The Lublin Castle
stands adjacent to the Old Town. It is one of the oldest preserved Royal
residencies in Poland, established by High Duke Casimir II the Just. The hill
on which it is located was first fortified with a wood-reinforced earthen wall
in the 12th century. In the 14th century, during the
reign of Casimir the Great, the castle was rebuilt with stone walls. The wall
paintings at the castle’s Holy Trinity church, due to their unique style,
mixing Western and Eastern Orthodox influences, are acclaimed internationally
as an important historical monument.
The castle also holds a
legend.
Long ago, a poor Lublin
widow became embroiled in a dispute with a wealthy, corrupt nobleman. The
greedy nobleman sought to take away all her possessions. The widow took the
case to the court several times and each time, the bribed judges ruled against
her. Distraught by the injustice, after yet another unsuccessful trial, the
widow cried that even the devil would have given a just verdict! That same
night, an ornate carriage pulled up to the steps of the castle where the Court
sat. Out came several very tall, robed and hooded figures, which entered the
courtroom and conducted the Devils’ Trial. The devils’ verdict forced the
nobleman to not only return everything he had taken from the widow, but to also
pay large sums of money to her in reparations. To make its point clear, one of
the devils slammed his skeletal hand onto the court table, burning its imprint
into the wood surface, which can still be seen today.
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