Wpływ badań archeologicznych i architektonicznych na konserwację zamku w Wiśniczu

The castle in Nowy Wiśnicz is one of the most imposing architectural monuments in Little Poland. It is situated on the top of a wide elevation which is part o f the Sub-Carpathian Hills. Castle buildings consist o f the main part, i.e. the palace, and of surrounding bastion fortifications laid out on a regular pentagon. Apart from a harmonous form the castle boasts a rich decor of ingeniously made architectural details. The oldest mention o f the castle dates back to the second half of the 14th century when a Jan Kmita left it in 1364 to his son. Since then until 1553 the castle was owned by the Kmitas, the most outstanding o f whom was Piotr, the last o f the line. In the years 1553—1593 the castle belonged to the Barzi family, who in turn sold it to Sebastian Lubomirski. His descendants were in possession of the castle till 1720. They were followed by the Potockis and the Zamoyskis. In 1901 the castle was bought by the Lubomirski Family Association and at present, as an example o f national culture, it is under the protection of the State. Ten years ago, with Professor Janusz Bogdanowski as the author, thorough complex investigations on the whole structure were undertaken and performed by specialistic laboratories o f the State Enterprise for Conservation of Art. Research works covered three basic subjects: the proper part o f the castle with Kmitówka (a ,,cekhaus”), bastion fortifications from the 18th century and Gothic- -cum-Renaissance fortifications uncovered in the outer courtyard, the major part o f which have been preserved till today. Their development and planned exposition made the core o f the article. In the first stage, until 1400, the castle played a role of knight’s watch-tower guarding the near travel route to Hungary. It consisted only o f a stone tower and defensive walls laid out on the plane o f a quadrangle. In the second stage, at the early 15th century, the castle was surrounded by a moat and castle dikes (ramparts) from the east, south and west. The area adjacent to the northern wall was encircled with a palisade forming the glacis. By the end of the 15th century, in the third and fourth stages, wooden buildings were erected at the foot of the castle. It was only in the fifth stage, at the beginning of the 16th century, that construction works were initiated in the foreground during which the rampart was heightened and end stone gates were put. The western gate has a form o f a horseshoe and its straight wall looks at the homesteads lying at the foot o f the castle. The western wall has four loop-holes, one o f which is for heavy weapons. Apart from the vestibule, the interior of the building has two vaulted halls in two tiers. The north gate looks similar, but it is more elongated. In the rounded outer wall there are three loop-holes for small arms. Gate openings of the two structures have semi-circular portals. The third rectangular gate building, linked with it by a wallcovered neck, was uncovered near to the northern gate. In the sixth stage (1515—1553) on the southern side of the castle’s foreground a military „cekhaus” , known as Kmitówka, with two terraces on its side, was built. The front wall of the building was reinforced with earth. The pallisade was partially replaced with defensive walls. Later on, on the northern slope of the elevation the so-called ,,big-eared” bastion was erected, whose task was to shield the gate and to control the road leading to the castle. In the beginning of the 17th century, when bastion fortifications were built, the earlier system of defence was partially pulled down and buried. The most interesting problem of conservation was to arrange western part of the view gallery, designed by Tylman von Gameren. Together with the archaeological reserve it constitutes the entity with great spectacular values. The reserve comprises the western gate building, part of the rampart adjacent to it including a terrace and stairs, a terrace brick-wall under the western part of the castle palisade and paving-stones in the 16th-century courtyard.