Tykocin Castle

File:Royal armoury Stockholm 1.jpg of King Sigismund Augustus, made in Nuremberg by Kunz Lochner, 1550s. Livrustkammaren in Stockholm.]]

The castle – then located on a border area in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania – was built in 1433 for Lithuanian noble Jonas Goštautas, voivode of Trakai and Vilnius, replacing the original wooden fortress.{{cite book | author = Ryszard Rogiński | title = Zamki i twierdze w Polsce: historia i legendy (Castles and fortresses in Poland: history and legends)| year = 1990 | page =113 | publisher =Instytut Wydawniczy Związków Zawodowych| isbn = 83-202-0796-7|language=pl}} In the 1560s, upon the death of the last member of the Goštautas family the castle became the property of King Sigismund II Augustus, who expanded it.{{cite book | author = Museum in Białystok | title = Rocznik białostocki (The Annual of Białystok)| year = 1991| page =75 | chapter =Volume 16 | publisher =Polish Scientific Publishers PWN| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=7QpFAAAAIAAJ }} The construction was supervised by Hiob Bretfus, military engineer and royal architect. During the reign of Sigismund Augustus the structure served as a royal residence with an impressive treasury and library as well as the main arsenal of the crown.{{cite web|url=http://www.tykocin.hg.pl/historia/zamek.php|title=Ruiny zamku|work=Ruins of the castle|publisher=www.tykocin.hg.pl|access-date=12 September 2010|language=pl}} In 1611–1632 the castle was rebuilt again and surrounded with bastion fortifications by Krzysztof Wiesiołowski, starosta of Tykocin.

During the 1655 Deluge, the Radziwiłł army occupied the castle. On 31 December, 1655, when the castle was besieged by troops of the Tyszowce Confederation, Janusz Radziwiłł, one of the most powerful people in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth considered by some as the traitor, died here.{{cite book |author1=Jerzy Jan Lerski |author2=Piotr Wróbel |author3=Richard J. Kozicki | title = Historical dictionary of Poland, 966–1945| year = 1996|editor1=Piotr Wróbel |editor2=Richard J. Kozicki | page =[https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00lers/page/n518 492] | publisher =Greenwood Publishing Group| isbn =0-313-26007-9 | url =https://archive.org/details/historicaldictio00lers|url-access=limited }}{{cite book| author = Tadeusz Nowakowski| title = The Radziwills: the social history of a great European family| year = 1974| page = [https://archive.org/details/radziwillssocia00nowa/page/94 94]| publisher = Delacorte Press/S. Lawrence| isbn = 0-440-07340-5| url = https://archive.org/details/radziwillssocia00nowa/page/94| url-access = registration}} Ultimately, the castle was captured on 27 January, 1657.{{Cite web|url=http://pnaf.us/library-history.html|title=PNAF Library History|website=pnaf.us|access-date=17 March 2020}}

In the following years the castle and surrounding lands were donated to Stefan Czarniecki in reward for his contribution in the war. The new owner rebuilt the castle after 1698. In November 1705 the meeting between King Augustus II the Strong and Peter the Great took place here. During this meeting the Order of White Eagle was established by the King of Poland.{{cite book | author = Tony Sharp | title = Pleasure and ambition: the life, loves and wars of Augustus the Strong, 1670–1707| year = 2001 | page =223| publisher =I.B.Tauris| isbn = 1-86064-619-0}}

In 1734 the castle was destroyed by fire. Since that time, the uninhabited building began to fall into disrepair. In 1771 remains of the castle were destroyed by flood and in 1914, during World War I, the material from the remaining walls was used by the German soldiers to build roads.

File:Tykocin - zamek - ndx - 04.JPG

Based on the preserved plans of the fortress, found in the archives in Saint Petersburg, the residential part of the castle has been restored (west wing in the style of late Gothic). The original castle was built on a plan of a trapezoid with a courtyard and four cylindrical towers at the corners. The complex was surrounded with fortifications – curtains combined four terrestrial inner bastions.

In about 1565 King Sigismund Augustus installed at the castle his private treasury and a collection of books, initially stored at the Vilnius Castle. Sigismund Augustus was a passionate collector of jewels. According to nuncio Bernardo Bongiovanni's relation, his collection was allocated in 16 chests.{{cite book | author =Stanisław Cynarski | title =Zygmunt August (Sigismund Augustus) | year = 1988| pages =198–199 | publisher =National Ossoliński Institute| isbn = 83-04-02670-8|language=pl}} Among the precious items in his possession was Charles V's ruby of 80 000 scudos' worth, as well as the emperor's diamond medal with Habsburgs Eagle on one side and two columns with a sign Plus Ultra on the other side. He had also a sultan's sword of 16 000 ducats' worth, 30 precious horse trappings and 20 different private-use armours.{{cite web|author=Michał Lisiński|url=http://www.zwoje-scrolls.com/zwoje31/text08p.htm|title=Polonica w Szwecji|work=Polish mementos in Sweden|publisher=www.zwoje-scrolls.com|access-date=12 September 2010|language=pl|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607095404/http://www.zwoje-scrolls.com/zwoje31/text08p.htm|archive-date=7 June 2011}} The papal nuncio wrote in his diary I also saw twenty suits of royal armour of which four were of most wondrous workmanship, namely with a beautiful sculpture and figures set with silver [...] It cost six thousand scudos.{{cite book | author = Lech Majewski | title = Polish Commonwealth treasures: on the history of Polish collecting from the 13th century to the late 18th| year = 2008 |editor1=Dorota Folga-Januszewska |editor2=Lech Majewski |editor3=Andrzej Rottermund | page =111 | publisher =Bosz| isbn = 978-83-87730-81-9}} The king's possessions included a rich collection of tapestries (360 pieces), commissioned by him in Brussels in the years 1550–1560, which decorated the castle's walls.{{cite book |author=Tadeusz Wojnowski|title=A Polish American's guide to Poland|year=1988|page=98|publisher=Interpress Publishers|isbn=83-223-1978-9}} The king's treasures were scattered after his death.

Zamek w Tykocinie feb 2019.jpg|Reconstructed west wing of the castle.

Tykocin 2010castle fc06.jpg

Tykocin Castle, Poland, June 2020.jpg|Courtyard

2013 Interior of the Castle in Tykocin - restaurant - 12.jpg

Tykocin Plan Zamku.svg

Tykocin 1705.jpg

2013 Interior of the Castle in Tykocin - restaurant - 02.jpg|Castle restaurant

Piwnice zamek w Tykocinie.jpg|Castle cellars

File:Tykocin July 2013 148.JPG|Hussar armour

File:2013 The cellars of the castle in Tykocin (museum) - 25.jpg

File:Round shot cannonbal Tykocin.jpg|Cannonbals

Tykocin July 2013 159.JPG

• List of castles in Poland

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Tykocin Castle}}

• {{in lang|pl}} [http://tykocin.podlaskie.pl/dzial/44/45/i,27.html History of the Tykocin Castle]
• {{in lang|pl}} [http://swiadectwo1.republika.pl/treasures.html Treasures of the Polish monarchs]

{{Royal Residences in Poland}}

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Category:Castles in Podlaskie Voivodeship

Category:Residences of Polish monarchs

Category:Royal residences in Poland

Category:Castles of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania