Castles

Szydłów Castle

The royal castle of Szydłów sits on a slope above the Ciekąca stream valley, woven into the town's medieval walls. Both chroniclers Jan of Czarnków and Jan Długosz credit its construction to Casimir the Great, and together with the town fortifications it formed one of the largest defensive complexes of its era — hence the town's nickname, the Polish Carcassonne.

Ruins and the Little Treasury

Surviving today are the ruins of the royal palace from around 1400, a baroque gatehouse and the so-called Skarbczyk (Little Treasury) from the 15th–16th centuries, home to the Regional Museum since 1961. The two-storey residential building closed the courtyard from the south, with two rooms on each floor; a cylindrical tower once stood in the north-western corner, of which only the foundations remain.

From the Deluge to renovation

The castle was badly damaged during the Swedish Deluge and later restored by starost Józef Załuski, before falling derelict at the end of the 18th century. In the mid-20th century parts of the battlemented defensive walls were raised again, and in 2019 the castle underwent another round of renovation.

Practical

Entry leads through the gatehouse on Szkolna Street. Combine the visit with a walk through the medieval town layout: the Kraków Gate and the collegiate church are just steps away, and the courtyard features sculptures of Polish kings.