It is impossible to write about the history of the Lidzbark residence, quote chronicle notes and passages of scientific studies, without bending over the magnificence of the architecture of the "Monument of History", which is proof of the developed imagination and craftsmanship of medieval builders. Let's move on to a detailed analysis of the most interesting details and solutions that make the Heilsberg castle a pearl in the crown of Gothic residences.
So let's start with the "castle heavens". Let's look up and keep our eyes on the flagship element of medieval construction, i.e. the vault. In engineering jargon, these curvilinear structures covering the space of rooms were already known in antiquity, but it was the craftsmen of the Middle Ages who took the art of their construction to the heights by introducing a sharp arc into construction, allowing to create structures larger and more complex than their predecessors did. Popular in sacred buildings, they symbolized the "celestial vault", gave prestige and dignity to representative halls, but due to their durability they were also used in cellars and crypts. The Heilsberg stronghold as the seat of the spiritual lord was predestined to delight all those who crossed the castle thresholds with the multitude of the above-mentioned construction solutions.
One of them decorates a place that is the equivalent of a Teutonic chapter house, i.e. a spacious, former meeting room on the first floor of the southern wing. We are talking about the part of the castle that we pass first, because it is through the gate in the mentioned wing that we pass, heading towards the courtyard. The meeting room was one of those that were treated quite ruthlessly by the fire of 1442. The power of the element caused that the vaults there fell all the way to the cellars! The rebuilt, "starry" astral form indeed took on. A careful observer will notice, however, that "celestial bodies" differ from each other, although it would seem that they are copies of each other! We, undeterred by the architectural asymmetry, admired the dance of light and darkness, being able to visit the residence just after dark...
Cdn
Mw
Bibliography:
Cragoe Davidson Carol, How to Read Architecture, Warsaw 2012;
Rzempołuch Andrzej, Castle in Lidzbark Warmiński, Warsaw 2020;
Wółkowski Wojciech, Castle of the Bishops of Warmia in Lidzbark Warmiński. Dzieje budowlane i problemy konserwatorskie, Olsztyn 2016.
One of them decorates a place that is the equivalent of a Teutonic chapter house, i.e. a spacious, former meeting room on the first floor of the southern wing. We are talking about the part of the castle that we pass first, because it is through the gate in the mentioned wing that we pass, heading towards the courtyard. The meeting room was one of those that were treated quite ruthlessly by the fire of 1442. The power of the element caused that the vaults there fell all the way to the cellars! The rebuilt, "starry" astral form indeed took on. A careful observer will notice, however, that "celestial bodies" differ from each other, although it would seem that they are copies of each other! We, undeterred by the architectural asymmetry, admired the dance of light and darkness, being able to visit the residence just after dark...
Cdn
Mw
Bibliography:
Cragoe Davidson Carol, How to Read Architecture, Warsaw 2012;
Rzempołuch Andrzej, Castle in Lidzbark Warmiński, Warsaw 2020;
Wółkowski Wojciech, Castle of the Bishops of Warmia in Lidzbark Warmiński. Dzieje budowlane i problemy konserwatorskie, Olsztyn 2016.
