Schwanau island in Lake Lauerz is occupied by a ruined castle, a chapel and a restaurant. Traces of occupation on the island date back to around 1200 BC. There is little documentary evidence relating to the castle, but it is believed to have been built at the end of the 12th century and to have been ruined, probably as a result of a fire, as early as the middle of the 13th century.
The island in known to have been occupied by hermits at various times, including the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1684 a chapel was built on the island, but this was destroyed by the tsunami that followed the 1806 Goldau landslide. In 1808 the council of the church in Schwyz sold the island to General Ludwig Auf der Maur on the provision that he rebuild the chapel. The island remained in the possession of the general's descendants until 1967, when it was purchased by the canton of Schwyz. In 2009 it was completely renovated.
References:Ogrodzieniec Castle is a ruined medieval castle originally built in the 14th–15th century by the W³odkowie Sulimczycy family. Established in the early 12th century, during the reign of Boles³aw III Wrymouth, the first stronghold was razed by the Tatars in 1241. In the mid-14th century a new gothic castle was built here to accommodate the Sulimczycy family. Surrounded by three high rocks, the castle was well integrated into the area. The defensive walls were built to close the circuit formed by the rocks, and a narrow opening between two of the rocks served as an entrance.
In 1470 the castle and lands were bought by the wealthy Cracovian townsmen, Ibram and Piotr Salomon. Then, Ogrodzieniec became the property of Jan Feliks Rzeszowski, the rector of Przemy¶l and the canon of Cracow. The owners of the castle about that time were also Jan and Andrzej Rzeszowskis, and later Pilecki and Che³miñski families. In 1523 the castle was bought by Jan Boner.