Plock Castle, Płock, Poland

The Castle of the Masovian Dukes in Płock is a Gothic castle built under the reign of Casimir III the Great, becoming a stronghold of the Dukes of Masovia until the fifteenth century. The castle is located on a steep Vistulan hillside, most likely since the eleventh century, a wooden fortress - defended by walls and dikes, where in the middle there was a small stone built stronghold. On the turning point of the eleventh and twelfth century, when one of the largest Masovian strongholds where already located on the hillside - a chapel and wall-defended living quarters were built in 1194.

At the end of the thirteenth century, the raising of the castle had begun, when the stronghold was fortified, and took on its current form under the reign of Casimir III the Great. The expansion of the castle was done on the hillside of the former stronghold, which was reconstructed with bricks and expanded, the stronghold was also raised with two towers. The castle was built in square-shaped complex. In the south-west of the complex, the Szlachecka Tower was raised - with a squared base and lower half; and an octagonal upper half. In the northern part of the castle, by a Romanesque building, there is a clock tower. The castle's courtyard is closed off by the north-western, eastern and southern wing. The castle is fortificated by a double encirclement of defensive walls - securing the stronghold and Płock, being just outside the castle's walls.

The castle was a residence of the Masovian Dukes up until the fifteenth century. Due to a partial removal of the hillside, in 1532, the castle suffered damage, which was rebuilt. In 1538, the Masovian dukes had resided in the newly built palace, outside the castle walls, allowing the castle complex to be given to the Benedictines. During the times of the wars against the Swedes, the castle was severely damaged, first in 1657, and then in 1705. After the castle's reconstruction, the castle complex became a Baroque architectural style Benedictine Abbey, which existed until 1781. When after the Partitions of Poland, Prussia took over the castle, the authorities ordered some of the defensive walls to be deconstructed. From 1865, the castle hosted spiritual seminars.

After World War II, the castle was renovated, and since 1973, the castle houses a museum.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Poland

Address

Tumska 2, Płock, Poland

See all sites in Płock

Details

Founded: 1351
Category: Castles and fortifications in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Plock Cathedral (0 km)

Nieborów Palace (58,8 km)
Leczyca Castle (62,9 km)
Tum Collegiate Church (62,2 km)
Oporów Castle (32,2 km)
Gostynin Castle Church (20,2 km)

User Reviews

Dawid Tomasz (42 days ago)
A beautiful castle of the Dukes of Masovia, dating back to medieval times. The fortress is located on Tumski Hill. Preserved to this day in very good condition. A great tourist attraction.

Miłosz (4 months ago)
The Museum of the Dukes of Masovia is currently the seat of the Płock Curia, and the museum inside the building concerns sacred topics and the history of the church in these areas. Too bad it's not about the history of the city and its rulers.

Sebastian (5 months ago)
The castle is currently converted into a diocesan museum, which presents unique exhibits of sacred art, collected over hundreds of years. Anyone who wants to get to know the rulers of the Duchy of Masovia who once served here will be disappointed, but I recommend the exhibition because it makes a huge impression.

Jakub Majewski (7 months ago)
Disappointed. The photos show a great place to visit. Unfortunately, nothing is available except the monuments related to the church and the curia itself. Whatever you like. This is not what we associated with this place, especially since the castle museum is shown separately on the map. Clock tower. not available for sightseeing.

Alex woj (2 years ago)
That's it, take a photo and that's it. The Vatican occupier resides in the castle, he even evicted the collections of the National Museum. The so-called diocesan museum operates from 10.00 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., closed on Sundays, interruptions in operation at the discretion of the manager, e.g. closing for 16 days, because yes... It's a waste of time, it's much better to visit the Art Nouveau and Art Deco museum and take a walk around beautiful Płock.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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