The renovation of the surroundings of Sulkowski Dukes’ Castle in Bielsko-Biała, which is the seat of the Historical Museum, has been completed, according to the Deputy Director of the Museum Wojciech Gląds. The works cost more than PLN 3 million.
“Technical approval has already been completed. Little cosmetic work remained on the square. We need to get the guardrails out. However, it is already available,” said Wojciech Gląds on Sunday.
The renovation included the surroundings of the castle: the square in front of the monument, the top of the retaining wall along the eastern facade and the short road at the castle.
New pavement was laid on the square. The cobblers put together patterns that outlined the old buildings of the place. The archaeologists from Bielsko-Biała, Bożena and Bogusław Chorąży discovered the foundations of buildings that no longer existed: the 15th-century city wall, probably the guardhouse, which was built a little later, as well as the Prince’s Theatre and the stables, which were built in the 19th century.
A pavilion was built on the terrace-like top of the retaining wall. The short stone path along the north facade has been renewed. It was paved with river stone.
The renovation of the surroundings of the castle is the second part of the project, which in the first phase included the renovation of the retaining wall on the east side of the building. It protects the monument from landslides. This work was completed in spring 2019. It cost more than PLN 2 million.
A year ago, the renovation of the interior of the castle chapel of St. Anna, whose main entrance is from the castle square, was also completed. The cost was around PLN 1.2 million.
Bielski Castle was probably built by the Prince of Cieszyn, Przemysław Noszak the First, who lived at the turn of the 14th and 16th centuries. He belonged to many families for centuries. In 1752, Alexander Sułkowski bought the castle and received the title of Prince of Bielsko two years later. The castle remained the property of this family until 1945. The last owner was Alexander Ludwik Sułkowski, who died in 1956.