The Mound of Bieruń
The Mound is the oldest monument in Bieruń. It is located southwest of the Old Town Square, in the Mleczna river valley. It is an artificially built structure in the form of a rounded quadrilateral, 5.5 m high and measuring 32 x 34 m. The mound is considered to be the remains of a conical castle (the so-called motte knight’s residence), which was built in Europe from the 9th to the 13th century. Similar castles were located in Mikołów and Pszczyna, among others. The first mention of the Mound dates back to 1387. It can be found in the act granting the Bieruń aldermanship to Cussowicz by the Duke of Opava and Racibórz, Jan II Żelazny. In addition to the office of the alderman and the castle with the manor, the knight received two acres of land, on which a new settlement was located. The document also includes an agreement to “rebuild the castle town”, which proves the existence of the Mound before the town was founded. Ludwik Musioł, the author of the monograph of Bieruń, links the origin of the castle with the person of Komes Urbanus, who lived in the 13th century and was probably the owner of the lands in Urbanowice.
With time, the knight’s property was transformed into a free village, an enclave independent of the municipal jurisdiction. The village had its own municipal seal with a „mound” in its coat of arms. In 1861, more than a 100 people lived on its territory - which included the present Kopcowa and Kadłubowa streets. In 1923, the village was incorporated into the municipal area of Bieruń.
In the 19th century, a chapel of Jan Nepomucen was erected on top of the Mound. In 1967 the Mound was entered into the register of monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship.