Castles

Royal Castle in Radom

In the Kazimierzowski district, right next to the Gothic St John's church, stands Radom's oldest secular monument — the royal castle raised in the 14th century by Casimir the Great together with the town walls of New Radom. Little recalls its former defensive splendour, yet decisions of importance for the whole Commonwealth were made here.

From Casimir the Great to the Renaissance

The first expansion took place in the 15th century under the first Jagiellonians, and in 1515–1520 Mikołaj Szydłowiecki gave the residence its Renaissance character. Two storeys of the so-called Great House survive, including cellars, with walls up to 2.5 m thick. Small Gothic windows and Renaissance frames can be seen on the southern side, and original brickwork has been uncovered on the elevations.

A rectory and memorial tablets

The building serves as the rectory of the nearby St John's collegiate church. To the west adjoins a partial reconstruction of the town wall, set on the original stone foundation. In the fence are tablets commemorating the proclamation in Radom of the Nihil novi constitution of 1505 and the conclusion of the Vilnius–Radom union. Renovation work under way is uncovering the foundations in the cellars for a future museum of the castle's history.

Nearby

The castle lies on Wałowa Street, a few hundred metres from the pedestrian promenade and the cathedral, so it combines easily with a walk through the centre of Radom.