great). Over the years, the descendants of Spycymir successively expanded the castle. Around the mid-fifteenth c., brick buildings replaced the wooden ones, the high castle expanded and the structure's defensive capabilities strengthened. Major reconstruction of 1519-1527, by hetman Jan Amor Tarnowski turned the castle into Renaissance-style stronghold fortified with earth and brick ramparts, to which just a few manors in the Kingdom of Poland could compare to. The castle became a leading hub of Polish Renaissance culture, famous for its rich library. It was often and willingly visited by the policymakers, artists, magnates and the clergy. Looted after the death of hetman Jan Tarnowski, the castle was ultimately abandoned in the early 18th c. In 1747, prince Aleksander Janusz Sanguszko allowed the Bernardine Sisters to utilize the bricks and stonework from the ruined castle in construction of the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The castle was gradually dismantled and the building material was used for various purposes. Immediately before the WWII, prince Roman Sanguszko transferred the ownership of St. Martin’s hill and the castle ruins to the City of Tarnów in order to establish “Prince Roman Sanguszko Park of Independence” there. Since 2007, the "Zamek Tarnowski" Association has been striving to revitalize the decaying castle ruins.

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