Castles

Sandomierz Castle

The brick castle above the Vistula was raised by Casimir the Great after the Lithuanian raid of 1349, on the site of an older stronghold. The king grew fond of this residence — he visited it 18 times and spent a total of 25 months here. Today the surviving wing houses a museum, and the terrace in front of the castle looks out over the bend of the Vistula that has appeared in many paintings.

The blast that changed the castle

On the night of 2–3 April 1656 the Swedish garrison evacuated by river and blew the fortress up, using 300 hundredweight of gunpowder. The explosion — it went off while looting was underway — killed around 500 people. Of the entire complex only the west wing survived, still the oldest part of the building. A quieter episode is worth remembering too: in 1478 Barbara Jagiellon, daughter of Casimir IV Jagiellon and future Duchess of Saxony, was born here.

From prison to museum

The ruined residence was rebuilt in 1680–1688 thanks to Jan III Sobieski, who added the representative piano nobile. After the partitions the Austrians installed a court and a prison — the penitentiary function survived, with interruptions, until 1959. Since 1986 the castle walls have housed the Castle Museum with its archaeological and historical exhibitions.

Visiting

The castle stands on the river escarpment, a few minutes' walk from the cathedral and the Opatów Gate — an easy addition to a stroll around the old town. Combine your visit with a walk along the boulevards and the viewpoint by the castle, which offers the best view of the winding Vistula.