Foundation of the ducal residence

Henry I of Jawor is regarded as the founder of the tower at Siedlęcin. It was built in 1313-1315 beside a crossing of the River Bóbr. The ducal residence combined living quarters with defences: the stone tower formed part of a complex enclosed by a wall and moat. It was neither just a watchtower nor a turret within the walls of a larger castle.

The construction dates come from dendrochronological analysis of surviving timber. The wooden ceilings contain timber dated to 1313, 1314 and 1315. This provides physical evidence of successive years of building work, independent of later stories about the occupants. Dendrochronology uses the pattern of a tree's annual growth rings to date wood.

The residence had several residential floors and a great hall decorated with wall paintings. The duke's home therefore included more than walls and defensive structures. It also had a space for receiving guests, decorated with imagery drawn from courtly culture. The stone structure and surviving timber ceilings belong to the same early chapter of the tower's history.