The ruins of the von Borcke castle above the Drawa in Złocieniec, with Gothic cellars and a park with an avenue of elms; the castle was destroyed after the Second World War.
The ruins of a castle on an escarpment above the Drawa in Złocieniec, formerly Falkenburg. Of the late Gothic stronghold, the Renaissance palace and the residence rebuilt in 1906, today mainly the cellars and the castle park with an avenue of elms remain.
At the beginning of the 14th century Ludolf I the Elder von Wedel received land on the Drawa from the Margrave of Brandenburg and built a small stronghold here on a square plan of 36 by 36 metres. Archaeological research indicates that the cellars are the oldest element of the building and date from the first half of the 14th century. A legend of a Slavic stronghold on this spot has not been confirmed. In 1389 the castle was burned by the Teutonic Knights and then rebuilt.
Around 1600 the castle was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, and in the second half of the 17th century Caspar von Borcke turned it into a Renaissance palace, with a knights' hall in the north wing. The south wing and the tower were then demolished. In 1854 the wooden bridge was replaced with a stone one, and the moat was turned into a park. In 1906 Kurt von Griesheim, before a visit by the Emperor's son, had the residence thoroughly rebuilt: the tower was raised to six storeys and crowned with a helmet roof, and mansard roofs appeared beside it.
The castle survived the Second World War intact, but it was abandoned and for decades had no owner. Plundered and destroyed, it is a ruin today; the Gothic cellars have survived (Wikipedia dates them both to the first half of the 14th century and to the 13th century), as well as the park with an avenue of elms. Do not enter the interiors of the ruins: nothing indicates that they are open to visitors.
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