Castle Park in Żywiec

Żywiec's Castle Park covers 26 hectares of historic greenery around the Old Castle and the Habsburg palace, a few minutes' walk from the Market Square. More than 5,000 old trees grow here, and by the canal stands the 18th-century Chinese House – the town's best-known image. The park weaves together the stories of three families, the Komorowskis, the Wielopolskis and the Habsburgs, and admission is free.

History: from Italian garden to landscape park

The first record of a park beside the castle comes from an inventory of 1664. In 1712 the Wielopolski family laid out a new garden south-east of the castle "in the Italian fashion", with beds and paths crossing at right angles. Soil and turf were brought in from around Rychwałd, an orangery went up in 1715 and a fountain in 1720. In the second half of the 18th century a canal was cut through the beds and a pavilion in the form of a Chinese House was built.

In the first half of the 19th century Adam Wielopolski and his gardener Jan Merk began reshaping the grounds, and from 1838 the park belonged to the Habsburgs, who extended it to the south-west. Between 1930 and 1936 the last changes were designed by the English landscape architect Brenda Colvin, with the work carried out by her compatriot Kit Beckh. The park was then recomposed in the English style – the Chinese House ended up on an island, and a viewing lawn, a pool with a fountain, pergolas and a rose garden were added, while the wooden footbridges were replaced with stone ones.

What to see

• Chinese House – a brick, octagonal, two-storey pavilion from the second half of the 18th century, with the Wielopolski coat of arms, Starykoń, above the roof.
• "Franciszek" pedunculate oak – the park's oldest tree, about 400 years old with a girth of around 5 m. The stand includes some 4,400 deciduous and 600 coniferous trees, some of them up to 300 years old.
• Old Castle with its Renaissance arcaded courtyard, home to the Municipal Museum.
• New Castle, the Neoclassical Habsburg palace built on the site of the Wielopolski outbuildings to designs by Mączyński and Stryjeński, among others.
• Miniature Park and the bench of Alice Habsburg, unveiled in February 2012.
• Brine graduation tower, opened on 19 April 2024 – a good spot for a break.

Did you know?

The ornamental iron well in the courtyard between the palace and the Old Castle was made by local craftsman Julian Rybarski. In 2009 the park and the palace underwent a thorough restoration. In May 2023 the "Tadeusz" oak was planted here in memory of the insurgent Tadeusz Jänich.

Tripto tips

Allow 1–1.5 hours for a walk taking in the Chinese House and the "Franciszek" oak, or half a day with the museum in the Old Castle. The town's Nature Walking Trail (about 3 km) runs from the Market Square through the park to the "Grapa" nature reserve (23 ha). The ground is flat, so pushchairs are no problem. The park is prettiest in spring and autumn, when the old trees change colour. Entry is free; museum exhibitions are paid – check their hours and prices on the Municipal Museum's website before you go.