Dobczyce Castle, Dobczyce, Poland

Dobczyce Castle was first mentioned in written sources in 1362, but had been fortified since 1311. In the time of Casimir III the Great, the walls were from 5 to 9 meters thick, and the castle was a fortified stronghold. In 1398, the castle was the abode of King Władysław II Jagiełło and his wife Jadwiga. In 1473, for several months, Prince Casimir stayed here after returning from an unsuccessful expedition.

The Lubomirski family, who ruled the castle from 1585, rebuilt the Gothic fortress into a Renaissance residence in the years 1593-1594. The clocktower, chapel and fountain were added. By 1620 the castle had 70 rooms and 3 towers. In the 1960s the site was extensively excavated.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Poland

User Reviews

Dheeraj Krishna (5 years ago)
Awesome place to visit. Its built right next to dam which is built between mountain. The view from the castle is very beautiful. Well maintained and would cost just 15 zloty. Lots of old weapons and guns used in old an time.

Rodrigó László Mészáros (5 years ago)
Nice small fortress castle and its defense walls near a lake and a lovely city center. The first "entrance" gate and the fort itself has 19 min walk distance but recom.ended to discover because amazing panorama point is frim the top of the hill.

Makki 9313 (5 years ago)
If you like quiet and calm historical places, then this one is definitely for you. Situated very close to Cracow and Wieliczka (famous salt mine) so I highly recommend to take a fast trip there. Castle is up on the hill. There's a museum inside and outside there are old houses and open-air museum.Tickets are not very pricey and it's really worth seeing. Beautiful views on the dam and surrounding forests from the courtyard. There's also a small food point.

Tim Comber (5 years ago)
Really good but would have been 5star if things are also in English.......

Dmitry Apanasevich (5 years ago)
castle is small, but quite interesting. small museum next to the castle was very interesting for me

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Château de Foix

The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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