Olsztyn Castle Ruins

Olsztyn, Poland

The ruins of the 14th-century Olsztyn castle are one of the biggest attractions of the area. The castle, located on a hill, among limestone rocks, is part of the Trail of the Eagles' Nests. It belonged to a system of fortifications, built by King Kazimierz Wielki, to protect western Lesser Poland from Czechs, to whom Silesia belonged at that time. For some time, as a fee, it belonged to Prince Wladyslaw Opolczyk. Taken away from him in 1396, the castle was then handed by King Wladyslaw Jagello to a local nobleman, Jan Odrowąż of Szczekociny. The castle was invaded several times by Silesian princes in the 15th century, and with the advancement of warfare, its fortifications became obsolete. In 1655, it was captured by the Swedes, and since then, it became a ruin. In 1722, it was partly demolished, with bricks used to build a parish church at Olsztyn. Currently, only fragments of defensive walls remain. The most impressive still standing part of the castle is a 35-meter round tower, built in the 13th century, which served as a prison.

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Address

Zamkowa 14, Olsztyn, Poland
See all sites in Olsztyn

Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Poland

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Olga Sapyolkina (3 months ago)
A beautiful combination of castle ruins and rocks. I recommend visiting in clear sunny weather
Mike (5 months ago)
I toured and hiked the grounds of Olsztyn Castle during my first trip to Poland, and it was an unforgettable experience. As my first time exploring castle ruins, it was amazing to walk through the remnants of this historic 14th-century stronghold. The castle is perched on a hillside, offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape. The round tower, which once served as a prison, is one of the highlights, adding to the castle's rich and somewhat mysterious history. The hike around the ruins is not too strenuous but adds to the adventure of exploring such a fascinating site. If you enjoy history and scenic views, Olsztyn Castle is definitely worth a visit!
Yassar Al Rikabi (8 months ago)
Nice location and breath taking views all around the top.. good entry level hikers spot, the castle it self is no more, few structures and no real enterior to see (you will be asked to pay tickets three times! Once to get in to the site, second for the main building and third for the second smaller building on site, just pay to enter the site,the rest is not worth it really). There is bat cave (nose only with no bats).
Rebecca Scott (2 years ago)
The castles around Częstochowa are amazing, filled with history and a must-see if you're in the area, but a lot of them only take cash for the tickets. This one especially, it's only about 10zł which is about £2 for two, which is nothing and all of the money goes to the restoration of the castles
Lasura (2 years ago)
An impressive location, monumental cliffs cutting across the hill, flanked with two large towers. Fabulous for a walk and sightseeing. Quite easy to get to from the parking though it is a bit of a climb. Just be careful on the cliffs! At this point in early spring we only had to pay for the parking but couldn't access the viewpoint on the tower.
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