The Rożnów Castle is a complex of defensive objects, consisting of a medieval “upper castle” and Renaissance fortifications (“lower castle”). Its history dates back to the 13th century, when the Gryfita family built here a watchtower. The castle itself was probably built in 1350–1370 by Piotr Rozen. It is in the shape of a rectangle, 44 meters by 20 meters. In 1426, the castle was purchased by one of the most famous Polish knights, Zawisza Czarny, and after his death, it remained in the hands of Zawisza’s sons. In the late 15th century, Rożnów belonged to the Wydźga family, and later, to the Tarnowski family.
In the first half of the 16th century, during the Polish Golden Age, Hetman Jan Tarnowski began the construction of a fortress at Rożnów. It was planned to become one of the strongest and most modern fortresses in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, guarding southern border of the nation against the Ottoman Empire, which, after the Battle of Mohacs emerged as the dominant state in Southeastern Europe. Tarnowski’s death in 1561 put an end to these plans, and the construction was never completed.
References:The first written record of church in Danmark locality date back to the year 1291. Close to the church are several stones with a Christian text and cross inscribed. The oldest parts of the present red-brick church are from the 1300s. In the late 1400s the church was enlarged to the appearance it has today. The church has been modified both internally and externally several times, among other things after the fires in 1699 and 1889. There are lot of well-preserved mural paintings in the walls.