Byczyna Knights' Stronghold

The Knights' Stronghold in Byczyna is a wooden fortress in Biskupice, on the shore of the Biskupice reservoir "Brzózki" and surrounded by forest. It was built from larch logs as a re-creation of a medieval stronghold and opened in September 2007 during a knights' tournament. Today it is an enclosed events venue for tournaments, concerts, workshops and nights around the campfire.

What is here

The stronghold is ringed by a 6-metre palisade with a massive entrance gate. Inside are watchtowers and wooden grandstands, and the facilities include accommodation in timber interiors and sanitary blocks. The owners run living-history lessons, craft workshops, weddings and old-style feasts here, and the whole site can be hired exclusively. Cycling routes run nearby, and the reservoir is good for water sports.

Events

Byczyna hosts an International Knights' Tournament twice a year, usually in early May and in September. Since 2018 the stronghold has hosted the metal festival Black Silesia Open Air, usually in mid-June (it did not take place in 2020–2021). The 2026 programme also included a Kupala Night (19–20 June). Because the stronghold operates as an events venue, check the calendar before you go – outside events and bookings the gate may be closed.

Byczyna next door

Nearby lies Byczyna, one of the few Polish towns whose medieval defensive walls have survived almost in full. The fortifications from the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries are 912.5 m long and on average 5.5–6 m high. Walk around them along the moat and see the Polish Gate, the German Gate and the Sand Tower (Baszta Piaskowa). On 24 January 1588 the army of Jan Zamoyski defeated Archduke Maximilian's forces near Byczyna – the battle is commemorated by a monument and an exhibition in the Heritage Room at the town hall.

Tripto tips

An hour is enough for Byczyna's walls; the stronghold is best visited during a tournament or another event, for which you should set aside half a day. Bring swimwear and a bike for the reservoir. Accommodation in the stronghold suits school groups and families who want to spend a night in a timber setting.