either the founder of the castle nor the time when it was erected is known. According to legends, already in the period of Bolesław Chrobry's struggle for Kłodzko Land there was a small wooden and earth stronghold here, but so far this hypothesis has not found scientific confirmation and is only a free interpretation without much historical value. What is known, however, is that in 1294 King
Wenceslas II of Bohemia donated the land near Międzylesie along with some sort of fortification to the Cistercian Order from Kamieniec Ząbkowicki, and that in 1318 this fortification was destroyed.
GATE IN THE NORTH WALL
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n 1358, the owner of the local estate was Otto Schuler (d. 1397), the son of a knight from Lusatia named Otto Glaubitz (Głębisz, Glubos, Glubocz, von Glaubitz), first mentioned in 1318, and listed as the owner of Międzylesie in 1323. The Glaubitz family probably received the property in the early 14th century from King
Johann von Luxemburg. It may have been one of its representatives who erected a brick castle here to protect and control the trade route leading from Prague through the Dzika Orlica valley to Kłodzko. It also functioned as a center of feudal authority over the so-called Śnielin State, which included part of the Bystrzyckie Mountains, the Międzylesie area and the western slopes of Śnieżnik Massif.
he Von Glaubitz family (Nicklas d. 1411, Bernhardt d. 1428) presumably owned the castle until the third decade of the 15th century, although it may have been leased for a time by representatives of the Engelhardt von Schnellenstein family. The stronghold was probably destroyed in October 1428 by Hussite troops. From 1433 comes a note about Bernard, lord of Szczerba (implied to be Bernhardt von Glaubitz, starost of Kłodzko), who was presumably dead by then.
WOODCUT PRINTING ACCORDING TO T. BLATTERBAUER, F. SCHROLLER "SCHLESIEN" 1885
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rom then on, the castle no longer served an administrative function, although it could still be used as a residence and fortification. After 1428, it belonged for some time to the village administrators of nearby Gniewoszów, and from 1491 it was owned by a certain Paul Prebir. In 1538, the surrounding lands were leased to the von Tschirnhaus family, and later became a hereditary property of the Counts von Althann of Międzylesie. By this time the castle was already a ruin, partially demolished in the 16th century in order to build a
church in Gniewoszów. The work of destruction was completed by the von Althanns, who in 1769-70 demolished most of the castle walls and used the stone they obtained to erect a brewery in the nearby village of Różanka.
IN SPRING-SUMMER SEASON, THE RUIN IS HIDDEN BEHIND THE PLANTS, A PICTURE TAKEN IN EARLY SPRING
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n 1784, Szczerba was purchased by Michael Raymund baron Stillfried und Rattonitz of Nowa Ruda (d. 1796). Later it belonged to Count
Anton Alexander von Magnis of Bożków (d. 1817), and from 1838 - to Princess of Orange-Nassau
Wilhelmine Louise Charlotte Marianne (d. 1883) and her descendants (until 1945). In 1986-96, archaeological research was carried out at the castle, which resulted in authentication of the exact outline of the walls and a more precise determination of the functional stages. During this work, many valuable artifacts were discovered, among them several hundred
fragments of medieval armor and buckles - the largest concentration of them near the castle gate suggests that they may have belonged to participants of the 1428 battle.
FRAGMENT OF THE NORTHERN WALL WITH A WICKET GATE ON OLD GERMAN POSTCARDS
SZCZERBA CASTLE TODAY: (ON THE RIGHT) FRAGMENT OF THE SOUTHERN CURTAIN, (ON THE LEFT) STAIRS LEADING TO THE GATE IN NORTHERN PART OF THE CASTLE
he castle was erected on a rocky hill, separated from the north by the bed of the Głownia river, and from the south by its tributary, a stream named Gołodownik.
It was built of stone, on an irregular plan close to an oval, truncated on the west side. Its fortifications consisted of
defensive walls about 100 meters long and more than 1.5 meters thick, which marked an inner courtyard measuring 40x10-18 meters.
CASTLE PLAN ACCORDING TO C. FRANCKE: 1. COURTYARD, 2. RESIDENTIAL BUILDING, 3. OVEN, 4. MAIN GATE, 5. WICKET GATE
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he residential part, erected on a roughly rectangular plan with sides of 9.5x19 meters, included a two-story building containing one or two small rooms in the ground floor and a larger (probably representative) hall equipped with a hypocaust-type stove. Outbuildings, such as stables, crew quarters and a kitchen, were probably located in southern part of the castle courtyard. The existence of a free-standing tower here, mentioned in some studies as an integral part of the castle, but traces of which have not been found so far, is still an open question. The entrance to the courtyard led from the west through a wide gate located next to the residential building. A deep, rock-cut dry moat surrounded the castle from the south, southwest and west.
WESTERN PART OF THE COURTYARD, ON THE RIGHT YOU CAN SEE RUINS OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
he stronghold is now a well-defined ruin with mostly preserved
stone defense wall, which reaches a height of 9 meters.
In the courtyard, fragments of cellars and the lower floors of the residential building with relics of vaults can also be seen. The castle is surrounded by a walking path that runs
in the former dry moat.
Admission free
There is not too strenuous path leading to the ruins, just right even for small dogs. The castle is located in the forest, so the dog should be kept on a leash.
Large number of branches. Photographing from the sky makes sense only when the trees are devoid of leaves.
THE WALL IN EASTERN PART OF THE CASTLE
GETTING THERE
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icturesque, though hidden in a forest thicket, ruin is located in the southeastern part of the Bystrzyckie Mountains, on the left side of road 389 leading from Międzylesie to Gniewoszów and on to Duszniki Zdrój. You can get here directly only by private transport. Those traveling by train should get off at the Domaszków station and then walk 4 kilometers along the landscaped, though steep road.
A small parking lot by the road.
You can reach the castle by bicycle (steep climb from the direction of Międzylesie).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. L. Kajzer, J. Salm, S. Kołodziejski: Leksykon zamków w Polsce, Arkady 2001
2. J. Lamparska: Zamkowe tajemnice, Asia-Press 2009
3. M. Lech: Średniowieczna zbroja z zamku Szczerba, Acta Militaria Mediaevalia IV 2008
4. R. Łuczyński: Chronologia dziejów Dolnego Śląska, Atut 2006
5. A. Wagner: Murowane budowle obronne w Polsce X-XVIIw., Bellona 2019
Castles nearby: Międzylesie - castle and palace complex from the 14th-18th century, 10 km Bystrzyca Kłodzka - residential tower from the 14th century, 16 km
Gorzanów - Renaissance castle from the 16th-17th century, 24 km Żelazno - residential tower from the 15th-16th century, 24 km
Stara Łomnica - residential tower from the 14th-16th century, 26 km
