Poland

Lower Silesia – not only castles and palaces

Lower Silesia is not only castles, but they are the biggest attraction of the region :) We went to this region of Poland precisely to see some better or worse preserved castles and palaces, and in the process we discovered some additional places that we didn’t have in our plans.

Castles and Palaces of Lower Silesia are not all you will find in this area :) In this post you will find information about the most interesting, in our opinion, places that are worth seeing while being in the Lower Silesia area. It took us 2 days to visit these places and, as always, there was not enough time to see everything. So if something was missing here, it doesn’t mean it’s not worth going there :)

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Table of contents

Castles and Palaces of Lower Silesia

The order of the sites described is random. Missing here is the region’s biggest attraction – the Książ Castle, which we wrote about previously.

Czocha Castle

This defensive castle from the 13th century is one of the most beautiful and best-preserved buildings of its kind in Lower Silesia. It has recently gained popularity with “The Witcher” and “The Secret of the Cipher Fortress” being filmed here.

And, unfortunately, a little too much of this popularity, because getting there you have to squeeze through the narrow streets, slalom around tourists, dodging coaches standing in the street. It is best to save yourself the stress of parking on the street, in the bushes, and park in the guarded parking lot right at the entrance to the Castle. Paid, of course ;)

Entrance is also paid, of course. You can pay to enter the courtyard or pay extra for a tour of the interior of the Castle. Unfortunately, in the second option, again tourists are forced to move only as part of organized groups, and the waiting time can be up to two hours.

The building functions mainly as a hotel, but the aforementioned tour includes a look at its interiors, including the following. The Prince’s Chamber and the Knights’ Hall.

As part of the courtyard tour, visitors can see the pre-castle, walk across the bridge over the dry moat, follow the inter-mastle up to the impressive bastea, where walkways for the guards are made available. You can also walk up the stairs to the inner courtyard, where you will find the so-called “inner courtyard. The well of unfaithful wives (do we need to add where the name comes from?).

While we were at the Castle, there were additional activities for visitors, especially children (cooking workshops, games, dress-up etc) in the first part.

Unfortunately, also here the information for tourists is quite poor…. There is a lack of maps, leaflets, descriptions, which is a pity, because Czocha Castle has a lot of potential and we would be happy to learn a lot more about the place we visit.

Strzegom – the granite heart of Poland

We recommend the city mainly because of the Minor Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. This huge, soaring structure was something we didn’t expect to see in a smaller city. We treated Strzegom as a base camp, but found time to walk around the Market Square and the surrounding area.

The basilica is one of the largest churches in Lower Silesia, and its origins date back to the 14th century. In 2002, Pope John Paweł II gave it the title of Basilica Minor.

Bolkow Castle

The origins of this Gothic castle in Bolkow are shrouded in mystery, but construction dates back to the 13th century. As befits a castle, it was built on an elevation and reigns over the village of Bolkow. It is an impressive 7,600-square-meter building.

Particularly noteworthy in the architecture of the castle is the 25-meter tower, the only one of its kind in Poland – built in the shape of a drop, with a distinctive prow facing southeast (it was from this side that the greatest danger was expected). In the lower part of the tower is a hunger dungeon.

Only the tournament courtyard can be seen free of charge. The castle is entered through the Great Gate, which leads to the Grand Courtyard. Only from there do you enter the Main Courtyard, from where you enter the tower, the Gothic Houses and the House of the Women.

Swina Castle

Ok, it was supposed to be without ranking, without rating, but here it goes :) Small, inconspicuous, in poor condition, and somehow we liked it terribly!

First of all, zero tourists! Just the bride and groom taking pictures. Secondly, you just walk where you want and how you want, at the same time you have to be careful under your feet :) Very cool atmosphere, nice view, peace and quiet.

The origins of Swina Castle date back to the 12th century. Legend has it that it is connected by a tunnel to Bolkow Castle.

We definitely recommend this place to you if you are in the area! :)

Grodno Castle

This 13th century castle is located in Zagórze Śląskie and rises on Choina Hill in the Owl Mountains. The origins of Grodno Castle date back to the 13th century, although there are actually no data sources to determine when construction began (according to some, construction may have begun as early as 800!).

Some of the worst damage occurred during the 30-year war, when it was captured by the Swedes. The castle deteriorated and was passed from hand to hand until the Zeidlitz family took possession of it and carried out a series of repair works and opened the castle to tourists.

Unfortunately, the war did not spare the monuments here either, and in 1945 all valuable items were stolen.

The castle consists of an upper castle (the oldest part) and a lower castle (added in the 16th century). The biggest attraction of the castle is the tower, which you can climb and enjoy the beautiful panorama of the area.

To get to the castle, you have to walk about 15 minutes uphill, along a road that is difficult to find (above we upload a photo of a distinctive point from where you can start the hike).

Gross-Rosen Museum in Rogoznica

Not all places we go to arouse our admiration…. There are places that fill us with sadness, sorrow and impotence. Places that should never have been built because there is a tragic history associated with them. An example of such a place is the Gross-Rosen Concentration Camp, currently a museum on the site.

Initially we did not plan to go there, we wanted to focus on castles and palaces, but how can you pass by such a place indifferently? We had accommodation not far away, and in addition, the place is open for a very long time, so you can even drive up in the evening.

One enters the museum through a large gate with a sign reading “Arbeit macht frei.” Both of the two wings house museum exhibits, featuring photos, maps, prisoners’ clothing, etc.

The camp primarily contains the very foundations of the buildings that previously stood here, but there are also several undemolished or reconstructed buildings and preserved basement sections (such as the kitchen, barracks and bathhouse).

The site is full of symbolism, a monument-mausoleum has been erected here to commemorate the victims of the camp with their ashes (in total, more than 40,000 of the 120,000 people lost their lives in the camp!), the roll call bell tower has been reconstructed, the roll call square with gallows has been preserved, and a bare tree with numerous memorial plaques marks the former execution site.

Prisoners housed at Gross Rosen worked in nearby quarries, 12 hours a day. The work was exhausting, the food rations were minimal, and the entire camp was considered one of the toughest concentration camps. There were numerous sub-camps or branches of Gross-Rosen in Lower Silesia, and their locations are indicated by symbolic monuments.

We encourage you to visit such places as the Gross-Rosen Museum. History, though often shameful and full of innocent victims, is not something that should be erased from memory as if nothing happened. It is necessary to raise awareness, educate and show what crimes people commit and how many victims there were and how they were treated. Let history in the nation not perish.

Mściwojów

Mściwojów is a small village with a population of 500, north of Rogoznica. We found the ruins of a palace here on the map, hence the idea to drive up to this small village. Actually, these are ruins, on top of not knocking down ruins ;)

The Island Pavilion, on an almost square body of water, looks nice instead. There is a park, there are benches, you can relax for a while.

Palace on the water in Staniszów

It is a palace built in the 18th century, currently a hotel with a spa.

Lomnica Palace

It is a large building that includes the Large Palace, the manor house and the Small Palace, also known as the Widow’s House (now a hotel and restaurant).

You can view the interiors in the Big Palace for a fee. We recommend walking through the pretty, gardens that surround both buildings.

Across the street is the Farmstead, where you will find, among other things. Linen store, restaurant, barn and blacksmith store.

Palace in Wojanow

The origins of Wojanow Palace date back to the 18th century, when Nickel von Zedlitz und Nimmersath had a manor house built on the site. The property has been destroyed several times, rebuilt, and currently houses a hotel and conference center with a spa.

The site is fully renovated and commercialized, but still impressive. Especially the Palace building itself with its round towers, as well as the courtyard and park. The place is perfect for a wedding or wedding photo shoot :)

Palace in Domanice

Guided by the map, we decided to see one more monument – the Palace in Domanice. The photo below shows everything we were able to see :(

The palace is privately owned and can only be viewed from behind a fence, which is a shame….

Gorka Castle

Like Moszna Castle, it is more of a palace than a castle, and historically it is more of a monastery, dating back to the 12th century.

Currently there is a hotel here, which, to put it mildly, does not look cozy. If someone likes extreme experiences, ghost adventures etc then they will definitely feel comfortable here :)

We were deterred first by the road, then by the gate and finally by the building itself…. It’s a shame, because the place has potential.

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To sum up…

Lower Silesia is certainly associated with numerous castles, palaces and beautiful ruins. We confirm this 100%. However, it is also worth remembering other places, historical and dramatic at the same time, such as Gross-Rosen. Also the surroundings are very beautiful, it is worth stopping here for a while longer to admire nature as well.

If you don’t have plans for the weekend or don’t like to spend your vacation passively in Poland, we recommend you take a 2-3 day tour of the area. It’s really worth it! :)

As always, you can find more photos in our gallery:

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This time there are really a lot of them there :)

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