Pszczyna Castle, Pszczyna, Poland

Pszczyna Castle is a classical-style palace. Constructed as a castle in 13th century or earlier, in a Gothic architectural style, it was rebuilt in a Renaissance style in the 17th century. During the course of the 18th and 19th centuries, the exterior of the castle was partially changed into a Baroque-Classical style. The Classicist modernization transformed the complex into what is usually described a palace.

In its history the castle was a residence of Silesian and Polish Piast nobles, then the German von Promnitz noble clan (mid-16th to mid-18th centuries) and later the German von Pless family. The castle became owned by the state after the death of the last Prince of Pless, Hans Heinrich XV in 1936.

In 2009 it was voted as one of the 'Seven Architectural Wonders of the Silesian Voivodeship' by the Silesian authorities and is often described as one of the most beautiful castle residences in Poland.

References:

Wikipedia

Palaces, manors and town halls in Poland

User Reviews

Anna Chmura-Jenkins (14 months ago)
One of the most beautiful places.

Łukasz Biały (15 months ago)
The amount of ornaments and overall splendor is breath-taking, highly recommended.

Billybob P. A. Czekaj 安闕亦 (16 months ago)
Beautiful and full of history

Mat _K (17 months ago)
Very beautiful and old castle located in Pszczyna. There is a lot of history behind this building and I would recommend getting a tour of it to all History-Lovers. There is a big park right in front of it where you can relax and chill out for a minute.

Lasura (17 months ago)
Beautiful castle, the tour gives access to quite a few of the rooms and includes marvellous exhibits (furniture, statues, paintings, hunting trophies, weapons and armour). There is also a large park with cycling paths that was lovely and cool in the summer heat. There is a great balance here between the over the top decorations of the Renaissance period and more masculine/medieval features that I personally found very attractive. Some of the features are outright stunning such as the unusual wooden tiles in the entry hall and the huge stoves.

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Shortly after the veterans" chapel was completed, Louis XIV commissioned Mansart to construct a separate private royal chapel referred to as the Église du Dôme from its most striking feature. Inspired by St. Peter"s Basilica in Rome, the original for all Baroque domes, it is one of the triumphs of French Baroque architecture. The domed chapel is centrally placed to dominate the court of honour. It was finished in 1708.

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