Mouse Tower (Poland)
The Mice Tower
The Mice Tower is an octagonal brick tower located in Kruszwica, on the Rzępowski peninsula of Gopło lake. The tower is 32 meters high. It is round on the inside and the holes that are on its wall are traces of scaffolding and not windows. The tower is one of the remains of the Kruszwica castle. The original fortress was built during the reign of Casimir the Great around 1350. Initially, it was a stronghold that was supposed to protect Kruszwica against the Teutonic Order. After the fall of the Order, the castle became the residence of Kruszwica castellany and local starosty. It was blown up by the Swedes in 1657 after two years of occupation. The tower survived[1] and has been a tourist attraction of Kruszwica and a lookout point ever since. You can see towns of Inowrocław, Strzelno and Radziejów from its top.
Legend
There are several legends related to the Mouse Tower. The name of the building refers to the story of Popiel, the legendary ruler of Poland, banished by Siemowit the prince of Polans (ancestor of Mieszko I first ruler of Poland). The legend comes from the Polish chronicle written by Gall Anonim. The tower was for the first time associated with a legend in the Wielkopolska Chronicle. This story takes place almost four hundred years before the tower was built. The popular theory assumes that the legend was probably adapted from western sources. There is a similar legend of an evil ruler devoured by mice. That story comes from Germany and refers to the tower in the town of Bingen am Rhein. However, historian Jacek Banaszkiewicz proved that the legend given by Gall Anonim could not have been borrowed from German sources because it was mentioned earlier for the first time. His theory states that a legend where a ruler is devoured by mice is simply part of the pre-Indo-European legacy.
Gallery
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The tower on a sunny day -
Sunset view -
View from Gopło -
View from the Rzępowski Peninsula -
Winter view -
Summer view
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References
- ↑ "Mysia Wieża" (in polski). Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Unknown parameter
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Sources
- Mysia Wieża na stronach PTTK Archived 2013-10-12 at the Wayback Machine (pol.)
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