The knight's dwelling tower in Siedlecin is one of the most impressive and well-preserved buildings of this type in central Europe. It was possibly built by Henry I, Jawor's duke, in the latter part of the 14th century. The tower with a basement had originally three stores and was surrounded by a moat. The traits of the crenellation that framed the top of the walls are still recognizable. Another store and a four-sided pitched roof were added to the upper part of the tower about the 15th century. Around the same time, new windows were cut and bay widows (which functioned as latrines) were attached. In the 18th century, a court building was attached to the southern side of the tower and some parts the moat were filled in. Perhaps at that time the tower was reorganised into a granary. In 1840, the remaining defense walls were pulled down. It is beyond any doubt that the Romanesque paintings on the walls of the so called Big Room are the biggest attraction in the village. The oldest paintings on secular themes in Poland occupy more than 33 square meters of walls' surface. The polychrome paintings in Siedlecin are the only examples of the medieval paintings in Europe representing the history of one of the knights of the Round Table, sir Lancelot of the Lake. The subject matter is enriched by a few religious representations of moralising character. The paintings were wrongly interpreted as a history of the knight Ivan and the imagination of the act of funding Cistercian monastery in Henrykow, which resulted in an erroneous reconstruction during the earlier conservation works. During the conservation works undertook in 2006, the 19th-century layers were removed.

Working hours:
The tower is open everyday except Mondays
May-October: from 10 a.m. to 18 p.m.
November-April: from 10 a.m. to 16 p.m.

Contact:
Knight's Tower in Siedlecin
21 Długa Street, Siedlecin
58-508 Jelenia Góra
tel. no. 075 713 75 97