The first floor of the castle’s western wing was probably created as a result of the 16th-century refurbishment when Lipowiec gained more importance as a place of imprisonment. This was where individuals under episcopal jurisdiction within the Małopolska diocese were kept. Clergy accused of offences did not face secular courts, but their own ecclesiastical courts and ended up in this prison. During the times of Jan Konarski, a few friars from the Krakow Franciscan order were imprisoned in Lipowiec in 1516. They were sentenced to death for killing Albert Fontini, the commissioner of the Franciscan Czech-Polish Province. In addition to the clergy who have violated the canon law, propagators and supporters of the Reformation, which was spreading rapidly in Poland and throughout Europe, were also imprisoned. The contemporary appearance and layout of the rooms dates back to the first half of the 18th century when the stronghold was refurbished as a corrections facility for the clergy. A row of cells is located along the wide corridor. The cell on the southern edge initially consisted of two rooms. When it comes to furnishings, these small, vaulted interiors have only retained wall niches serving as shelves and brick latrines (toilets) under the windows. At the entrance to one of the cells one can still see an opening that was used for serving water and food to the prisoners with no need to open the door. The cells were not heated and the only fireplace was located in the corridor and served the guards. The crude furnishings and technical solutions suggest that these single-person cells were places of solitary confinement (isolation) for convicts who committed the worst offences.
Cells, Lipowiec Castle, Wygiełzów
Beacon