Poland is famous for its castles. Many of the castles in Poland began their construction in the 13th century and have remained standing through countless wars, partitions, and other remarkable events. Castles in Poland are important monuments that display the endurance of the country itself.
In addition to history, the castles in Poland contain many mysteries and legends ranging from ghost stories to hidden treasures. Continue on to see some of these landmark, beautiful, must-see castles in Poland.
How many castles are there in Poland?
There are over 500 castles in Poland. There are more than 2,500 palaces in Poland.
1. Castle Książ
Location: Wałbrzych, Poland
Date of Origin: 13th Century
Interesting Fact: During World War II, the castle was seized by the Nazis and set to become the headquarters for Adolf Hitler. During this time, the Nazis built an enormous mystery tunnel complex beneath the castle and surrounding region.
Read more about Zamek Książ.
2. Malbork Castle
Location: Malbork, Poland
Date of Origin: 13th Century
Interesting Fact: The castle was constructed by the Teutonic Knights, a famous German-Catholic religious order of crusaders. They used the castle as a military, economic and religious center for the Great Masters of the Order.
3. Ogrodzieniec Castle
Location: Podzamcze, Poland
Date of Origin: 14th Century
Interesting Fact: The castle is located along a the Trail of the Eagle’s Nests, which is a marked trail that runs through southern Poland connecting 25 medieval castles between Częstochowa and Kraków. Also, this castle has been featured in a number of theatrical productions, most recently in Netflix’s 2019 series, The Witcher.
4. Moszna Castle
Location: Moszna, Poland
Date of Origin: 17th Century
Interesting Fact: This castle has exactly 265 rooms and 99 turrets - the smaller tower on top of a larger tower.
5. Krzyztopór Castle
Location: Ujazd, Poland
Date of Origin: First Record 1627
Interesting Fact: The castle was designed to have 365 windows (representing the number of days in a year), 52 rooms (for the number of weeks in a year), 12 ball rooms (for the number of months in a year), and 4 towers (for the number of seasons in a year).
6. Czocha Castle
Location: Leśna, Poland
Date of Origin: 13th Century
Interesting Fact: From 2014 to 2019, the castle was used as the setting of for a Harry Potter live action role-playing game.
7. Wawel Royal Castle
Location: Kraków, Poland
Date of Origin: 13th Century
Interesting Fact: The Wawel Royal Castle was the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world. Also, in 1118 Bishop Maurus was buried in the crypt. The paten and the chalice, buried with the bishop, were later found in his tomb during its accidental discovery in 1938.
8. Kwidzyn Castle
Location: Kwidzyn, Poland
Date of Origin: 14th Century
Interesting Fact: This castle has the largest sanitary tower in Europe. A sanitary tower, also known as a dansker, is a tower over a river or stream where toilets were emptied.
Photo Source: By MARELBU, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=548267229. Niedzica Castle
Location: Niedzica-Zamek, Poland
Date of Origin: 14th Century
Interesting Fact: This castle is associated closely with ghost stories and hidden treasure. One of the first owners of the castle, Sebastian Brezevichy, traveled to Peru in the 1800s, where he married an Inca royal, Umina.
After war broke out in Peru, they moved back to the castle and brought their Inca treasure with them. Legends say that Umina was murdered in front of the castle by a treasure hunting thief, and her ghost now appears every night at the castle to protect her gold.
10. Kórnik Castle
Location: Kórnik, Poland
Date of Origin: 15th Century
Interesting Fact: The library in the castle is rated as one of the best in Poland. It was founded by Tytus Działyński in 1828 and containts over 400,000 books including 30,000 books that are over 150 years old! The most famous text found here is the Order of Benedict, a 9th century manuscript which is the oldest in Poland.
11. Łańcut Castle
Location: Łancut, Poland
Date of Origin: 17th Century
Interesting Fact: There is a classical Ball Room that boasts giant crystal chandeliers. In the evenings, the light from the chandeliers illuminates the clouds painted on the ornate ceiling and creates the illusion of sunlight. This room is known for having excellent acoustics and has staged performances since the 18th century. The Musical Festival in Łańcut has been held since 1961 where chamber musicians gather from around the world to perform.
12. Gołuchów Castle
Location: Gołuchów, Poland
Date of Origin: 16th Century
Interesting Fact: This castle is known for the famous art collection it held including valuable tapestries, paintings, furniture and more. During the war, much of the collection was moved to Warsaw and then to Austria. After the war, many of the items were returned to Poland, but not to the castle. The castle contains only some of the original furniture, a few paintings and 56 of the 206 Greek vases.
13. Będzin Castle
Location: Będzin, Poland
Date of Origin: 14th Century
Interesting Fact: In 1588, the Roman Emperor and German King Maksymillian Habsburg was imprisoned her by the hetman Jan Zamoyski after the Battle of Byczyna.
14. Royal Castle in Warsaw
Location: Warsaw, Poland
Date of Origin: 14th Century
Interesting Fact: Like many buildings in Poland, the Royal Castle was almost completely destroyed by the Nazis in World War II. In 1939, orders were given to burn and destroy the castle. Prior to this, parts of the castle were taken apart and moved to Germany and Kraków. In 1944 castle was almost entirely destroyed in the Warsaw Uprising.
Interested in visiting some of these castles, join us for a private tour to Poland! Contact us to learn more.
We are Damian and Elizabeth, a Polish-American couple, and we are excited to share Poland with you! We have traveled around the world and seen many places but find ourselves most inspired by our home countries.
