Tenczyn Castle Ruins

Rudno, Poland

Tenczyn Castle was built as a seat of the powerful Tęczyński family. The castle fell into ruin during the Deluge in mid-17th century, after being pillaged and burned by Swedish-Brandenburgian forces looking for the Polish Crown Jewels and rumored treasures of the Tęczyński family. Subsequently rebuilt, after a fire in the mid-18th century it again fell into disrepair and remains in that state to this day.

The first mention of the stronghold is dated in 1308. It is believed that the first wooden structure was erected around 1319 by Jan Nawój of Morawica, Castellan of Cracow. He also built the largest of the castle towers, called today the Nawojowa tower. The medieval castle included three additional round Gothic towers. Further expansion was carried out by Jan"s son Jędrzej, governor of Cracow and Sandomierz. He erected the north-east part of the structure, where he lived, dying there in 1368; he is also known as the first to take the name Tęczyński. Jędrzej"s son Jasko renewed and significantly expanded the castle, and founded a chapel. The first recorded mention relating directly to the castle dates from this period. The king Władysław Jagiełło imprisoned some important Teutonic prisoners, captured during the Battle of Grunwald, in the castle.

Within a short period of time the Tęczyński family rose to a great importance in Poland, holding 45 estates, of which 15 were near the castle. Around the middle of the 16th century, the castle was frequented by Mikołaj Rej, Jan Kochanowski, Piotr Kochanowski and other important figures of the Polish Renaissance. In 1570 Jan Tęczyński, Castellan of Wojnicz reconstructed the castle. It had three wings with a central courtyard open to the west and adorned with Renaissance attics, cornices and arcades. It was also surrounded by a curtain wall on the north, strengthened with a bastion entry (barbican). Two pentagonal bastions were erected on the south. After the reconstruction the castle took the shape of an irregular polygon, measuring over 140 meters from east to west, and 130 meters from north to south. Italian gardens and vineyards stretched out below the castle. The last big expenditure on the castle was a thorough reconstruction of the castle chapel, completed in the early 17th century by Agnieszka Firlejowa née Tęczyńska. In 1637 Jan Magnus Tęczyński, the last representative of the family, died in the castle.

In 1655, during the Deluge, the rumor was spread that Jerzy Sebastian Lubomirski, Grand Marshal of the Crown had hidden the Polish Crown Jewels in Tenczyn Castle. The Swedish-Brandenburgian forces led by Kurt Christoph von Königsmarck captured the castle against a defence led by captain Jan Dziula and slaughtered all of its defenders. When they did not find treasure they left the fortress and burned it in July 1656.

After the Deluge the castle was for the most part rebuilt and partially inhabited. At the beginning of the 18th century the Tenczyn estates passed to Adam Mikołaj Sieniawski, later to Prince August Aleksander Czartoryski who had married with Sieniawski"s only daughter Maria Zofia, eventually passing to his daughter Izabela Lubomirska. After the fire in 1768 the structure increasingly fell into disrepair. In 1783, the remains of Jan Magnus Tęczyński were moved from the castle chapel to a new tomb in St. Catherine"s Church in Tenczynek. In 1816, the castle became the property of the Potocki family and remained in their hands until the outbreak of World War II in 1939.

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Address

Rudno, Poland
See all sites in Rudno

Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Kristoffer Ryckaert (4 months ago)
Very nice castle, too bad they didn’t want to sell it to us. Excellent views and gaming grounds. The Lady at the teller was very fair and nice.
Dmytro Popravka (7 months ago)
Beautiful castle, one of the most beautiful castles I’ve visited. When I was there it was closed due to some renovations… I still recommend visiting this castle because of surrounding area - castle is situated in the small village and it’s just peace and tranquility. It’s pretty easy to get there by car either from Krakow or Katowice. You can use two car parks - one is near park entrance and another near museum, and both are free of charge. If you decide to visit this place and when the sky is clear you’ll get a bonus - a gorgeous view on Tatra Mountains and Polish Beskidy. Enjoy your visit?
Damian Lubanski (10 months ago)
Visited for a historic reconstruction of battle during Deluge and it was awesome. Ruin is in much better state that it used to be in 90's. I would complain a little about food stalls during this event weren't that good. We had great time anyway.
Margarita Z (14 months ago)
Beautiful castle. As for ruins they preserve them perfectly. There are no rooms or exhibitions but it is beautiful in itself. It’s interesting when they hold some kind of tournament. Look for the program of events and come with the whole family. There are place to eat nearby. Cheap and awesome here.
Gianluca Fiore (15 months ago)
Not sure why people rave about these ruins. There is little to nothing to see, it is in pretty bad shape and most of what is viewable is reconstructed. Not worth the ticket price but ok if you are in the area and want to have a panoramic view of it.
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