Castles in Lower Silesia

Lower Silesia is one region in Poland, that probably has more castles than any other part of the country. Many of these ancient constructions have witnessed some of the most meaningful events in the history of Poland, and they are also incredibly gorgeous. In this article, you will be able to read about some of the most renowned and beautiful castles in the Lower Silesia.

The Czocha Castle

The Czocha castle is a defensive castle located in the village of Sucha, in the Lesna community.

It was originally constructed as a borderline stronghold at the border between Silesia and Lusatia between 1241 and 1247 by the order of the Czech king Waclaw I Przemyslida.

In 1319, the castle and the surrounding lands were included into the Jawor duchy, which was ruled by Henryk I Jaworski. After the death of his relative in 1346, he took control of it along with the entire land of his dead family member.

After World War II, the castle went through various events. Many times, it was robbed from furniture and equipment by the people of Russia, as well as local looters. Part of the book collection was taken away to Wroclaw during the recovery actions.

The Grodziec Castle

The Grodziec castle is a late-gothic castle, located not far from the village of Grodziec.

The first historical mention of the medieval castle originated from 1155 and 1175. It was a defensive castle of the Bobrzanie tribe. In 1175, the village of Grodziec and its castle were the ownership of prince Boleslaw I Wysoki.

During the 30-year war, in September of 1633, a large part of the castle was destroyed by a fire, and in the following years, it fell into even greater ruin. Between 1633 and 1672, the castle was partially renovated, and in 1675, it became the ownership of Emperor Leopold I.

Currently, the castle complex consists of an upper castle and an outer bailey with the dimensions of 270×140 meters.

The Bolkow Castle

The Bolkow castle is located at the Castle Hill in the town of Bolkow. Its slope breaks off from the side of Nysa Szalona with a sharp cliff.

The first historical mention of the Bolkow castle originated from 1277, when prince Boleslaw II of Legnica mentioned the so-called „Hain castro nostro”. This castle was constructed by the order of prince Boleslaw II Rogatka of Legnica, and later expanded by his son, Bolko I Surowy, who was the prince of Swidnica and Jawor.

Between 1301 and 1368, during the reign of princes Bernard Swidnicki and Bolko II Maly, the castle was expanded.

Bolko II was childless, so he adopted Anna, the daughter of his deceased brother Henryk, and made her the heir to the duchy. On May 27th 1353, Anna was married to king Karol IV of Czech.

The Chojnik Castle

The Chojnik castle is located not far from Jelenia Gora-Sobieszow, on top of the Chojnik mountain.

The brick-made castle was constructed in the 1350s. The first historical mention of the castle originated from 1364. On September 9th 1399, Benesz from Choustniki, who was the staroste of the Swidnica-Jawor duchy, put the castle on sale with the permission of king Waclaw IV of Czech, reserving the right to repurchasing the pledge.

The first major reconstruction of the castle took place in the 15th century, when to northern wing was renovated. During that period, the courtyard was constructed, at which the pillory was put around the year 1410. In the first half of the 16th century, the building was modernized once again, probably because of the fear of the Turkish people.

The Grodno Castle

The Grodno castle is situated in the Czarne Mountains, in the small town of Zagorze Slaskie.

It was probably constructed by prince Bolko I of Swidnica and Jawor. However, there are no sources confirming this fact. The existing parts of the gothic castle walls were probably created during the reign of prince Bernard, and later his brother, Bolko II. In 1392, after the death of the wife of Bolko II, duchess Agnieszka Habsburska, the castle went into the hands of the Czech Crown.

The castle was constructed from stone, on top of an extensive hill. In the beginning, it was the largest castle of the Silesia. It was surrounded by a crenellated perimeter wall, supported by slopes in the corners.

The Palace in Kamieniec Zabkowicki

The palace in Kamieniec Zabkowicki is a monumental, neo-gothic palace from the 19th century, located in the town of Kamieniec Zabkowicki.

In 1096, Brzetyslaw II constructed a castle here, which was abandoned after being conquered by Boleslaw Krzywousty.

In 1838, a Dutch princess named Marianna Oranska became the owner of the wealth of Kamieniec Zabkowicki, and during that same year, she ordered Karl Fredrich Schinkel to create a design of the future residence. In 1848, the construction works were interrupted because of the divorce between the princess and Albrecht Hohenzollern, prince of Prussia and were not revived until 1853.

During World War II, the Germans used the castle as an intermediate warehouse for works of art, brought from all over Silesia.

The Kliczkow Castle

The Kliczkow castle is located in the village of Kliczkow, in the region of Lower Silesia.

Around the year 1297, a part brick-made, part wooden castle was constructed on a high edge of Kwisa in the system of border strongholds of the princes of Swidnica and Jawor. In the late 14th century, the castle lost its defensive purpose and became the feud of the kings of Czech. After the 30-year war, Kliczkow became the ownership of the von Schellendorf family. In 1747, the wealth of Kliczkow was acquired by the von Promnitz family. Between 1877 and 1918, emperor Wilhelm II visited th castle many timed on the invitation of the owner of the wealth.

The castle survived World War II without severe damage; in 1945, it was robbed by the Red Army and the local looters.

If you are interested in visiting castles in Lower Silesia region we organize private tours from Wroclaw: