Szydłów Royal Castle

Szydłów Royal Castle stands on an escarpment sloping down to the valley of the little Ciekąca river, built into the walls of the town known as the Polish Carcassonne. Its Knights' Hall from around 1400 is the best-preserved medieval residence of Polish monarchs within the former Kingdom of Poland, and since 2019 it has been roofed again and open to visitors.

History: from Casimir the Great to ruin

The chroniclers Janko of Czarnków and Jan Długosz both credit King Casimir the Great with building the stone castle and the town fortifications. Recent discoveries of previously unknown sections of wall place Szydłów among the largest defensive complexes of his reign. One hypothesis holds that the Knights' Hall was built at the end of the 14th century by Queen Jadwiga and Władysław Jagiełło, as suggested by its stylistic links to the Hungarian castle at Visegrád. Jagiełło himself stayed here 17 times, dispensing justice in the palace. The castle burned in 1528 and 1541, burned again in 1630 after a mutiny of mercenaries demanding their pay, and was then wrecked by Swedish and Transylvanian troops during the Deluge. In 1723 the starost Józef Załuski restored it, but by the end of the 18th century it stood empty, and in the 19th century it even served as a stable.

What to see

• The Knights' Hall – a two-storey stone palace measuring about 34.8 × 12.8 m, with two rooms on each floor and pointed-arch portals. Comparable stone detailing in Poland survives only at Wawel.
• The hypocaust in the cellars, a medieval hot-air heating system that warmed the throne room.
• The Skarbczyk (Treasury) from the 15th century, enlarged in 1528, which has housed the Regional Museum since 1961.
• The Baroque gatehouse from the 17th century, with the Polish coat of arms from the time of Sigismund III Vasa above the passage.
• Foundations of two round 14th-century towers and the western stretch of crenellated walls, reconstructed in 1946.

Did you know

In the late 1960s battle scenes for the historical film "Colonel Wolodyjowski" (Pan Wołodyjowski) were shot near the castle. Local legend tells of a White Lady carrying a torch who appears on the walls, and of a knight on a black horse riding past the castle at night. The castle occupied an elongated polygon of more than 7,000 m², and the town walls with the Kraków Gate survive along about 680 m.

Tripto tips

• Allow 1.5–2 hours for the castle, the Skarbczyk and a walk along the walls. Combine your visit with the Kraków Gate and the other sights of the medieval town.
• Check current opening hours and ticket prices with Szydłów municipality or the regional tourist information before you go, as small museums often change them by season.