Pieskowa Skala Castle

Sułoszowa, Poland

Pieskowa Skała castle, built by King Casimir III the Great, is one of the best-known examples of a defensive Polish Renaissance architecture. It was erected in the first half of the 14th century as part of the chain of fortified castles called Orle Gniazda (Eagles Nests).

The castle was renovated and donated in 1377 by king Louis I of Hungary to Piotr Szafraniec of Łuczyce, according to a more modern interpretation by the 15th century chronicler Jan Długosz, but the family gained the full ownership rights of the castle only in 1422 from King Władysław II Jagiełło in recognition of the faithful service at the Battle of Grunwald by Piotr Szafraniec, the chamberlain of Kraków.

The castle was rebuilt in 1542–1544 by Niccolò Castiglione with participation from Gabriel Słoński of Kraków. The sponsor of the castle's reconstruction in the mannerist style was the Calvinist, Stanisław Szafraniec, voivode of Sandomierz. At that time the original medieval tower was transformed into a scenic double loggia decorated in the sgraffito technique. Between 1557 and 1578, the trapezoid shape courtyard was surrounded at the level of two upper storeys by arcades, embellished with 21 mascarons. The arcade risalit above the gate is a 17th-century addition.

The last owner of the castle of Szafraniec family was Jędrzej, Stanisław's son, who died childless in 1608. After his death the estate was purchased by Maciej Łubnicki and later by the Zebrzydowski family. In 1640 Michał Zebrzydowski built the bastion fortifications with baroque gate and a chapel. The castle changed hands many times over the centuries. In 1903 it was bought by the Pieskowa Skała Society led by Adolf Dygasiński and with time turned over to the Polish state and meticulously restored.

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Pieskowa Skała 4, Sułoszowa, Poland
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Details

Founded: 14th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
www.inyourpocket.com

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Ojców Castle Ruins (5,1 km)


Historic Centre of Kraków (23,2 km)
Kraków Cloth Hall (23,2 km)
Church of St. Adalbert (23,3 km)
St. Mary's Basilica (23,3 km)
Wawel Cathedral (23,8 km)
Wawel Castle (23,9 km)
St. Andrew's Church (23,7 km)
Kraków Defence Walls (23,1 km)
Wieliczka Salt Mine (35 km)

User Reviews

Yurii Smyk (3 years ago)
Great place to spend weekends. Great views and tasty meals are in restoration in this castle.
raj badhan (3 years ago)
A beautiful spot. But not open on Monday's??? Found some staff to be rude, security guard just kept following us around. Good views and absolutely spotless. Worth the trip has lots of history and unique feature. Hercules club.
John Smith (3 years ago)
A must-see historical landmark only 40 minutes by bus from Krakow, and best of all when I went there completely free! The castle is great there's a nice restaurant there which is very classy and not too expensive and on a sunny day the roof terrace is to die for, gives great views of the castle and also the forests around and the most of course !
Denise Wood (3 years ago)
Impressive location on a cliff. Interiors are not as interesting...exhibitions are nice, but the castle doesn't have much in original furnishings.
Radosław Śmigielski (3 years ago)
Castle is in perfect condition, probably better than it was centuries ago :) other than that it really lovely place. There is a parking near by, museum, restaurant and from the top of the castle there is amazing view.
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Glimmingehus

Glimmingehus is the best preserved medieval stronghold in Scandinavia. It was built 1499-1506, during an era when Scania formed a vital part of Denmark, and contains many defensive arrangements of the era, such as parapets, false doors and dead-end corridors, 'murder-holes' for pouring boiling pitch over the attackers, moats, drawbridges and various other forms of death traps to surprise trespassers and protect the nobles against peasant uprisings. The lower part of the castle's stone walls are 2.4 meters (94 inches) thick and the upper part 1.8 meters (71 inches).

Construction was started in 1499 by the Danish knight Jens Holgersen Ulfstand and stone-cutter-mason and architect Adam van Düren, a North German master who also worked on Lund Cathedral. Construction was completed in 1506.

Ulfstand was a councillor, nobleman and admiral serving under John I of Denmark and many objects have been uncovered during archeological excavations that demonstrate the extravagant lifestyle of the knight's family at Glimmingehus up until Ulfstand's death in 1523. Some of the most expensive objects for sale in Europe during this period, such as Venetian glass, painted glass from the Rhine district and Spanish ceramics have been found here. Evidence of the family's wealth can also be seen inside the stone fortress, where everyday comforts for the knight's family included hot air channels in the walls and bench seats in the window recesses. Although considered comfortable for its period, it has also been argued that Glimmingehus was an expression of "Knighthood nostalgia" and not considered opulent or progressive enough even to the knight's contemporaries and especially not to later generations of the Scanian nobility. Glimmingehus is thought to have served as a residential castle for only a few generations before being transformed into a storage facility for grain.

An order from Charles XI to the administrators of the Swedish dominion of Scania in 1676 to demolish the castle, in order to ensure that it would not fall into the hands of the Danish king during the Scanian War, could not be executed. A first attempt, in which 20 Scanian farmers were ordered to assist, proved unsuccessful. An additional force of 130 men were sent to Glimmingehus to execute the order in a second attempt. However, before they could carry out the order, a Danish-Dutch naval division arrived in Ystad, and the Swedes had to abandon the demolition attempts. Throughout the 18th century the castle was used as deposit for agricultural produce and in 1924 it was donated to the Swedish state. Today it is administered by the Swedish National Heritage Board.

On site there is a museum, medieval kitchen, shop and restaurant and coffee house. During summer time there are several guided tours daily. In local folklore, the castle is described as haunted by multiple ghosts and the tradition of storytelling inspired by the castle is continued in the summer events at the castle called "Strange stories and terrifying tales".

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