Preserving and restoring Lublin Castle, the region's most precious historic monument between the Vistula and Bug rivers
For several decades Lublin Castle waited for extensive restoration work. The biggest problem was poor ground stability, which threatened the foundations. For this reason, there was a real danger that parts of the construction might collapse. Still, because of tremendous costs, renovation work was postponed many times. Then a chance came up to apply for assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. The project presented by the castle management was accepted and almost PLN 5.5 million became available.
Within the 21 months when the project was carried out (from 1 October 2006 to 30 June 2008), all the planned restoration and protection work was completed including the strengthening of the foundations, reinforcing the underground part of the castle tower, replacing the entire sewage and storm drainage systems in the castle courtyard, underpinning the foundations, reinforcing the walls and vaulting (an innovative carbon fibre technology was used) in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity and the restoration of paintings. Castle exterior was also renovated, windows and roofing were replaced and the grounds were improved. An important element of the project was making the site more accessible to disabled visitors. At night, the castle, which dominates the city’s skyline, now has an eye-catching illumination.
Excavations conducted at the same time allowed archeologists to learn about the earliest history of the castle hill where they found traces of ancient settlements and human presence from thousands of years BC.
Rising on the royal route from Kraków to Vilnius, Lublin Castle was particularly popular with the Jagiellonians. Here the renowned chronicler Jan Długosz tutored the sons of Kazimierz Jagiellończyk. Around 1520 King Zygmunt Stary (Sigismund the Elder) began to rebuild the castle into an opulent royal residence, the work partly done by Italian masters brought from Kraków. In 1569 the castle played host to a parliamentary session and saw the signing of a Polish-Lithuanian treaty that came to be known as the Union of Lublin. Now well preserved and beautifully restored, the castle is a fine gift to the locals and visitors who flock to the city in 2009 to celebrate the 440th anniversary of that event.
The castle management are already thinking about the next undertakings to make the place even more attractive. These will include rebuilding the Romanesque watchtower to create a viewing terrace, further restoration work in the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, reinforcing the ground under the foundations of the south wing, restoring and fitting the storerooms and modernizing the permanent displays.
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