Kazimierz Dolny Castle, Kazimierz Dolny, Poland

Kazimierz Dolny Castle can be related with the customs chamber that has existed since the 13th century. The tower, commonly known as the Łokietek Tower, was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, possibly because of the foundation of this ruler. The castle was erected a little later, because in the reign of king Casimir the Great, around the beginning of the second half of the 14th century, most probably in the 1350s. The stimulus for its construction, just like the fortifications in Lublin, could have been the Tatar invasion of 1341 and Lithuanians from 1349-1350, which devastated the surrounding lands.

In the fifteenth century, tenants was a family of Grots from Ostrów, and the longest, from 1509 to 1644, the starosty of Kazimierz was held by the Firlej family. At that time, thanks to Mikołaj Firlej, the renaissance reconstruction of the castle took place. Its slow demise began after the destruction made by the Swedes in 1655-1657 and 1707-1714. From 1774, the stronghold was already abandoned.

The castle is currently secured as a ruin with a readable layout. However, the XIII / XIV century tower has been fully preserved, being one of the most valuable monuments of this type in Poland. Both recently renovated buildings are adapted for sightseeing. Dates and opening times can be checked on the official website of the castle.

References:

Medieval Heritage

Castles and fortifications in Poland

Address

Zamkowa 3, Kazimierz Dolny, Poland

See all sites in Kazimierz Dolny

Details

Founded: 1350s
Category: Castles and fortifications in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
medievalheritage.eu

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby

Janowiec Castle (3,9 km)

Czartoryski Palace (9,9 km)

User Reviews

Nel Byzio (10 months ago)
Closed by 6 pm. Not too much to see. Tickets needed to get into the court yard.

Anya Nura (14 months ago)
I’d rather call it the ruins of the castle, but it’s worth visiting, really. You can walk up or drive almost to the top of the hill (there is paid parking there). Then you climb a flight of stairs, go up the hill and can pay to enter the castle. It’s only the inner yard and one platform with a good view of the city and the river below, and a part of the wall with former prison. That’s about it. So it won’t really take much time. On the other hand you can use your imagination and figure out how the caste might have looked in the times before it became ruins… it’s very windy up there too. All in all, it was rather interesting to visit this castle

Klaus Wanderer (5 years ago)
5zl to explore this place is definitely a great price, there are ample explanations inside on the history of the castle. Congratulations to the freaking genius who though it was a good idea to put white letters on glass in a lit room (sarcastic, ofc), but apart from that a great place to visit, probably the only one in Kazimierz, this little city is sort of devoid of life

Remco Jonker (5 years ago)
A short steep walk from the town square this Castle and the neighbouring Tower have been nicely restored with EU money. Paid entry for both sights is cash only. Good views of the old village and the river. Watch the opening times.

MrsOpppossum (6 years ago)
I loved atmosphere and the tower with amazing view on the river and the city. The castle itself is not a place of great interest: renewed and restorated it seems so fake... A great pity that when you want to go to the top of the tower you hace to go back to the castle, no opportunity to buy tickets near the tower

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Andy Hay

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Kazimierz Dolny Castle