Bobolice Castle, Bobolice, Poland

The Bobolice Castle was built by King Casimir III the Great in the middle of the 14th century, probably in place of an earlier wooden structure. The castle was a part of the defence system of royal strongholds protecting the western border of Poland on the side of Silesia. In 1370, immediately after becoming King of Poland, Louis I the Great granted the castle to Wladyslaw Opolczyk, Duke of Opole, as a prize for his support of the king’s dynastic plans. Nine years later Opolczyk leased the castle to Andrzej Schoen, a Hungarian from Barbalas; the new owner manned it with Germans and Czechs, who robbed local inhabitants and conspired with the Teutonic Order. Dissatisfied with their behaviour, the Polish king W³adys³aw Jagie³³o invaded Bobolice in 1396 and took over the castle with adjacent estates. From that time on, the stronghold was owned by a number of families.

The beginning of the decline of the castle dates back to 1587, when it was heavily devastated during the invasion of Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria, a rival of Sigismund III Vasa to the Polish throne. The castle was reconstructed by the then owners, the Krezowie family, but in 1657, during the Deluge, it was plundered and totally ruined by Swedish troops. The condition of the stronghold was so bad that when King John III Sobieski arrived here in 1683, he had to spend the night in a tent.

In the 19th century a huge treasure was found in stronghold cellars. It is supposed that its part may be stored in the legendary tunnel between Bobolice and Mirów. In 1882, after parcelling out the land, the already deserted walls were acquired by the peasant family of Bary³ów. Now the castle belongs to the Lasecki family, who decided to rebuild it in 1999.

The castle is situated on a steep rocky hill (360 m above sea level). Up till now, only the upper part of the stronghold (the residential building with at least two storeys and remnants of the cylindrical wall tower) has survived. The castle was accessible through a drawbridge over the dry moat, and the entire construction was surrounded by walls with battlements, made of local white limestone. Currently reconstruction works are under way in order to restore the entrance gate and the circumferential wall around the castle grounds.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Poland

User Reviews

* Zeeby (2 years ago)
A very picturesque and beautiful castle in Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowskiej. The castle has been rebuilt by a private owner in recent years and it is definitely worth to visit. You can take photos in the castle chambers, but you must sign a commitment in advance that the photos will not be a source of income. There is quite a large hotel and restaurant on the property and car park as well.

Robert Alexandru Dobre (2 years ago)
A nice castle in which you can become prisoner for 30 minutes. Yes, the visits start at each 30 minutes and you can't leave. I believe at each start of hour there is a guided tour. We went without a guide and it takes you about 25 minutes to see everything so you won't feel the need to try an escape :) There is a photogenic rock nearby too. Big parking available. 10 PLN to visit outside, 25 PLN to enter. Restaurant available nearby.

Artur (2 years ago)
Lovely castle. Well prepared for visitors.

Alexey Bass (2 years ago)
Nice little castle, inside tour every 30 min

kisloski2150 (3 years ago)
Newly refurbished and looking amazing. Poland in medieval times was a proper power and you can see it there. If you're around go and have a look, you won't regret.

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