Olsztyn Castle Ruins

Olsztyn, Poland

The ruins of the 14th-century Olsztyn castle are one of the biggest attractions of the area. The castle, located on a hill, among limestone rocks, is part of the Trail of the Eagles" Nests. It belonged to a system of fortifications, built by King Kazimierz Wielki, to protect western Lesser Poland from Czechs, to whom Silesia belonged at that time. For some time, as a fee, it belonged to Prince W³adys³aw Opolczyk. Taken away from him in 1396, the castle was then handed by King W³adys³aw Jagie³³o to a local nobleman, Jan Odrow±¿ of Szczekociny. The castle was invaded several times by Silesian princes in the 15th century, and with the advancement of warfare, its fortifications became obsolete. In 1655, it was captured by the Swedes, and since then, it became a ruin. In 1722, it was partly demolished, with bricks used to build a parish church at Olsztyn. Currently, only fragments of defensive walls remain. The most impressive still standing part of the castle is a 35-meter round tower, built in the 13th century, which served as a prison.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Zamkowa 14, Olsztyn, Poland
See all sites in Olsztyn

Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Ruins in Poland

More Information

www.inyourpocket.com
en.wikipedia.org
www.sezamki.eu

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Jasna Góra Monastery (14,3 km)
Olsztyn Castle (346,4 km)
Ogrodzieniec Castle Ruins (38,4 km)
St. James the Elder Church (346,3 km)
Bobolice Castle (21,6 km)
Bedzin Castle (48,1 km)
Mirów Castle Ruins (20,7 km)
Smolen Castle Ruins (44,7 km)
Bakowiec Castle Ruins (28,1 km)

User Reviews

M Drogowski (10 months ago)
Nice views, could use some renovation :p
Michel Exters (11 months ago)
Really nice balloon festival. Over 25 airballoons that went into the air.
Magdalena Dobosz (11 months ago)
This place is getting better every year.... worth to visit. Well organised events
Justyna Kosmulska (11 months ago)
One of my most beloved places on Earth. I come back here every year - for breath, for space, for thoughts on history. Totally picturesque. Nice start for further exploration of the Polish Jura. Just avoid weekends, might be crowded. A weekday morning is best.
Marta Perez (11 months ago)
Beautiful place, there are only ruins but nevertheless nice to visit and easy to reach by bus.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Must-see historic sighs in Luxembourg
Photo from Flickr, copyright stanzebla

Historic Site of the week

Jelling Runestones

The Jelling stones are massive carved runestones from the 10th century, found at the town of Jelling in Denmark. The older of the two Jelling stones was raised by King Gorm the Old in memory of his wife Thyra. The larger of the two stones was raised by King Gorm's son, Harald Bluetooth in memory of his parents, celebrating his conquest of Denmark and Norway, and his conversion of the Danes to Christianity. The runic inscriptions on these stones are considered the most well known in Denmark.

The Jelling stones stand in the churchyard of Jelling church between two large mounds. The stones represent the transitional period between the indigenous Norse paganism and the process of Christianization in Denmark; the larger stone is often cited as Denmark's baptismal certificate (dåbsattest), containing a depiction of Christ. They are strongly identified with the creation of Denmark as a nation state and both stones feature one of the earliest records of the name 'Danmark'.

After having been exposed to all kinds of weather for a thousand years cracks are beginning to show. On the 15th of November 2008 experts from UNESCO examined the stones to determine their condition. Experts requested that the stones be moved to an indoor exhibition hall, or in some other way protected in situ, to prevent further damage from the weather.

Heritage Agency of Denmark decided to keep the stones in their current location and selected a protective casing design from 157 projects submitted through a competition. The winner of the competition was Nobel Architects. The glass casing creates a climate system that keeps the stones at a fixed temperature and humidity and protects them from weathering. The design features rectangular glass casings strengthened by two solid bronze sides mounted on a supporting steel skeleton. The glass is coated with an anti-reflective material that gives the exhibit a greenish hue. Additionally, the bronze patina gives off a rusty, greenish colour, highlighting the runestones' gray and reddish tones and emphasising their monumental character and significance.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2019 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.