Discover places worth seeing — from historic sites to mountain trails.
Castles
Rawa Mazowiecka
The octagonal tower of the castle in Rawa once held prisoners straight out of the history books: a son of the King of Sweden, a Swedish army commander and a self-proclaimed ruler of Moldavia. This Gothic castle, set in the marshy fork of t…
Castles
Darłowo
Darłowo Castle, officially the Castle of the Pomeranian Dukes (say "dar-WOH-voh"), is the only Gothic seaside castle in Poland and one of the best-preserved medieval complexes on the Baltic coast. The brick fortress with a tower stands on…
Castles
Słupsk
The pale building with a slender tower above the Słupia river is the last residence of the Griffin dynasty that you can visit today as a museum. The castle was built in 1507 under Duke Bogislaw X, and a few steps away, in the White Granary…
Museums
Podzamcze
The Kraków-Częstochowa Upland has its share of spooky tales – of a black dog, of a white lady and of a water demon. In Podzamcze, right next to the ruins of Ogrodzieniec Castle, they have been gathered under one roof. The Castle of Legends…
Castles
Liw
A brick gate tower above the Liwiec river is what remains of a Gothic watch-castle that for a century and a half guarded a river crossing on Mazovia's eastern border with Lithuania. Today Liw Castle houses the Armoury Museum – with weapons…
Castles
Lublin
Lublin Castle is the single best place to start exploring Lublin (say "LOO-bleen"), the largest city in eastern Poland. On one hilltop you'll find a 13th-century Romanesque tower, a Gothic royal chapel covered in Byzantine-style frescoes f…
Castles
Trzebieszowice
In August 1813 King Frederick William III of Prussia came to this palace on the Biała Lądecka river to celebrate his birthday – and Tsar Alexander I was among the guests. Today the residence in Trzebieszowice goes by the name Zamek na Skal…
Castles
Podzamcze
Netflix chose these ruins for the Battle of Sodden in "The Witcher", Andrzej Wajda filmed "Revenge" (Zemsta) here, and in 1984 Iron Maiden recorded a film insert for "Hallowed Be Thy Name". Ogrodzieniec Castle in Podzamcze stands on the hi…
Castles
Sieraków
Of the great Opaliński residence on the Warta river, only the ground floor of one wing survived, used for years as an ice house. When richly decorated family sarcophagi were brought out of the crypt of Sieraków’s former Bernardine church i…
Museums
Gliwice
Despite its name, Piast Castle was never a ducal residence. The building on Pod Murami Street in Gliwice grew out of two medieval town-wall towers, served for centuries as an arsenal, prison and farm, and today houses a branch of the Gliwi…
Castles
Krosno Odrzańskie
The Piast Castle in Krosno Odrzańskie (say "KROSS-no oh-JHAHN-skyeh") is a medieval residence of the Silesian dukes on the Oder River, where Duke Henry the Bearded died on 19 March 1238. After being burned in 1945 it was restored in stages…
Castles
Sułoszowa
Pieskowa Skała Castle (roughly "pyes-KOH-vah SKAH-wah") is a Renaissance residence perched on a limestone spur above the Prądnik valley in Ojców National Park, about 30 km (19 miles) northwest of Kraków. One of the most beautiful castles o…
Castles
Dobromierz
A moat, stone footbridges and a 40-metre tower make Roztoka Castle look like a medieval fortress, yet inside it hides a suite of palatial salons where Netflix filmed "The Doll" and the third season of "1670". For almost 450 years this was…
Castles
Szydłowiec
Szydłowiec Castle (Zamek Szydłowieckich i Radziwiłłów) is a white Gothic-Renaissance residence of the Szydłowiecki and Radziwiłł families, set on an island among the channels of the Korzeniówka stream. Today it houses the Museum of Folk Mu…
Castles
Tarnobrzeg
Dzików Castle, also called the Tarnowski Castle, in Tarnobrzeg (say "tar-NOH-bzheg") is a former magnate residence set in a landscaped park in southeastern Poland. Today it houses the Historical Museum of the City of Tarnobrzeg and the Dzi…
Castles
Wrocław
Topacz Castle (Zamek Topacz, pronounced roughly "ZAH-mek TOH-pach") in the village of Ślęza, just beyond Wrocław's southern city limits, is a medieval residential tower that grew into a Renaissance manor and now operates as a hotel with re…
Castles
Bielsko-Biała
Above Bolesław Chrobry Square, on the edge of the Old Town, stands the oldest and largest historic building in Bielsko-Biała. From a distance it looks like a 19th-century palace with a crenellated tower, but its walls hide a medieval borde…
Castles
Człuchów
Looking at the red tower above the lake, it is hard to guess that Człuchów once had the second-largest castle of the Teutonic Order – only Malbork was bigger. Of the fortress where Konrad von Wallenrode and other knights resided, the main…
Castles
Gołuchów
Gołuchów Castle (say: go-WOO-hoof) is a fairy-tale château in western Poland that has housed a branch of the National Museum in Poznań since 1951. Rebuilt in the 19th century by Princess Izabela Działyńska, née Czartoryska, in the spirit o…
Castles
Konin
Bishop Andrzej Łaskarz (1362–1426) built a brick castle and a Gothic church on the shore of Lake Gosławskie in 1418–1426. The castle survived as a ruin, served for years as a brewery or distillery and, after restoration in 1978–1986, becam…
Castles
Kórnik
Kórnik Castle (say "KOOR-neek") is a fairy-tale neo-Gothic residence surrounded by water, about 20 km southeast of Poznań in western Poland. Its walls have stood for almost 600 years without ever being destroyed, and today they hold a muse…
Castles
Koźmin Wielkopolski
Koźmin Wielkopolski Castle is a Gothic stronghold from the second half of the 14th century that the Górka family turned into a Renaissance residence and that has housed a succession of schools since the 19th century. Above the plastered wi…
Castles
Malbork
Malbork Castle (pronounced roughly "MAHL-bork") in northern Poland is the largest castle in the world by land area and the former capital of the Teutonic Knights, a crusading order that ruled much of the Baltic coast in the Middle Ages. It…
Castles
Niepołomice
The Royal Castle in Niepołomice (pronounced roughly "nyeh-po-woh-MEE-tseh") is a Gothic-and-Renaissance royal residence on the edge of the Niepołomice Forest, about 25 km (15 miles) east of Kraków. Thanks to its arcaded courtyard it is oft…