Checiny Castle Ruins, Chêciny, Poland

The Chêciny Royal Castle was built in the late 13th century. It is certain that the castle existed in 1306, when king W³adys³aw I gave it to the Archbishop of Kraków, Jan Muskata. A year later, under the pretext of detection of a plot against the royal power, the castle returned to the king. It played a significant role as a place of concentration of troops departing for war with the Teutonic Knights. After the death of W³adys³aw the stronghold was enlarged by Casimir III the Great. At that time Chêciny become a residence of the king"s second wife Adelaide of Hesse. In following years it was also a residence of Elisabeth of Poland, Queen of Hungary, Sophia of Halshany and her son W³adys³aw III of Varna and Bona Sforza. Later it was used for many years as a state prison. Among imprisoned here were Michael Küchmeister von Sternberg future Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights, Andrzej Wingold, Jogaila"s half-brother and Warcis³aw of Gotartowice.

In the second half of the 16th century, the castle began to decline. In 1588 the parliament ordered to transfer the castle"s inventories to the Chêciny Church and in 1607, during the Zebrzydowski Rebellion the fortifications and buildings were partially destroyed and burned. The castle briefly regained its former glory due to reconstruction initiated by Stanis³aw Branicki, starost of Chêciny, but in 1655-1657 it was almost completely destroyed by Swedish-Brandenburgian and Transylvanian troops. The destruction was completed in 1707 during another Swedish occupation. Then, the last residents left the castle. Over the next century the medieval walls become a source of building material for local villagers.

References:

Wikipedia

Miscellaneous historic sites in Poland

Address

Radkowska 4, Chêciny, Poland

See all sites in Chêciny

Details

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

More Information

www.checiny.pl
en.wikipedia.org
zamekcheciny.pl
www.sezamki.eu

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Jedrzejów Abbey (20,3 km)
Mirów Castle (45,4 km)
St. Nicholas Church (54,1 km)

User Reviews

Europe Explorer (2 years ago)
Worth visiting to explore the Poland ?? history and hidden gems

Ed (2 years ago)
The castle is an old medieval fortress that served also as a residence for Polish monarchs. It hasn't been inhabited for a few centuries but has nevertheless kept most of its walls. It doesn't have to offer any fancy interior but has a very nice view, given it stands on top of a lonely rock on a relatively plain terrain. Multiple souvenir shops have very inexpensive though quality stuff to buy. There is a parking almost on the very top from which the castle is about five minutes to walk. The uphill isn't too steep.

Niki Pasek (2 years ago)
One of our favorite places to visit! The kids love this castle everyone we go. We loved getting to see and try on real helmets and shields of the past. Beautiful views of the surrounding area

Natasha (2 years ago)
Very nice place, a reconstructed castle with many attractions and places to take pictures. Lots of informative signs. Be prepared for an abundance of steep steps, especially to the top of the round tower. The view is amazing

Mike Braccio (3 years ago)
Very cool castle. This is one of those hidden gems that you find in Poland. You will park in the parking lot pretty far down below. There's a little bit of a hike to get to the castle from the parking lot but it is a beautiful Forest and Trail. Once you get up to the top there's an entrance and you will pay the fee to get in. There are two towers that you can climb all the way to the top and get a panoramic view of the whole Countryside. My recommendation is to take the tallest one and just go up that one because the views are pretty similar. There are all types of things to see and to visit once you are in the main part and I just think that this place is beautiful.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Following Hadrian

Historic Site of the week

Walls of Constantinople

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.

Checiny Castle Ruins