Prudnik Castle, Gothic castle remnants at Zamkowy Square, Prudnik, Poland.
Prudnik Castle was a Gothic defensive and residential castle founded in 1255 on a loess rise on the left bank of the Prudnik river. Its walls were built of greywacke stone quarried in the nearby Opawskie Mountains, and a moat and double rampart surrounded the complex. Only Wok's Tower remains today.
A Bohemian knight named Wok von Rosenberg founded this fortification in 1255 to control trade routes between Wrocław and Opava. Over the centuries it faced various destructions until a major fire in 1806 destroyed most of the structures.
The remaining tower stands as a testament to medieval construction methods used across the Opole region during that era. It sits today at Zamkowy Square in the heart of the town and shapes the character of the place.
Wok's Tower stands on the left bank of the Prudnik river, on the rise by Zamkowy Square, a short walk south of the market square. The castle site lay in the bend of the river, so approach from the town side, where the bridge once stood. The tower is the only remnant; the rest of the complex was demolished after the 1806 fire.
The castle had its own name, Wogendrossel, recorded from the 14th century and meaning "Wok's Rose" after the rose in the coat of arms of founder Wok of Rosenberg. Between 1420 and 1477 the same name was used for the whole town of Prudnik.
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