Castle Tower in Golczewo

The Castle Tower in Golczewo is the only surviving part of the castle of the bishops of Kamień, standing in the western part of the town, on the isthmus between Lake Szczucze and Lake Okonie. It is 31 or 33 metres high. After renovation in 2004 it was opened to visitors in the summer season.

How is the tower built?

The lower part is a square plinth of about 8.5 by 9 metres, built of erratic boulders, and higher up the tower turns into a cylindrical brick section topped with battlements.

At the top stands a hexagonal brick helm about 10 metres high. The walls have narrow arrow slits, a prison dungeon was set up in the basement, and the entrance is about 6 metres above the level of the courtyard. The tower was entered in the heritage register in 1958.

The castle of the bishops of Kamień

The castle was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries next to a stronghold site, and the first mention dates from 1304 or 1305, when it was sold to Henryk Wacholz, Bishop of Kamień.

In 1406-1418 the site was extended into a quadrangle measuring 40 by 40 metres. From 1500 the castle was a bishops' residence, and Duke Bogusław X stayed there several times. After the death of the last Bishop of Kamień in 1684 the castle was abandoned and began to fall into ruin. After 1812 the walls were pulled down except for the tower, and in 1895 and 1929 the battlements and the helm were recreated. Nearby it is worth looking in at St Andrew Bobola's Church, and by the water lie Lake Szczucze and Lake Okonie.

Legends of the tower

The old name Fangelturm is linked to a tradition that knights from the castle seized merchants and held them in the tower for ransom.

This is a tradition, not a documented fact. According to another legend, an underground tunnel linked the castle with the cathedral in Kamień Pomorski, and the hill was called Klingberg after a supposed underground bell that warned robbers of travellers passing by.

Practical information

• Location: Golczewo, on voivodeship road no. 108 (Parłówko-Płoty), halfway between Nowogard and Kamień Pomorski.
• The tower is open in summer. Opening hours and the rules for climbing to the top are given by the municipality or the manager, so check them before your visit.