Radzyn Chelminski Castle, Radzyn Chelminski, Poland

Radzyn Chelminski was the seat of the Teutonic Knights' Commandry. The castle is one of the oldest castles built by the Teutonic Knights, built in the 13th century. In 1446 the castle went into Polish control, in 1628 during wars with the Swedes the castle was partially devastated, slowly turning into a ruin.

Currently you are still able to see the tower - damaged by artillery fire. In 1780 Prussian authorities ordered to deconstruct whatever is let of the castle. Bricks from the three wings of the castle were used to build houses for the nearby community. The castle's deconstruction was stopped towards the end of the 19th century.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Monika wm (3 years ago)
great place

Mark Wisniewski (3 years ago)
It took me a few years to get there. I love visiting Teutonic structures. Radzyń is one of the best places to go. You are left to deal with the castle on your own. Just go there and do what you feel you want to do. No stupid tour guides, no crowds of people. Just you and the castle. And the towers. Unforgettable! I will go back there many times:)

Richard Ashcroft (3 years ago)
The thirteenth century Teutonic Knights' castle was devastated during the Swedish wars. Today the ruin makes an impressive sight and can be visited for a small fee. Inside it is mostly a shell, but the two remaining towers can be climbed.

Pavle Milićević (3 years ago)
Quite a view this castle, and also I challenge everyone to get on top of each towers! Narrow exit to the tower balcony pays out in great view!

Filip Praca (3 years ago)
Nice helmets

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Lednice Castle

The first historical record of Lednice locality dates from 1222. At that time there stood a Gothic fort with courtyard, which was lent by Czech King Václav I to Austrian nobleman Sigfried Sirotek in 1249.

At the end of the 13th century the Liechtensteins, originally from Styria, became holders of all of Lednice and of nearby Mikulov. They gradually acquired land on both sides of the Moravian-Austrian border. Members of the family most often found fame in military service, during the Renaissance they expanded their estates through economic activity. From the middle of the 15th century members of the family occupied the highest offices in the land. However, the family’s position in Moravia really changed under the brothers Karel, Maximilian, and Gundakar of Liechtenstein. Through marriage Karel and Maximilian acquired the great wealth of the old Moravian dynasty of the Černohorskýs of Boskovice. At that time the brothers, like their father and grandfather, were Lutheran, but they soon converted to Catholicism, thus preparing the ground for their rise in politics. Particularly Karel, who served at the court of Emperor Rudolf II, became hetman of Moravia in 1608, and was later raised to princely status by King Matyas II and awarded the Duchy of Opava.

During the revolt of the Czech nobility he stood on the side of the Habsburgs, and took part in the Battle of White Mountain. After the uprising was defeated in 1620 he systematically acquired property confiscated from some of the rebels, and the Liechtensteins became the wealthiest family in Moravia, rising in status above the Žerotíns. Their enormous land holdings brought them great profits, and eventually allowed them to carry out their grandious building projects here in Lednice.

In the 16th century it was probably Hartmann II of Liechtenstein who had the old medieval water castle torn down and replaced with a Renaissance chateau. At the end of the 17th century the chateau was torn down and a Baroque palace was built, with an extensive formal garden, and a massive riding hall designed by Johann Bernard Fischer von Erlach that still stands in almost unaltered form.

In the mid-18th century the chateau was again renovated, and in 1815 its front tracts that had been part of the Baroque chateau were removed.

The chateau as it looks today dates from 1846-1858, when Prince Alois II decided that Vienna was not suitable for entertaining in the summer, and had Lednice rebuilt into a summer palace in the spirit of English Gothic. The hall on the ground floor would serve to entertain the European aristocracy at sumptuous banquets, and was furnished with carved wood ceilings, wooden panelling, and select furniture, surpassing anything of its kind in Europe.

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