A castle at a crossing of the Warta, with the Cistercian abbey beside it, one of the seven daughters of Altenberg near Cologne, founded by Mieszko III according to tradition about 1145 (later dates are also argued).
Not a town.
Who holds it
- Name
- Mieszko III's castellan; the Cistercians hold the abbey (Church map ground)
- Title
- Lord of the castle and market
- Since
- see lord_1200
- Confidence
- medium
Lord in 1200
Mieszko III's castellan; the Cistercians hold the abbey (Church map ground)
How things stand that morning
A ducal castle with a market settlement; no town law.
Charter
None. No town law in 1200: the place is a ducal castle (gród) with a market settlement (suburbium) under ducal law.
Council
None: the castellan and the duke's officers judge, collect the market dues and tolls, and keep order.
Communities
The castle household and garrison.
Fairs and markets
None recorded.
Militia
None as a town body; the castle garrison and the knights of the castle district.
Walls and castle
Earth-and-timber castle.
Trade and crafts
Local market under the castle.
Where the sources disagree
Evidence: Castle and abbey are certain; the abbey's date is tradition.
Primary sources for Greater Poland
Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.
- Chronicle of the Poles, by Master Vincent (Wincenty Kadłubek), Wincenty Kadłubek (about 1190 to 1208). Book 4 is a contemporary's account of the fight for the senior throne of Kraków. Read online
- The annals of the Kraków chapter and the other Polish annals (kept from the 11th century; the Kraków chapter annals continued to 1266). Short dated entries that fix the chronology Kadłubek blurs: the deaths of dukes and bishops, Mieszko the Old's captures of Kraków, Prussian raids on Masovia, church consecrations. Read online
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.