t is probable that during the reign of prince Bolesław Krzywousty (d. 1138) there was a wooden castle called Wilcza Szczęka (Wolf’s Jaw). It possiby could have some military importance on the border between Lesser Poland and Silesia and was probably destroyed by the Tatars during their invasion of Poland in 1241. The term Ogrodzieniec comes from this period (ogrodzić → transl: fence), which proves that already then it was a fenced, or fortified site. On its ruins, in the middle of the 14th century, the Polish king
Kazimierz Wielki (the Great, d. 1370) founded a brick castle, which was erected by unknown builders in the Italian Gothic style. It served as one of the links in the chain of border watchtowers separating the Kingdom of Poland from Silesia. Its first known commander became knight Przedbórz from Brzezie,
coat of arms Zadora (d. 1388), later marshal of the kingdom.
THE CASTLE SEEN FROM THE EAST, ON THE RIGHT THERE IS A ROCK CALLED THE DUCK
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n 1386, king
Władysław Jagiełło gave the castle to Włodek from Charbinowice of
Sulima coat of arms, (d. ca. 1394), a Cracow cupbearer, probably as gratitude for his participation in the preparations for the Polish-Lithuanian Union. In addition to the castle Włodek received two towns: Włodkowice and Koczurów, as well as the village of Rodaki, half of the village of Klucze, a customs house belonging to the castle of Ogrodzieniec and a house at the castle of Kraków. One of his descendants, Jan alias Bartosz Włodek, was taken prisoner in 1454 during the battle of Chojnice, as we learn from old Teutonic chronicles. The same Bartosz was mentioned many times in court books, e.g. when in 1450 he pawned the villages of Wysoka, Wiesiółka, Niegownica and the Wiesiołeckie customs for 500 grzywnas, and when he pledged a whole part of the village of Klucze to a certain Jaszek Zdziech. The Włodek family owned the castle for nearly a century.
UPPER AND LOWER CASTLE SEEN FROM THE EAST
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n 1478, Ogrodzieniec came into hands of Jan Feliks Rzeszowski (d. 1513), a Przemyśl parish priest and royal canon, who after leaving military service began an ecclesiastical career. However, already in 1482 he exchanged it for the village of Zawiercie and eight thousand florins with Jan Pilecki of
Leliwa coat of arms (d. 1496), a grandson of Wincenty Granowski and Elżbieta Pilecka of Pilcza (later Queen of Poland and third wife of king Władysław Jagiełło). Jan's heir was his son Mikołaj (d. 1527), who got married in 1501 and bequeathed to his wife Magdalena (d. before 1541) five thousand Hungarian florins as a sum corresponding to the amount of her dowry.
OGRODZIENIEC, GOTHIC PART
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n 1521, the indebted Pilecki pawned the castle and the surrounding estates for two and a half thousand Polish florins to Mikołaj Chełmski of the
Ostoja coat of arms. Two years later he transferred the pledge to
Jan Boner (d. 1523), burgrave of Kraków, who soon paid it off and bought the whole estate. The new owner, a salt dealer and a Cracovian banker, as well as the possessor of several starosties and the administrator of the royal castle in Wawel, made a huge fortune in salt mining, paper production, leasing customs chambers and supplying silver to the royal mint. Thanks to his successful trading operations, he quickly multiplied his wealth, and later used it to finance credit transactions, including supporting the royal court with loans. Boner belonged to the elite group of the closest king
Zygmunt Stary's advisors, and among the tasks commissioned to him was the verification of candidates for a wife for the king’s son
Zygmunt August. Apart from Ogrodzieniec castle he owned a stone mill, several tenement houses in Kraków, Lviv and Poznań, as well as St. Spirit Chapel in
Mariacki Church, which he converted into St. John the Baptist Chapel.
VIEW OF THE RUINS FROM THE NORTH, ON THE LEFT IS THE NORTHWEST WING ERECTED BY SEWERYN BONER
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hen Jan died, the whole inheritance went into the hands of his relatives and the biggest part of it, with Ogrodzieniec, was given to
Seweryn Boner (d. 1549), son of Jan's brother. Thanks to such a generous endowment Seweryn immediately entered the ranks of the finest aristocracy, receiving the Kraków magistrate, as well as the starosties of Rabsztyń, Ojcow and Czchów. In 1530 he commissioned Italian architects to rebuild the castle in the Renaissance style following the example of royal residence in Kraków. In this way, he contributed to the creation of a magnificent, full of splendor magnate's residence, which was furnished with the most expensive and exquisite items brought from all over Europe.
VIEW OF THE RENAISSANCE PART OF THE CASTLE FROM THE WEST
Seweryn Boner of the
Bonarowa coat of arms (1486-1549) was the son of the banker Jakub and nephew of
Jan Boner, from whom he inherited a huge estate and lucrative offices. In 1515, he married Zofia Bethman, an heiress of Balice, which from then on served as a suburban residence of the Boner family. Seweryn belonged to the elite group of the richest people in the country. Following his father and uncle, he ran merchant and banking businesses throughout Europe, lending money to king
Zygmunt Stary,
queen Bona, and even the emperor himself (who gave him the title of baron).
Boner was also a generous patron of artists and scholars. Near his manor house in Balice he founded a beautiful garden full of foreign plants. He also maintained his own orchestra to the sound of which in 1543 he entertained queen
Elizabeth of Habsburg. He managed the modernization of the Wawel castle, the castle in Ogrodzieniec and the Odrzykoń fortress in Kamieniec. During his life, however, he was disliked not only for his excessive greed, but also because of his religion. As an ardent follower of Protestantism, after his death Seweryn Boner was not buried in Mariacki church in Kraków, but in a small provincial
church in Kromołowo. After some time, the Seweryn's tombstone was destroyed by local villagers, and his remains - desecrated.
RUINS OF THE NORTH-WEST WING BUILT BY SEWERYN BONER IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE XVI CENTURY
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eweryn Boner had four sons, but they all died early without heirs. Therefore, the Ogrodzieniec estate was inherited by the only daughter - Zofia, who in 1562 married the voivode of Lublin, Jan Firlej of the
Lewart coat of arms, an enthusiastic follower of Calvinism. New owner modernized the castle by surrounding it with bastion fortifications and a dry moat. When he died in 1574, the lordship of Ogrodzieniec became his son Mikołaj (d. 1601), the voivode of Kraków and the royal deputy, privately a lover of paleontological discoveries and a close friend of the famous Polish poet,
Jan Kochanowski. At that time in Poland there was an interregnum. After
Stefan Batory's death (d. 1586) archduke
Maximilian Habzburg III (d. 1618) wanted to take the Polish throne and in 1587 he entered the country with 10 thousand Austrian soldiers. Although he finally failed to achieve this goal, on his march towards Kraków he seized Ogrodzieniec castle, plundering its furnishings and the valuables gathered there.
WATERCOLOR FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE XIXTH CENTURY
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fter Mikołaj's death Ogrodzieniec came under the rule of his son Jan Firlej. When he died childless in 1640, it became the property of his cousin Andrzej Firlej (d. 1658-61), who held the office of Lublin castellan. Then, the castle became the property of Andrzej's widow, Zofia Petronela de domo Tarnowska (d. 1682), and in 1664 it was purchased by
Stanisław Warszycki,
Abdank coat of arms, castellan of Kraków (d. 1681). Warszycki, who paid 267,000 złotys for the rights to these lands, was a nobleman famous for his thrift, clear mind, and... cruelty: The castellan overloaded his peasants with labour, tormented and tortured them, was a bad Christian and who knows if he was not a heretic, he did not respect holy days, and despised priests... On the other hand, he made a huge contribution to the defense of Poland during the war with the Swedes, when he chased away the Swedish crews from the castles of Danków, Krzepica and Pilica.
RUINS ON A DRAWING BY A. SCHOUPPE, 1860
Stanisław Warszycki, owner of Ogrodzieniec castle in the middle of the 17th century, is remembered as a great patriot, defender of the Pauline Monastery in Częstochowa and a hero in battles with the Swedes. However, folk legends perpetuate another, darker face of this nobleman - that of a ruthless cruel and sadistic man. If these stories can be believed, Warszycki personally supervised and often took active part in torturing his stubborn serfs. One day he even ordered that his wife, Helena Wiśniowiecka, be whipped in the castle courtyard in the presence of his servants.
In popular culture Warszycki was the personification of the devil: He was a wealthy man but of bad character. He was cruel and unforgiving both to his servants and to his successive wives. One of them he supposedly walled up alive for being unfaithful, another was whipped in public. Having promised his daughter Barbara a part of his property as a rich dowry, he gave her nothing. Because he was greedy. Legend says that he still guards his treasures, which no one has found yet. On moonlit nights, he appears as a large dog with a clanking chain, guarding access to valuables. The castellan allegedly tortured his subjects in a cavern located between rocks in the southern part of the lower castle. Today there is a small exhibition of torture devices and the place is now called Warszycki's Torture Chamber.
CASTLE ON LITHOGRAPH BY N. ORDA, "ALBUM WIDOKÓW" 1881
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espite his difficult character Warszycki made a positive contribution to Polish history. He supported the besieged Pauline Order in Częstochowa, providing it with twelve cannons and a herd of cows, and after the retreat of the Swedish army he cleared the area from war marauders. In a well fortified Danków castle he hosted the Polish king
Jan Kazimierz, queen
Maria Ludwika, army commander
Stefan Czarniecki and senators discussing with him how to save their homeland. He also rebuilt the castle in Ogrodzieniec which was captured, devastated and partly destroyed by the Swedes. Stanisław Warszycki had a mentally ill son Jan Kazimierz, after whose heirless death Ogrodzieniec became the property of his sister Helena Warszycka and her husband Michał Warszycki (d. 1697). They had two sons and three daughters. One of these daughters, Barbara Warszycka, married the count Kazimierz Józef Męciński,
coat-of-arms Poraj (d. 1703), bringing him as dowry the property of Ogrodzieniec with huge family treasures. From then on, the castle remained in the hands of the wealthy Męciński family for three subsequent generations.
COLOURED POSTCARDS WITH AN IMAGE OF OGRODZIENIEC CASTLE, 1910-15
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n 1702 the Swedish army invaded again the castle in Ogrodzieniec and burnt it down. Soon, as a result of various failures, political disturbances and family misfortunes, the Męciński family began to lose their property, which also adversely affected the castle, whose condition deteriorated significantly. In 1784, the half-ruined stronghold was bought by Tomasz Sariusz Jakliński of
Jelita coat of arms (d. 1799), a deputy judge, who renovated a small part of it and used the rest as a resource for building a
church in nearby Ogrodzieniec town. After Jakliński's death the central part of the castle was still inhabited by his daughter Antonina Mieroszowska, however, when in 1810 the danger of collapse appeared, she moved to a nearby manor house. Mieroszowska's son August sold the ruin to Ludwik Kozłowski of
Wieże coat of arms (d. 1885), who partly demolished it to erect farm buildings and a sheepfold.
CASTLE SEEN FROM THE WEST, POSTCARD OF WORLD WAR I
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he last pre-war owner of the castle ruins was the family of Jan Michajłow Wołczyński,
coat of arms Gozdawa, who bought it in 1899 for 4 thousand rubles from a Jew named Firsz Tandziełowicz Appel. Shortly after the end of World War II the castle was nationalized and protected from further degradation. In the years 1959-75, during archaeological research, numerous fragments of floors and architectural details were discovered here, as well as many movable artifacts, including cannon balls, weapon pieces, fittings and coins. In the western part of the castle, a large amount of organic remains were also excavated including animal bones and burnt beams. In 1973 the ruins were opened for tourists.
VIEW FROM THE SOUTH, 1930S PHOTOGRAPH
The picturesque ruins of the castle enchanted the famous traveler and publicist
Adolf Dygasiński, as well as the sightseeing enthusiast
Aleksander Janowski, known as the father of Polish tourism. Janowski, together with a group of friends, took the initiative to found a social organization whose aim was to revive the love for the mother country (at that time not existing on the map) by getting to know its historical monuments, nature, landscape, etc. Thus, in 1906 the Polish Tourist Society was founded, whose badge included the outline of Ogrodzieniec castle. To commemorate its founder's special merits, a previously nameless hill (on which the castle stands) was given the name of Janowski's Mountain.
BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE RUINS ON A WORLD WAR 2 PHOTOGRAPH
The word Jura refers to the name of an alpine range of mountains formed during the Mesozoic period, about 195-140 million years ago. In the area of the present-day Kraków-Częstochowa Upland (called Jura) there existed a warm sea in which small animals lived:
cephalopods,
ammonites,
belemnites and
sea urchins. They accumulated limestone in their bodies, from which limestone rocks were later formed. Rocky limestone, being more resistant to erosion, created in the area of the Upland the largest in Poland concentration of rock monadnocks exhibiting imaginative forms. In these places you can find fossils of the aforementioned animals, most often ammonites, which centuries ago were thought to be fossils of...snakes.
he castle was built on and among rocks, which was then dictated by defensive reasons, and today corresponds well with the beauty of the surrounding nature. Its volume of 32,000 cubic meters is composed of several historically diverse fragments with a predominance of Italian and French Gothic styles. At first, the stronghold consisted of a narrow single-tract building occupying the northeastern part of the hill and surrounded by wood-earth fortifications and perhaps partially by a stone wall. In the 15th century a stone tower was added to it, as well as a south-eastern residential wing. The other sides of the small inner courtyard were covered with one-bay utility buildings and porches.
PLAN OF THE XIV CENTURY CASTLE ON THE BASIS OF: A. WAGNER "MUROWANE BUDOWLE OBRONNE W POLSCE X-XVIIw."
PASSAGE TO THE OLDEST PART OF THE CASTLE
THE MYSTERIOUS HOLES IN THE ROCK ARE TRACES OF DRILLING FROM THE 1970S (THEN THE PASSAGE WAS MADE)
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n 1532-47 Seweryn Boner built a Renaissance north-western wing with a
kitchen on the ground floor and representative rooms on subsequent floors, near which a large
cistern for water about 100 meters deep was carved in the limestone rock. The southern wing (the lower parts of which date back to the 15th century) was also extended and flanked by two high towers. The complex layout of this part of the fortress consisted of cellars, stores, pantries as well as a treasury in the lower parts, and representative and residential chambers in the upper levels. At least four large chambers were located here, among them
the kredencerska chamber and the marble chamber, which was erected in the middle of the 17th century on the base of Renaissance bastion.
THE SOUTHERN WING WITH REMAINS OF BELUARD AND MARBLE CHAMBER
CASTLE KITCHEN AND UPPER COURTYARD SEEN FROM THE NORTH-WESTERN WING
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lso in the first half of the 16th century, the western residential wing with Boners' private chambers (bedroom, library) was built. In the southern part of the castle stood a building called
the chicken leg (!?), whose two lowest floors were used for defense purposes, while the other levels housed servants' rooms, women's chambers, a writing room and a ballroom.
The upper courtyard was surrounded by decorated galleries, and the higher floors had Renaissance loggias as balconies. The upper castle also included two other courtyards: the western
tournament courtyard and
the utility courtyard, called ptasznik, with warehouses, workshops and a fowl pen. By its southern wall there were
wooden platforms, now partially reconstructed, which made it possible to fire the foreground of the castle and were used for communication.
UTILITY COURTYARD, ON THE LEFT THERE IS A PART OF THE CASTLE CALLED THE CHICKEN LEG
THE TWO LOWEST TIERS OF THE CHICKEN LEG ARE EQUIPPED WITH SHOOTING STANDS
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he lower castle covers an area of about 3 hectares. It was originally entered from the southwest through a gate set in a gap between two rocks (the current gate leads through the northwest wall). In its northeastern part, large stables and coach houses were built in the 16th century, of which only the foundations remain today. The 400-meter-long perimeter wallis integrated into the picturesque inselbergs: Tower Rocks to the east and Three Sisters to the south, with a small former guardhouse (currently an exhibition of torture devices). On some of the rocks outside the castle walls there used to be watchtowers built for better observation of the castle foregrounds, but also for communication and signaling purposes. Access to the upper castle from the lower castle was defended by a dry moat and a six-storey gate tower.
AT THE LOWER CASTLE
RENAISSANCE PORTAL WITH A NICHE AFTER THE STOLEN (DURING WORLD WAR I) FOUNDATION PLAQUE
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grodzieniec castle had as many as four huge towers, whose initially defensive function gave way with time to representative purposes, proving the high social position of the owner. The northernmost is
the gate tower, quadrangular at the bottom, cylindrical above, with a front destroyed by artillery fire in 1914. In the southeastern part of the upper castle there is a Gothic tower called
Skazańców tower (Tower of the Convicted), on which some blanks have been preserved. As its name suggests, centuries ago the lower floors of the tower housed a prison. To the west of it stands the
Kredencerska tower with stairs leading to the viewing platform, which offers a beautiful panorama of the vicinity. The southernmost bridgehead of the castle includes the foundations of the last mentioned, Renaissance tower, that flanked the southern and western sections of the walls. They are incorporated into the outer outline of the tournament courtyard.
PLAN AND BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE UPPER CASTLE: 1. THE OLDEST PART OF THE CASTLE, 2. KITCHEN, 3. DINING CHAMBERS,
4. BONERS' CHAMBERS (BEDROOM, LIBRARY), 5. DINING HALL, 6. CREW QUARTERS 7. BELUARD, 8. CHICKEN LEG, 9. GATE TOWER,
10. TOWER OF THE CONVICTED, 11. KREDENCERSKA TOWER, 12. WESTERN TOWER, 13. UPPER COURTYARD, 14. UTILITY COURTYARD,
15. TOURNAMENT COURTYARD
PLAN OF THE CASTLE: 1. GOTHIC PART OF THE UPPER CASTLE, 2. RENAISSANCE NORTH-WEST WING, 3. RENAISSANCE WEST WING,
4. SOUTH WING WITH THREE TOWERS, 5. CHICKEN LEG, 6. UPPER COURTYARD, 7. UTILITY COURTYARD, 8. TOURNAMENT COURTYARD,
9. LOWER CASTLE, 10. FORMER ENTRANCE TO THE LOWER CASTLE, 11. CURRENT ENTRANCE TO THE LOWER CASTLE,
12. STABLES AND COACH HOUSES, 13. GUARDHOUSE, 14. BREWERY
In the immediate vicinity of the castle ruins we will find many interesting rock formations that make the area look a bit like a picturesque landscape from fairy tales and fantasy movies. Walking from the village towards the lower castle we see a „fossilized knight”, in which with a little imagination one can distinguish: foot, shin, torso and human face. On the left side of the road one can see a rock snake, on the right there is a rock resembling the head and face of a bearded man, and a little further on there is another rock - frog-like in shape. In the southern part of the lower castle stand rocks called the Three Sisters and the Corkscrew. Within the walls, as well as at the foot of the stronghold, we can find the Tables of Moses, the Sphinx, the Pitecantrop and the Owl. However, the most distinctive rock is the fossilized camel, also known as the Duck, located in the east corner of the courtyard (on photos below).
THE "DUCK" ROCK IS INTEGRATED WITH THE EASTERN PART OF THE LOWER CASTLE WALLS
he ruin is located
on the highest hill of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, called Janowski Mountain, with an absolute height of 504 m above sea level. As a great tourist attraction of the region, it has been properly prepared and made available for mass tourism. However, it should be taken into account that the tour of the castle is quite complicated and may cause some difficulties, so it is worth getting a detailed plan in advance at the ticket office. The furnishings of the castle interiors today are actually residual. In fragments,
Boner's bedroom has been preserved, as well as a chamber formerly serving as a library and some others,
most of which have no ceilings. In the best condition are the partially reconstructed premises on the ground floor, which now house souvenir stores. In the castle cellars we can visit a
modest exhibition of replicas of uniforms and armament. One of the three preserved towers, called Kredencerska, is also available, from where
a picturesque panorama of the surroundings can be enjoyed.
EXHIBITION OF UNIFORMS AND WEAPONS IN THE CASTLE CELLARS
The picturesque shape and beautiful location of the castle ruins have been attracting film and television makers to this place for years. Ogrodzieniec was the setting for the popular Polish series about robbers entitled Janosik (1973) and the classic comedy
Revenge (2000) directed by Andrzej Wajda. Castle locations also appeared in the film
Behind The Iron Curtain (1984) documenting the visit of the band Iron Maiden to Eastern Europe during the Cold War. Younger viewers, on the other hand, should recognize Ogrodzieniec as the special effects-enhanced fortress from The Witcher series (2018), near which a battle took place between Nilfgaarden and the Kingdoms of the North (Temeria, Redania, Skellige, Aedirn, and Kaedwen), called the Battle of Sodden.
CASTLE OGRODZIENIEC, THE UPPER COURTYARD
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ver the last two decades I have noticed the enormous and very detrimental changes that have taken place to the castle and its immediate surroundings. Unusual combination of the gloomy charm of the ruins and the beauty of the landscape made Ogrodzieniec a victim of its own success in just a few years. Managed by people focused on quick profits, it has changed beyond recognition during that time and today presents a grotesque and sad picture.
Colorful stalls with plastic trash crowding along the road leading to the castle, bars with junk food occupying the opposite side of it, noisy
amusement park, tacky advertisements on the walls, omnipresent noise and kitschy music, and further flood of plastic trash in the courtyard made this place during the season no different from the promenade in the poor seaside 'resort'. It is sad to see how human greed and stupidity destroys the magnificent heritage and vast cultural achievements.
CASTLE COURTYARD IN THE MORNING...
...AND IN THE AFTERNOON
You need to buy a ticket. Due to the huge popularity of this place, I recommend visits out of the summer season or on weekdays, possibly just after the gates open.
The average tour time is about 1-1.5 hours. We visit the castle without a guide.
You can enter the castle with your dog.
A lot of free space for flying is found in the areas to the east and south of the castle, which are devoid of facilities, and where not many tourists arrive.
VIEW FROM THE FORMER CASTLE CHAMBER TO PODZAMCZE VILLAGE
PANORAMA SEEN FROM THE KREDENCERSKA TOWER, IN THE FOREGROUND WE CAN SEE THE TOWER OF CONVICTED
GETTING THERE
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grodzieniec castle is situated in a small village called Podzamcze, 2 km away from Ogrodzieniec town. There is a bus line no. 7 from Zawiercie.
You will find many parking lots arranged in private backyards. In 2021 the all-day cost of parking in one of them was 2,5 EUR.
With bicycles we can enter the lower castle. Bicycles are not allowed at the upper castle.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. M. Antoniewicz: Zamki na Wyżynie Krakowsko-Częstochowskiej...
2. U. J. Górski: Zamek Ogrodzieniecki w Podzamczu, autor 1998
3. I. T. Kaczyńscy: Zamki w Polsce południowej, Muza SA 1999
4. L. Kajzer, J. Salm, S. Kołodziejski: Leksykon zamków w Polsce, Arkady 2001
5. J. Pleszyniak: Zamek Ogrodzieniec, Alatus 2006
6. R. Sypek: Zamki i obiekty warowne Jury Krakowsko-Częstochowskiej
7. A. Wagner: Murowane budowle obronne w Polsce X-XVIIw., Bellona 2019
8. B. Wernichowska, M. Kozłowski: Duchy Polskie, PTTK Kraj 1985
9. J. Zinkow: Orle gniazda i warownie jurajskie, SiT 1977
10. Małopolska na weekend - przewodnik turystyczny Pascal 2000
OUTDATED VIEWS OF THE CASTLE - NOW THE PLACE IS DOMINATED BY A VULGAR AMUSEMENT PARK
Castles nearby: Ryczów - the remains of a watchtower from the 14th century, 4 km
Pilica - the fortified manor house from the 17th century, 7 km Bydlin - the ruin of a knight's castle from the 13th/14th century, 10 km Smoleń - the ruin of a knight's castle from the 14th century, 10 km
Morsko - the castle ruin from the 14th century, 15 km Udórz - the relics of a knight's castle from the 14th/15th century, 22 km
WORTH SEEING:
Birów Mountain, located 2 km to the north of the castle ruins, where remnants of ancient cultures have been discovered, including the oldest ones dating from the Neolithic or Bronze Age, as well as Lusatian and Slavic cultures. Around the 8th century, the mountain was fortified with a stone and wood rampart. The settlement collapsed in the first half of the 14th century, probably as a result of battles between the Polish prince Władysław Łokietek and the Czech king Wacław. A modern reconstruction of the stronghold was erected on the site of the alleged early medieval building, which includes a palisade enclosing the hill from the east, several wooden huts and towers. From the top of the mountain there is a beautiful panorama of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland with the ruins of Ogrodzieniec castle.