Fortifications

Defensive Walls in Szydłów

Szydłów is sometimes called the Polish Carcassonne — just like Paczków. The Gothic fortifications from the 14th century run for 700 metres; battlements and arrow slits survive, and the circuit is longer than the town walls of Kraków. Together with the castle they form a compact defensive layout that is still legible today.

The town of Casimir the Great

The brick walls and the castle in Szydłów were raised by Casimir the Great — as chronicled by Janek z Czarnkowa and Jan Długosz. Recent research allows the complex to be counted among the largest defensive undertakings of this king. The castle became part of the system: its perimeter walls on the west are at the same time a fragment of the town fortifications. Of the three gates leading into the town, the Kraków Gate from the 14th century survives, its upper storeys rebuilt in the Renaissance style.

Royal elements of the circuit

The circuit incorporates the ruins of the royal palace from around 1400 with the so-called Knights' Hall, and the storeyed Skarbczyk treasury building of the 15th and 16th centuries. Władysław Jagiełło stayed at the castle as many as 17 times, and since 1961 the Regional Museum has operated here.

Practicalities

The walls run from Kielecka Street around the old town and are accessible around the clock. A single walk takes in the Kraków Gate, the battlemented walls, the castle, the church of St Ladislaus and the synagogue; just behind the gate there is the Izba Wójta visitor centre.