Sanok Castle, Sanok, Poland

The first mention of Sanok is found in 12th-century chronicles. The stronghold was destroyed in the 13th century during the Tatar invasion in 1241. In the 14th century the town of Sanok became fortified and a defensive castle was built.

During the reign of King Władysław Jagiełło, his wedding with Elisabeth of Pilica took place at the castle on May 2, 1417. The town and district authorities with a castellan at the top had their seat at the Sanok castle. In 1425, it was established the Higher Court of German law at the Sanok Castle. It was also a residence of the King's fourth wife Sophia of Halshany until her death in 1461.

Queen Bona Sforza ordered the rebuilding of the Gothic castle in the Renaissance style between 1523-1548. Between 1555-1556, the castle was the seat of Isabella Jagiellon, Queen of Hungary, after her escape from Transylvania. At the end of the 16th century, the castle underwent further expansion: the south wing was built at that time. At the turn of the 18th century the north wing was added. During the Napoleonic Wars, the castle was successfully defended against the Austrian forces by General Franciszek Ksawery Krasicki, who was the leader of the anti-Austrian uprising in the Sanok Region.

In 1915, after the Russian invasion, the South wing was demolished. In the interwar period the castle served as the Museum of Sanok. The Museum, established in 1934 by the Society of Friends of the Region of Sanok, had at first collections of the Sanok region, weapons and arms — the history of the town and castle of Sanok, furniture, artistic craftsmanship. With the beginning of World War II in September 1939, the castle was ransacked. In August 1944, the local German authorities looted the oldest surviving monuments of Polish culture, some of which were retrieved by the Polish Government after the war. Its collections were transferred to the castle where, since 1945, they have formed part of the Historical Museum, added to the latter's collection are some 200 icons from Lemko villages.

References:

Wikipedia

Castles and fortifications in Poland

User Reviews

Dmitry Slomov (CourseOfRussian) (8 days ago)
Just for Beksinski exposition, my daughter kept returning there every day of our trip.

Adrian Terkała (6 months ago)
A lot of great reviews from Polish people, so I thought I would help our foreign friends with an honest review in English: I was born and raised in Sanok and I frequently heard about and visited our castle. Even though it is not the prettiest in Poland or even in the region, its history and exhibits are definitely worth a trip. The castle was destroyed and rebuild many times. It was first built around 12th century and some of the greatest Polish Kings had part in its expansions and renewals, including Casimir III the Great. The people of Sanok and probably all Polish citizens would mostly remember the castle as a favorite place of Queen Bona Sforza, a powerful and crucial figure in Polish history. The street below the castle is named after her. Fun fact: the San river used to be in the place of that street, but naturally moved since then. Other known thing about the Sanok Royal Castle is The Zdzisław Beksiński Gallery. One of the greatest painters, photographers and artists of modern era was born and raised in Sanok. His peculiar style, along with the tragic deaths of his son and Beksiński himself, created a sinister atmosphere around him, but he should be simply celebrated as a genius and a generational artist. Both the tickets to the main castle exhibition and the 'Beksiński wing' have very reasonable prices, while the staff working there are passionate professionals, well-educated in all the subjects. The castle has an amazing view of the surrounding area and is a must-stop for any tourist visiting Sanok. Our city is a real hidden gem of the southern Poland and even people from Japan or Canada visit the castle-museum every year.

des maxwell (2 years ago)
Well worth a visit if you're in the area. I didn't realize it's so steeped in history.

Artur Slowikowski (2 years ago)
let's be honest, it is hard to find parallel between historical artefacts and exceptional art by Z. Beksinski, for the sake of doing justice to both, Sanok needs to open an exclusive, high end gallery with Beksinski's artworks, World needs to rediscover his work, his extraordinary talent and tragic foundation of some of Beksinski's paintings and graphics

Radoslaw Golebiewski (3 years ago)
Really nice to visit.

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