The Czocha Castle – visiting the magical stronghold in Poland

The Czocha castle, which is towering over the Leśniański Lagoon, might remind you of a fairytale fortress from a bird’s eye view. This place is incredible not only thanks to the wonderful location on a hill, but also the beautiful architecture and magical atmosphere. This place is sometimes called the Polish Hogwart. This impressive building, create around the 13th century, is currently one of the most popular castles in Poland.

The Czocha Castle is located in the village of Sucha, in the Leśna community (the dolnośląskie region). This impressive building combines history with a modern place for a family meeting. The location and majestic look of the stronghold made it become a scenery for many movie productions. The Czocha castle had a chance to „play” in, among others, „The Witcher”, „Święta Wojna” and „Dolina Szczęścia”. Additionally, in 2012 the „National Geographic Magazine” mentioned this castle as one of the „7 new wonders of Poland”. One of the greatest attractions of the castle are night tours – they are so popular among tourists, that you have to book tickets in advantage. What is the Czocha Castle famous for, what is its history, how do you get there and how much to pay for the tickets? Here are our suggestions.

The history of the Czocha Castle and „Dark legends”

At its original form, the Czocha castle was a wooden defensive settlement with strengthenings made from earth and stones. The fortress with a shapoe similar to the current one was created
between 1241 and 1247 by the order of the Czech king Wacław I. From the beginning of its existence, the fortress kept changing its name and owned interchangably by the kings and princes of the Czech country and the rulers of Poland. The fates of the Czoch castle were quite eventful – it was besieged, attacked and kicked back.

The fortress was revived in the early 20th century after being purchased by Ernsta Gutschow, a cigarette trader from Dresden. The castle weas rebuilt according to patterns preserved on the 18th century engravings. After World War II, the castle was robbed many times from furniture and equipment. Part of the book collection was taken away to Wrocław during the recovery actions.

Eventually, after its eventful fates, from the 1990s all the way to modern times, the hotel-conference complex is located in the Czocha castle. The object is also available for sightseeing, offering numerous attractions for tourists.

Many legends about the Czocha castle were created. One of them is associated with the „well of unfaithful wives”. Some people say that at midnight you can here women crying from the well, and even calls for help – according to legend, these are the voices of wives of the masters of this castles, who were convicted to eternal torture for infidelity. Another legend tells the story of Gertruda – the white lady of the Czoca castle. Its history dates back to the times of the Hussite wars. Gertruda went into conflict with her brother. So in order to retaliate, she brought Hussites to the castle, gaining gold for betrayls. When the castle was taken back, the treacherous Gertrudagot her head chopped off at the castle square… Some people say that today her ghost is wandering around the stronghold at night.

The castle also inspired a legend of greedy Anna and the marriage bed, which is currently located in the Gutschow bedroom. According to the story, a beautiful woman named Anna married the rich owner of the castle, doing it only for richness. During the post-wedding night she couldn’t hide the hatery for her husband. He decided to give her a cruel revenge – he pulled the lever next to th marriage bed and his new wife fell straight inot the dungeon.

Sightseeing and the attractions of the Czocha castle.

The castle is available for tourists almost all year long. Sightseeing inside the stronghold contains, among others, the Knight Room, (occasionally serving as a ball room), The castle’s Treasure Trove, The portrait room filled with portraits of the Piasts, the Library Room, the Marble Room, and the Prince’s chamber, in which – according to legend, there was a trap located under the marriage bed, which threw the sleepers inot the dungeon.

Another great attraction for visitors will be an observation tower, from which you can admire the beautiful view of of the Kwisa river and the nearby forests. At the area of the castle you can take part in other attractions – tasting drinkable honey, visiting the multimedia torture room or taking part in one of the numerous culture festivals.

The night tours of the castle

Yet another popular attraction are the night tours of the Czocha Castle. The number of places is limited, so you’ll need to book this tour earlier. Apart from visiting the interior of the castle, the night tours also include a meeting with the mysterious White Lady in the Innet Courtyard. After dark, an interesting, dark atmosphere creates in the walls of the stronghold. The night tours are only organized at specific times of year.

The Czocha castle for Harry Potter fans.

Why is th Czocha castle called the „Polish Hogwart”? Because this is the place where the so-called Harry Potter fan gatherings are organized. During the 3-day meeting a group of mre than 100 people roleplay as the characters of the J.K. Rowling books.

The participants of this event, dressed in the long wizard clothes, with wands and guidebooks about magic, replay scenes known from the Harry Potter stories. So there will be plenty of spell breaking, a game of quidditch, walking along dark paths in the park and the mysterious castle chambers. The last such meeting was organized in 2015.

The Czocha castle Hotel

At the castle there is a public hotel-conferebce complex. Tourists can choose from standard rooms, economic rooms and superior rooms (they are able to hold 1-4 persons) There are also 7
theme-based rooms, including the Prince’s Chambe and the Knight’s room. Visitors can also check out the restaurant, the sauna and the gym.

The Czocha castle: address and how to get there.

The Czocha castle is located in the Lower Silesia, in the village of Sucha (in the community of Leśna) upon the Leśniański Lagoon. It’s not difficult to get there – while being in the centre of Leśna, you just have to go 4 kilometers to the east – the route is well marked. It only takes a few minutes to get from there to the Czocha castle. Not far from the fortress there is a payable parking and the entrance gate to the bailey.

Address: Zamek Czocha, Sucha, Sucha 59-820 Leśna

Are you stying in Wroclaw and want to visit Czocha Castle? – check our tour to Czocha Castle from Wroclaw