Residential tower of the Koło castle in the light of the latest archaeological research

The Koło castle (Wielkopolskie voivodeship) is the best-preserved royal stronghold in the broadly defined historical province of Wielkopolska (Greater Poland). The castle owes this status not so much to the scale of the structures preserved to this day (i.e., ruins of the bergfried; the west curtain walls, still visible today in full length and considerable height; the greater part of the north curtain wall; and a section of the south one), but rather to the dilapidated condition of other castles founded by Polish monarchs. For a number of years (1977–1983), the Koło castle was subjected to archaeological research led by Łucja Pawlicka-Nowak (Regional Museum in Konin). Among other things, the excavations uncovered the residential tower discussed in thispaper. The excavations at the time covered the western half of the building’s interior, both of its outer southern corners, and the north-western area. The research was resumed in 2019, and the authors of this paper faced the challenge of verifying the earlier fieldwork, the extent of which was very wide and not fully documented. The investigations presented here shed completely new light both on the construction history of the Koło castle, and the issues concerning its chronology, which, in the light of current research, would have been as follows: Casimir the Great acquires the village and founds the town of Koło in 1362; the construction of the castle commences and the work on the site of the residential tower quickly progresses following 1365 (or 1367); the monarch dies in autumn 1370, before or shortly after the unfinished castle is consumed by fire. The article concludes with a chapter showing the Koło tower against the background of similar structures in Europe

Jednoprzestrzenne kościoły romańskie z terenu Wielkopolski

‘Rural’ ecclesiae laicorum have remained mute witnesses of our history; they have been deserted, forgotten and frequently falling into ruin. Single-nave Romanesque churches from the territories of Poland have not been much interest for the scholars of the Middle Ages. A full monograph on such churches from Greater Poland has not been written yet. This remains in a striking opposition to analogues buildings from Western Pomerania, Silesia or the New March. The only incomplete and to a large extent outdated work on this subject is Stanisław Wiliński’s paper Granite village churches of 12th century in Greater Poland or an exiguous paper by Alicja Karłowska- Kamzowa addressing the question of their foundation. The main aim of my book is the presentation of single-nave churches from Greater Poland erected in the period between the second half of the eleventh century and the end of the thirteenth century, in their historical and settlement context. Only churches that have been subject to archeological excavations have been included. Therefore, two factors determined whether a church has been chosen and included in this study: firstly, some archeological excavations must have been carried out within it, and secondly, the church must have played a basic role as a Christianization centre for ‘rural’ areas

Czeskie i morawskie wzorce architektoniczne na terenie ziem polskich we wczesnym średniowieczu. Fakty i mity

Since the beginning of 20th century there has been a deep conviction existing amongst archaeologists, historians and art historians concerning inseparable connections of Polish oldest pre-Romanesque and Romanesque buildings with Czech and Moravian architecture. Indicating a number of obvious, as they seem, analogies and implementing existing written sources, southern inspirations of Polish builders of early Middle Ages are regarded as a fact. However, secondary, even fragmentary analysis of construction available today and their relics make us doubt in incontrovertible existence of dependences between the objects under discussion, at least as far as central architecture is concerned. Connoting, e.g. instances of churches in Wrocław, Niemcza or in Gromnik, as well as examples of lay monumental architecture (or rather their relics) i would like to signal the necessity of considering the problem of formal dependences common for the objects in discussion once again and in consequence also Premyslid and Piasts architecture of early Middle Ages period. The article purpose is not to present new conception concerning origin of the oldest Polish mortared objects, but subjecting the problem to critic and reflection on the statements obligatory so far, which have not always been based on undisputed source arguments. The problem requires further research and the text above can be regarded only as a starting point to it.Od początku XX wieku wśród archeologów, historyków i historyków sztuki głęboko zakorzenione jest przekonanie o nierozerwalnych związkach łączących najstarsze polskie budowle przedromańskie i romańskie z architekturą czeską i morawską. Wskazując na szereg oczywistych, zdawałoby się analogii, a także posiłkując się zachowanymi źródłami pisanymi południowe inspiracje polskich budowniczych epoki wczesnego średniowiecza uznaje się za pewnik. Jednakże ponowna, nawet fragmentaryczna analiza dostępnych dziś budowli i reliktów nakazuje wątpić w bezsprzeczne istnienie zależności między omawianymi zabytkami, przynajmniej w zakresie architektury centralnej. Przywołując między innymi przykłady kościołów we Wrocławiu, Niemczy czy Gromniku oraz świeckiej architektury monumentalnej (lub raczej jej pozostałości) chciałbym zasygnalizować potrzebę ponownego rozpatrzenia problemu zależności formalnych łączących wymienione obiekty, a w konsekwencji także architekturę przemyślidzką i piastowską doby wczesnego średniowiecza. Celem artykułu nie jest przedstawienie nowej koncepcji dotyczącej proweniencji najstarszych polskich obiektów murowanych, lecz poddanie krytyce i ponownej refleksji dotychczasowych ustaleń, które nie zawsze oparte były na niepodważalnych argumentach źródłowych. Z pewnością zagadnienie to wymaga dalszych badań, dla których powyższy tekst może stanowić jedynie punkt wyjścia

Castrum et curia. Studia nad rozwojem prywatnych siedzib obronnych oraz ich zapleczy od średniowiecza do nowożytności na przykładzie włości rodu Pałuków i ich następców

Głównym zadaniem projektu badawczego, dotyczącego prywatnych siedzib obronnych oraz ich zapleczy od średniowiecza do nowożytności na przykładzie włościrodu Pałuków i ich następców jest kompleksowa analiza czterech założeń obronnych zlokalizowanych na terenie historycznych Pałuk – grodziska stożkowatego w Łeknie,wieży mieszkalnej w Danaborzu, zamku w Gołańczy oraz rezydencji w Szubinie. Wszystkie charakteryzują się XIV-wieczną metryką, co pozwala na prześledzenie procesubudowy struktur prywatnych włości niemal od samego ich początku aż po zanik bądź przekształcenie w późnonowożytne zespoły dworskie

Wooden sacral architecture in Greater Poland. An interdisciplinary case study of the church in Domachowo

Sacred wooden architecture in Poland is a huge and still unrecognised research problem. It covers a number of issues of interdisciplinary character: from the properties of building materials and carpentry techniques, through constructionand architectural-spatial solutions, to cultural and natural conditions. Hence, the best way to study this problem is interdisciplinary research. The necessity of cooperation of representatives of various scientific disciplines became the basis for creating a team to study the wooden church of St Michael the Archangel in Domachowo, so far dated to 1568. As researchers representing various disciplines (including archaeology, history, art history, history of architecture, architecture, architectural conservation), we cite sources and research that allow us to formulate a thesis that the past of the Domachowo church dates back to the 14th century. Moreover, we present the research and methodological problems inscribed in the aforementioned church building, understood as a whole. Such a multifaceted approach allows us to redefine the current knowledge about the church in Domachowo.Sacred wooden architecture in Poland is a huge and still unrecognised research problem. It covers a number of issues of interdisciplinary character: from the properties of building materials and carpentry techniques, through constructionand architectural-spatial solutions, to cultural and natural conditions. Hence, the best way to study this problem is interdisciplinary research. The necessity of cooperation of representatives of various scientific disciplines became the basis for creating a team to study the wooden church of St Michael the Archangel in Domachowo, so far dated to 1568. As researchers representing various disciplines (including archaeology, history, art history, history of architecture, architecture, architectural conservation), we cite sources and research that allow us to formulate a thesis that the past of the Domachowo church dates back to the 14th century. Moreover, we present the research and methodological problems inscribed in the aforementioned church building, understood as a whole. Such a multifaceted approach allows us to redefine the current knowledge about the church in Domachowo

The effectiveness of transvenous leads extractions implanted more than 10 years before

Background: The increasing number of patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) causes a rise in the absolute percentage of individuals qualifying for a transvenous lead extraction (TLE) due to infectious, vascular or lead failure related indications. As the survival time prolongs, TLE procedures more and more often concern the electrodes of long- -term functioning. Authors provide a retrospective analysis of the effectiveness and safety of TLE performed on leads implanted at least 10 years before the extraction. Methods: Between 2008 and 2012 we performed TLE of 364 electrodes in 217 patients. Out of these, 66 (18.1%) leads in 43 (19.8%) patients had been implanted for at least 10 years. The mean dwelling time for electrodes was 161 months (120 to 330). In 62% of cases CIED-related infection was an indication for TLE. The following extracting techniques were used: manual direct traction, device traction, mechanical telescopic sheaths, autorotational cutting sheaths and femoral approach. Results: Fifty-eight pacemakers and 8 defibrillating leads were extracted. Sixty-three (95%) completely, in the remaining 3 cases the clinical success was achieved with the small portion of the lead left into the vascular space. No major procedure complications were observed; minor complications were found in 3 (6%) patients. Conclusions: TLE with the use of various endovascular techniques is an effective and safe method for treating infectious, vascular and mechanical complications of long-lasting CIEDs therapy.

Naczyniakomięsak serca — pułapki diagnostyczne

Primary tumours of the heart are extremely rare. Sarcomas are considered to be the most frequent histological type. This study presents two cases with a two-week and two-month history of fatigue, fever and shortness of breath. In both cases, cardiac tumours with pericardial effusion were diagnosed by means of echocardiography, being responsible for the above-mentioned symptoms. At the beginning of the diagnostic process, sarcomas seemed to be the likeliest cause of these symptoms. Establishment of the histopathological diagnosis based on the tumour biopsy turned out to be very difficult, and this delayed further therapeutic procedures

Mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke – Five years of experience in Poland

Objectives Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is not reimbursed by the Polish public health system. We present a description of 5 years of experience with MT in acute stroke in Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs) in Poland. Methods and results We retrospectively analyzed the results of a structured questionnaire from 23 out of 25 identified CSCs and 22 data sets that include 61 clinical, radiological and outcome measures. Results Most of the CSCs (74%) were founded at University Hospitals and most (65.2%) work round the clock. In 78.3% of them, the working teams are composed of neurologists and neuro-radiologists. All CSCs perform CT and angio-CT before MT. In total 586 patients were subjected to MT and data from 531 of them were analyzed. Mean time laps from stroke onset to groin puncture was 250±99min. 90.3% of the studied patients had MT within 6h from stroke onset; 59.3% of them were treated with IV rt-PA prior to MT; 15.1% had IA rt-PA during MT and 4.7% – emergent stenting of a large vessel. M1 of MCA was occluded in 47.8% of cases. The Solitaire device was used in 53% of cases. Successful recanalization (TICI2b–TICI3) was achieved in 64.6% of cases and 53.4% of patients did not experience hemorrhagic transformation. Clinical improvement on discharge was noticed in 53.7% of cases, futile recanalization – in 30.7%, mRS of 0–2 – in 31.4% and mRS of 6 in 22% of cases. Conclusion Our results can help harmonize standards for MT in Poland according to international guidelines

Single-nave Romanesque churches from the Wielkopolska region (Greater Poland)

‘Rural’ ecclesiae laicorum have remained mute witnesses of our history; they have been deserted, forgotten and frequently falling into ruin. Single-nave Romanesque churches from the territories of Poland have not been much interest for the scholars of the Middle Ages. A full monograph on such churches from Greater Poland has not been written yet. This remains in a striking opposition to analogues buildings from Western Pomerania, Silesia or the New March. The only incomplete and to a large extent outdated work on this subject is Stanisław Wiliński’s paper Granite village churches of 12th century in Greater Poland or an exiguous paper by Alicja Karłowska- Kamzowa addressing the question of their foundation. The main aim of my book is the presentation of single-nave churches from Greater Poland erected in the period between the second half of the eleventh century and the end of the thirteenth century, in their historical and settlement context. Only churches that have been subject to archeological excavations have been included. Therefore, two factors determined whether a church has been chosen and included in this study: firstly, some archeological excavations must have been carried out within it, and secondly, the church must have played a basic role as a Christianization centre for ‘rural’ areas