2235 POLAND (Pomerania) - The Pomeranian Dukes Castle in Słupsk

In 1316, the town of Słupsk (developed from a few medieval settlements located on the banks of the Słupia River, which existed since the 8th and 9th centuries), was taken over by the Pomeranian dukes from the House of Griffins, which owned it, with a brief pause, until the end of the dynasty, in 1637. More then that, in 1368 the Duchy of Słupsk was separated from Pomerania-Wolgast, and the town of Słupsk become its capital and the seat of dukes until 1478, when Pomerania was reunited again, under Bogislaw X.

Bogislaw X erected a castle in Słupsk in 1507. At first it was a gothic building, much smaller than now, but at the end of the century, duke Jan Fryderyk rebuilt it and enlarged in the Renaissance style. Between 1600 and 1648, the castle served as residence for the dukes' widows. After that, Słupsk passed under German possession, and the buildings were used as wheat and weapons warehouse, as well as prison, which contributed to their degradation.

During the WWII the building was seriously damaged. In 1958 its reconstruction started, and in 1965 became the residence of Slupsk museum. In nowadays, the castle complex, located in neighbourhood Stare Miasto (Old Town), consists of the castle itself, a small, half-timbered building housing the board of directors of the Museum of Central Pomerania, the Castle Mill, the Fishermen Gate (the remains of Słupsk fortifications) and St. Jack’s church.

The plastered brick building consists of three floors covered with a hipped roof. Attached to the castle, in the middle of the northwest façade is a polygonal tower covered with a multi-hipped cupola topped with a lantern. Next to the tower, in between second and third floor, there is a small annex with arcaded loggia. The southeast façade is divided into three by breaks reaching as far as first floor; in southern corner of this façade and in the southwestern façade there are three buttresses.

In the southwestern façade there is a polygonal bay and it the northeastern a triangular one. All façades are topped by a beveled cornice. Inside partially and in the second floor only original barrel vaults with lunettes have been restored, and in the tower ribbed vault has been preserved. The entrance to the tower from the northern side leads to the museum rooms.

About the stamps

The stamp, designed by Maciej Jedrysik, was issued on August 16 2015 to mark the 200th Anniversary of Saint John Bosco. Saint John Bosco (1815-1888), popularly known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Roman Catholic priest of the Latin Church, educator and writer of the 19th century, who dedicated his life to the betterment and education of street children, juvenile delinquents, and other disadvantaged youth.

References
Słupsk - Virtual Shtetl
Słupsk Castle - Spotting History
Castle of The Pomeranian Dukes in Słupsk - Castles and Palaces in Poland

Sender: Krystyna Betiuk (direct swap)
Sent from Słupsk (Pomerania / Poland), on 11.01.2016
Photo: Mariusz Surowiek