A castle (cum castro) in Żywiec was first mentioned in 1467, as destroyed by an army, under Casimir IV Jagiellon's command against the House of Komorowski, with the Korczak Coat of Arms, recorded by Jan Długosz. However it is not certain whether it denoted the castle in the town or a fortifications on a nearby Grójec hill. Archaeological scrutiny dates the origins of the castle in the first half of the 15th century. A later expansion was constructed in 1567 by the House of Komorowski. Under the ownership and will of Jan Spytek Komorowski, during the castle's expansion a Renaissance style courtyard was built, which is still untouched in its current form.
Since 2005, the Old Castle in Żywiec hosts the City Museum in Żywiec. The Old Castle's permanent exhibition includes an ethnographical exhibition - which completes the Wooden Architecture Trail in the Silesian Voivodeship, in Poland.
Żywiec's Old Castle is encompassed by a 260,000 square metre landscape park, which was established initially in the 17th century.
References:The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.