Ojców Castle was part of a system of castles known as the Eagle's Nests - formerly protecting the southern border of the Kingdom of Poland. Currently it houses a museum dedicated to the castle in its renovated castle-tower. The castle was used as a stronghold, built by Casimir III the Great in the second half of the 14th century.
A legend mentions, that the caste was built by the Duke of Wrocław Wiesław I, Popiel's brother-in-law, however te first recorded information about the castle comes from the fourteenth century - linking up with King Casimir III the Great, who used the castle as part of his defensive line against the Kingdom of Bohemia and the south. The King was called the castle in honour of his father, Władysław I Łokietek, calling it Father by the Rock. In 1665 the stronghold was taken over by the Swedes, which they partially burned and deconstructed. The House of Koryciński, who owned the castle, had renovated it, and built additional living quarters. Various battles throughout the oncoming centuries had caused the castle to be shifted between different owners. Causing the castle to go through several cycles of renovation and deconstruction, currently the castle stands as the picturesque, and renovated ruin.
References:Manarola is a small town, a frazione of the comune of Riomaggiore. It is the second-smallest of the famous Cinque Terre towns frequented by tourists, with a population of 353.
Manarola may be the oldest of the towns in the Cinque Terre, with the cornerstone of the church, San Lorenzo, dating from 1338. The local dialect is Manarolese, which is marginally different from the dialects in the nearby area. The name 'Manarola' is probably a dialectical evolution of the Latin, 'magna rota'. In the Manarolese dialect this was changed to 'magna roea' which means 'large wheel', in reference to the mill wheel in the town.
Manarola's primary industries have traditionally been fishing and wine-making. The local wine, called Sciacchetrà, is especially renowned; references from Roman writings mention the high quality of the wine produced in the region.