Castles

Grodziec Castle

Grodziec Castle stands on an isolated basalt hill, 389 m above sea level, and for nearly 900 years it has dominated the Kaczawskie Foothills. The first written record comes from a papal bull of Hadrian IV dated 23 April 1155, and by 1175 the stronghold belonged to Duke Boleslaw I the Tall. The walls offer views stretching as far as the Karkonosze mountains.

From stronghold to Renaissance

Duke Bolko I enlarged the castle between 1296 and 1301, it was captured by the Hussites during the Hussite Wars, and in September 1633 a large part of it burned down. Its Renaissance look comes from work carried out in 1522-1524 under Wendelin Rosskopf. The square keep, 16 m on each side and over 26 m tall, has six levels.

Europe's first tourist castle

In 1800 Count Hans Heinrich VI von Hochberg rebuilt part of the palace, and the castle was then regarded as the first monument in Europe adapted for tourism. In 1906-1908 Willibald von Dirksen hired the architect Bodo Ebhardt, who gave Grodziec its present form. In 1945 the castle sheltered collections from Wroclaw museums and the Berlin State Library.

The well and the film sets

In the courtyard stands a well from which hundreds of objects have been recovered, dating from the late Middle Ages to the 20th century. In 2004-2005 the castle hosted productions by Swedish, French and Russian television, and today it runs events such as Witcher School, a live-action game set in the Witcher universe.

Practical tips

Allow about an hour to see the walls and climb the tower, plus time to walk around the outer ward measuring 270 x 140 m. The castle runs its own calendar of events, so check current opening hours before your visit.