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These are the ruins of a knight's castle built by the voivode of Leczyca, though in some stories we can read that the castle was built by order of Casimir III the Great. In the Middle Ages, the tiny town of Leczyca was one of the most important and largest cities in Poland, but fate, as it often does in history, has turned the tables.It was a fortress on the border with the territories of the Teutonic Order state, so it cannot be ruled out.It was in fact built by royal order. It is no secret that in the Middle Ages, the Teutonic Order dominated these areas and did whatever it wanted, often invading Russia, Poland, and even Sweden. The castle was originally owned by the Sokolowski family of the Pomian coat of arms. The stronghold's enigmatic name is linked to a legend about a voivode and a demon, both of whom are still present in castle Leczyca. According to the legend, the knight made a bet with the devil Boruta that he would build a castle from scratch without using an'' ax''. He did so, but he was unaware that one of the builders on whose behalf he was working was known as "Siekierka"—a diminutive of the word for "ax." The knight lost the castle and his soul, and that's why the castle and the adjoining village were named ''Besiekiery'''It simply means "without an ax" in old polish. Another theory refers to one of the terms, demon bias.
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| the fact that the tower with the window stands is a miracle, because it is 18 meters high and is not secured |
Archaeological excavations in 1963 and 71, confirmed a completely different legend about the origin of the name of the place. The truth is that in the Middle Ages, Vikings were stationed here, which is confirmed by a mound discovered in nearby Lutomersk. The town probably owes its name to the Berserkers, extraordinary warriors who, after taking intoxicants, fought in bear skins. From the beginning, the castle was unlucky. For some time, it was the residence of the son of Istvan Batory, I-Andras, who was the nephew of the Polish king Istvan Batory. After the tragic death of the cardinal, Sophie Bathory moved here with her husband, Gyorgy Rakoczy. It is a joke that the man who took part in the first attempted partition of Poland under John Casimir II Waza had to settle in that country. The next owner of the castle, Szymon Szczawinski made the biggest reconstruction of the building. In 1731 there was a fire, as a result of which the castle was rebuilt and the walls were plastered, giving it the character of a baroque residence. The remnants of this reconstruction can be seen to this day in the disfigured plaster. Certainly it was no longer the baroque era, but this one did not really exist here and took the form of a distorted baroque called: ''sarmatian style'', classicism arrived with a delay and did not replace the baroque for good. In the nineteenth century, it fell into disrepair and became a free building material for the surrounding houses. The castle is associated with the old legend of the ghost called, of course'' White Lady'' like 90% of ghosts in Poland. It is possible to see her in the empty window of the gate tower, suddenly disappearing as she appears wading in the ruins.
It is believed that the White Lady is the spirit of Szczawinski's daughter, who did not want to marry the candidate chosen by her parents, because she gave her heart to another man, a very poor man. As punishment, she was taken first to Besiekiery and later to the castle in Boryslawice Zamkowe, the biggest castle ruins in Poland, and imprisoned in the gatehouse. She tried to escape through the window, but it ended tragically, and later she was moved to the greatest stronghold, where she died.
The tower with the window is still standing despite the laws of physics because it is 18 meters high and still unlocked.Maybe a ghost or demon really protects it. The castle is currently privately owned, and its natural location on the island has been restored by cleaning the river flowing around it. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the owner was forced to close the facility, and the state is not interested in the monument. It does exist on the GPS map, but it is worse with road signs. For example, knight tournaments that attracted tourists were held here. The plans were to further strengthen the walls and create a museum. It is sad that the castle with such an interesting history will disappear, because it will disappear if the country doesn't inform people about the place, and the place must be closed
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