Karpień Castle

On the summit of Karpiak, more than 780 metres above sea level, lie the stone foundations of a castle that for a century and a half was the capital of a small lordship in the Biała Lądecka valley. Its last lord robbed the countryside and even a monastery, so the Silesian towns captured and destroyed it. Today it is a mountain hike from Lądek-Zdrój – a modest ruin, but with a clear layout and a good story.

History: from fief to robbers' nest

Theories about an early medieval stronghold and a visit by King Bolesław the Brave are best treated as legend. More likely, the first castle stood here before 1200. The first lord known by name was Thamo Glubos the Elder (d. 1337), a vassal of King John of Luxembourg. The family's arms showed a golden carp on a blue field – hence the name Karpień, in German Karpenstein.

In the 14th and 15th centuries the castle was the seat of nobles ruling the so-called Karpień lordship, which covered the upper Biała Lądecka valley above Radochów. It guarded passes and trade routes, including the road later known as the Salt Road, which runs at the foot of the mountain. In 1352–1353 King Charles IV bought the castle, and it then passed among members of the Luxembourg dynasty and their vassals.

The Hussite Wars brought destruction: in 1428 the castle was burned, and the damage was completed three years later. The last lord, Hynek Krušina of Lichtenburg, made his living by robbery despite his noble birth. When he plundered the monastery at Henryków in 1442, the combined forces of Silesian towns took and destroyed Karpień a year later. Until 1513 the ruin sheltered bandits, until the burghers of Lądek drove them out and razed the castle for good.

What to see

• The layout – the division into an inner ward with tower and courtyard, an outer defensive wall and an outer bailey is easy to read.
• Sections of rubble-stone wall, in places several metres high.
• A boulder carved with the castle plan for tourists in 1883, and a pre-war stone bench in the courtyard.

Did you know?

The ruins attracted spa guests from Lądek as early as the 17th century. In 1885 the Kłodzko Mountain Society built a wooden lookout tower on the outer bailey; it was taken down in 1899. The first excavations were carried out by Germans from spring 1882, and the latest archaeological research took place in 2009–2010. The ruin lies on State Forests land and is not regularly conserved.

Tripto tip

The easiest route is the blue E3 trail from Lądek-Zdrój, about 1.5–2 hours one way. A green trail from Gierałtów Pass to Lądek Pass also runs through the ruins. It combines well with Trojak and its rock formations, and a quarter of an hour from the Castle Crossroads stands a small forest church in the former village of Karpno. Wear shoes with good grip, as the stones inside the walls are uneven.