Ksiaz Castle, Walbrzych, Poland

Książ Castle, the third largest castle in Poland, is located on a majestic rock cliff by the side of the Pelcznica River. Beautifully surrounded by the forest within a 315500 actre nature reserve, at the height of 395m above sea level, castle is often called ‘the Pearl of Lower Silesia’. Such location corresponding to the size of the building is very rare in Europe.

Książ (in German Fürstenstein) was built in 1288-1292 under Bolko I the Strict (Duke of Świdnica and Jawor) after the original fortification was destroyed in the year 1263 by Ottokar II of Bohemia. Duke Bolko II of Świdnica died in 1368 without having children with his wife Agnes von Habsburg. After her death in the year 1392 King Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia obtained the castle. In 1401 Janko from Chociemice obtained the castle.

The Bohemian Hussites occupied the castle between 1428-1429. In the year 1464 Birka from Nasiedla obtained the castle from the Bohemian crown. He sold it to Hans von Schellendorf. This second castle was destroyed in 1482 by Georg von Stein. In the year 1509 Konrad I von Hoberg obtained the castle hill. The Hochberg family owned the castle until the 1940s.

Jan Henryk XV carried the the biggest development in the Castle’s history. Between 1908 – 1923 north and west renaissance extensions were being developed. Castle’s tower has reached the height of 47m and was covered with the domed helmet and the lantern. Also the Castle’s gardens took its current shape.

The castle was seized by the Nazi government in 1944 because the Prince of Pless Hans Heinrich XVII had moved to England in 1932 and became a British citizen, also his brother Count Alexander of Hochberg who was a Polish citizen and the owner of Schloss Pleß (today Pszczyna Castle), had joined the Polish army. Fürstenstein castle was a part of the Project Riese (a construction project of Nazi Germany, consisting of seven underground structures located in the Owl Mountains) until 1945 when it was occupied by the Red army. All artifacts were stolen or destroyed.

Up to 1956 the castle was decaying the the restoration took place between 1956-1974.

References:

Castles and fortifications in Poland

User Reviews

Bernard D. Partridge (7 months ago)
Beautiful castle enriched in Polish and European history. We did the self guided tour that is very easy to navigate. They give you the headset in whatever language you prefer. Just follow the prompts and go. Each stop has detailed visual and audio information. The underground passage tour was informative. There was not much to see other than the detailed construction of the passages. Everything has been well preserved as it was when the place was originally built. If you're ever in Poland, this is one of many castles you must visit.

Iraklis Konstantinidis (8 months ago)
Really beautiful place with huge history and „special” energy. The audio guide is really good so the price is value for money in my opinion. I recommend to buy the full ticket with the underground corridors. The only negative I would say is that an impolite lady is asking for 5zł to use the toilet at the entrance of the garden. Paying 80zł for ticket and 20-30 zł for parking I think it’s already enough to use a damn toilet for free. She didn’t even had to give changes so I had even to argue with her… Organizational stuff should do something for it..

Editha Zi (8 months ago)
Amazing place! Gorgeous and beautiful place, hidden in the middle of forests however worth visiting. Impressive from the outside and quite nice but typical inside, neat and vivid gardens. If you don’t like or cannot walk the stairs it’s not fir you, you have to walk quite much so take it into account if you have any difficulty.

Caterina Campagna (8 months ago)
The exterior is beautiful and takes you back in time. Adding to the spectacular scenery and curated garden, it truly makes one feel transported into a fable. Also very interesting and well narrated history. It’s a shame the castle has been robbed of almost all the artworks and treasures it had before WWII. Not much to see in the rooms, I recommend admiring the gardens more.

Tony Mangabat (9 months ago)
Just an hour train ride and 20 minute bus ride from Wroclaw. Beautiful architecture and better landscape. The history was phenomenal. Nice time I go, I want to take the other tours. Definitely well worth our time.

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