When bishop Otto of Bamberg made his missionary journeys through Pomerania in the early 12th century, he was already received in Wilin in a fortified royal house.

During the existence of the Duchy of Pomerania, the stone castle repeatedly served as a widow seat of the Pomeranian duchesses or as a residence for non-ruling members of the House of Griffins, such as Barnim XI in his younger years.

According to him the old building, where the duchess Anna Maria of Brandenburg had her widow seat from 1603 to 1618, provided accommodation for at most ten courtiers.

This shows, on the right side, a building with a rectangular ground plan, decorated with a crow-stepped gable and a flèche with a copper roof and a striking turret clock.

The castle was badly damaged by Brandenburger and Imperial troops during the siege and storming of Wolin in 1659, in the context of the Second Northern War.