The Zamek (“Castle”)

The fortified stone zamek or “castle” was a successor to the gród, a fortified wooden settlement that had been constructed in the territory that is now Poland from ancient times up through the early Middle Ages. Zamki were strategically positioned military outposts designed to be invulnerable to attack and to allow a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. They often possess thick walls, few windows, and little ornamentation. Many castles were partially destroyed, rebuilt, expanded, and transformed over the course of centuries.