Market Square in Olsztyn (near Częstochowa)

High above Olsztyn's market square, on a six-metre pole, balances "W nieskończoność" ("Infinity"), a sculpture by Jerzy Kędziora, while a glass case nearby holds a 1:100 scale model of the castle. The original is visible from the square: the ruins of a 13th-century fortress tower over this small town on the Trail of the Eagles' Nests, about 15 km south-east of Częstochowa. (Not to be confused with the city of Olsztyn in Warmia.) The square is a natural stop before or after climbing up to the castle.

History: from wooden houses to a makeover

A square existed here at least from the 14th century, but it took its present shape in the first half of the 18th century, after a fire on 1 September 1719 destroyed the whole town. Even in 1791 there were only 77 houses. Until the interwar years the square was lined with loosely spaced wooden buildings, its surface was uneven and an artesian well stood in the middle. In 1926 a brick municipal building with a community hall went up (today the cultural centre and library), pavements followed in 1929, and in the 1960s a small green and retail pavilions.

Olsztyn held town rights from 1488 to 1870 – they were granted by King Casimir IV Jagiellon and withdrawn by the Russian authorities because the settlement was so small. It regained town status on 1 January 2022, after a consultation in which most residents backed the change. Officially the square is now called Marshal Józef Piłsudski Square, and the 15th-century street layout with the square is a listed monument.

What to see

In 2013 the square was revamped. A fountain and two rows of low trees, lit up at night, were added, and Kędziora's balancing sculpture was installed above the square. Kędziora is a sculptor from Częstochowa, famous for figures that seem to defy gravity. The Olsztyn figure, made of aluminium and composite, is about 225 cm tall and seems to float in mid-air. In the display case you can see the castle as it looked in its heyday, when it had a lower, middle and upper castle, two outer baileys and mighty walls – worth a look before you go up the hill, as the layout is hard to read from today's ruins.

The castle above the square

The fortress was built in the second half of the 13th century to guard Lesser Poland against Silesia; the first record, from 1306, calls it the castle of Przemiłowice. King Casimir the Great expanded it considerably, and according to tradition the Poznań voivode Maciej Borkowic was starved to death here. The Swedish invasion of the 17th century brought ruin, and in the early 18th century stone from the walls was used to build a nearby church. The best-preserved part is a round tower 35 m high. The ruins played the Cabbalist's estate in the cult film "The Saragossa Manuscript".

Tripto tip

The square itself takes 15–20 minutes, but treat it as your starting point: leave the car near the square and walk up to the castle hill. The best shot of the sculpture is against the sky, and in the evening the lit rows of trees are worth seeing.