Castle in Lublin

Wojciech Gerson is one of the most outstanding representatives of 19th-century Polish painting. The beginning of his artistic education in 1844 is associated with the Warsaw School of Fine Arts. In the years 1849–1853, with a group of graduates of the School of Fine Arts, Gerson went on a hike around the country, through: Kielce, Augustów Lakeland, Lublin, Mazovia and Kujawy, he visited Vilnius and Kaunas.

The Lublin Castle has undergone changes and reconstructions over the centuries. The present one, significantly different from the original one, dates from the 19th century. In 1520, the castle served as the residence of King Sigismund the Old. The time of significant changes for Lublin falls on the 16th century. This is when trade begins to develop and the suburbs are expanded. The medieval urban layout is preserved, and many sacred buildings are built. At that time, changes also appeared in the layout of the Castle Hill. The reconstruction in the second-third quarter of the 16th century was carried out by the Lublin starosts, Stanisław Gabriel and Jan Gabriel Tęczyński. The porches of the defensive walls and the battlement were demolished, the gothic building was raised by an additional storey, an attic with twin blinds was added. The Renaissance reconstruction was probably carried out by Bartolomeo Berecci. In the 17th century, the castle was destroyed, the Romanesque tower and the gothic chapel of the Holy Trinity survived. In the years 1824–1826, a neo-gothic building was erected according to the design of Jan Stompf, intended as a criminal prison, which was the function of the castle for one hundred and twenty-eight years. The present foundation of the Castle Hill consists of a Romanesque tower, a Gothic chapel with a Renaissance gable and a neo-Gothic Castle building. Since 1957, the Castle has been the seat of the Museum.

Klara Sadkowska