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Mouse Tower, a Gothic brick tower from the 14th century, is the most recognized monument in Kruszwica and the unofficial symbol of the town. It was built by the With the remains of walls, it is a part of defense castle remnants. The castle was founded by king Kazimierz the Great. In 1656, the castle was seized by the Swedish army which burnt it down as they were retreating.
In the late years of 18th century, the castle ruins were gradually dismantled and its bricks floated up the Noteć river to Inowrocław. During excavation works carried out in the early 20th century, a number of other fragments of the castle and movable objects of historic interest were discovered. In the northern part of the castle hill, relics of an early-mediaeval burg-city were found: wooden huts with clay threshing floors and hearths; clog-lined streets; numerous pieces of equipment; ornaments and implements (incl. e.g. glass beads, amber products, clay vessels, bronze and iron products).
The name of the tower derives from the folk legend. Prince Popiel ІІ (or Duke Popiel) was a legendary 9th century ruler of the West Slavic tribe of Goplans and Polans. According to the chroniclers Gallus Anonymus, Jan Długosz and Marcin Kromer, as a consequence of his bad rule he was deposed, besieged by his subjects, and eaten alive by mice in a tower in Kruszwica. However, it cannot be the site of the events described in the legend as it was erected some 500 years thereafter.
References:The Château du Lude is one of the many great châteaux of the Loire Valley in France. Le Lude is the most northerly château of the Loire Valley and one of the last important historic castles in France, still inhabited by the same family for the last 260 years. The château is testimony to four centuries of French architecture, as a stronghold transformed into an elegant house during the Renaissance and the 18th century. The monument is located in the valley of Le Loir. Its gardens have evolved throughout the centuries.
