Historic sites
a fortified border castle on the Leśna Reservoir on gneiss rocks, today a hotel and conference centre
Historic sites
a Prussian complex of six 18th-century forts, home to a wartime POW camp for officers
Historic sites
a Gothic ruin on a high cliff in the Karkonosze National Park, burned by lightning in 1675
Historic sites
a stronghold on a basalt hill with roots reaching back to the 12th century, on the Piast Castles Trail
Historic sites
neo-Gothic residence of Marianne of Orange, designed by Schinkel, with four towers 33.6 metres high
Historic sites
ruins of a stronghold on a granite outcrop in the Rudawy Janowickie, rebuilt in the 19th century as an inn
Historic sites
a Gothic castle above the Kwisa, once a border stronghold of Duke Bolko I, today a conference hotel
Historic sites
a Renaissance residence of the Piasts of Oleśnica with sgraffito facades, today the seat of the Voluntary Labour Corps
Historic sites
Baroque ruins and a Gothic residential tower by the Barycz river, a former residence of the von Hatzfeld family
Historic sites
a hunting castle from 1806, built from the start as an artificial ruin on the summit of the Łomnica Hills
Historic sites
a medieval castle rebuilt in the mid-19th century in neo-Gothic style by architect Stüler
Historic sites
the oldest brick castle in Poland, Romanesque, with a round residential tower on Góra Zamkowa above the Bóbr
Historic sites
an artificial, romantic ruin of a former Piast stronghold, arranged as a scenic feature for Książ Castle
Historic sites
a residential-defensive tower with walls 2.5 metres thick, rebuilt into the Schweinichen family's Renaissance residence
Historic sites
a palace complex in the South German Renaissance style with sgraffito on three facades, still under renovation
Historic sites
the third-largest castle in Poland, with a history going back to the 13th century and tunnels from the Second World War
Historic sites
a brick castle from 1831-1837 in the Table Mountains, currently inaccessible to visitors
Historic sites
a lost residence of the Dukes of Wrocław, its site today occupied by the university's main building
Historic sites
Historic sites
a Gothic-Renaissance moated castle with a moat and a Renaissance portal, today with a restaurant and hotel rooms
Historic sites
a private residence of the von Glaubitz and von Stosch families, a ruin being rebuilt after years of damage under state farm management
Historic sites
a ruined medieval border castle on a hilltop in the Suche Mountains, destroyed in 1482
Historic sites
one of the oldest castles in Poland, with the remains of a Romanesque chapel and two Gothic towers
Historic sites
stone ruins of a medieval 13th-century castle above the Polskie Wrota pass
Castles in Lower Silesia: mighty strongholds, Romanesque walls and ruins on rocks. See which ones you can visit and how to plan a route.
Lower Silesia has one of the biggest concentrations of castles in the country. There are Piast strongholds from the 12th and 13th centuries, Renaissance residences, neo-Gothic rebuilds from the 19th century and ruins still standing on rocky promontories. Some work today as museums, some as hotels, and some are free ruins reached by a trail.
The page also includes palaces and fortifications, because in tourism the word castle covers different buildings. Before choosing a target, decide what you are looking for: rooms to tour, ruins with a view or a hotel in medieval walls. Everything below is arranged by that question.
Książ in the Wałbrzych district of the same name is the third largest castle in Poland, after Malbork and Wawel, with an area of about 42,840 square metres. It stands above the Pełcznica gorge on the Piast Castles Trail, with over seven hundred years of history and tunnels from the Second World War. Czocha Castle in Sucha on Leśniańskie Lake is a defensive border castle with a medieval keep, today a hotel and conference centre.
The Piast Castle in Legnica is among the oldest castles in Poland: built by Bolesław I the Tall in the second half of the 12th century and expanded by Henry the Bearded. As a branch of the Copper Museum it shows relics of a Romanesque chapel and two medieval towers. Wojnowice Castle near Wrocław is a Gothic-Renaissance moated castle, one of few defensive knightly seats of this type in Poland, open to visitors and surrounded by a park.
You visit Kapitanowo Castle after calling to arrange it: the owners live there and show guests around interiors with Renaissance and baroque wall paintings. In Wołów the Piast castle serves as the county office, but its viewing tower is open during office hours. In Jawor the ducal castle from the 13th century was rebuilt in the 18th century as a prison that worked until 1956.
Ruins are castles for walkers. Wleń Castle on Castle Hill above the Bóbr is regarded as the oldest masonry castle in Poland and one of few in the Romanesque style, and the ruins were opened after securing works. Chojnik Castle is a Gothic ruin on a mountaintop in Karkonosze National Park at 627 metres, burnt by lightning in 1675. Bolczów Castle stands on a granite outcrop in the Rudawy Janowickie, about 15 kilometres from Jelenia Góra, and its history includes Hussite destruction and a 19th-century attempt to rebuild it as an inn.
Niesytno Castle is a ruin from the 14th-15th century on a rocky promontory in the Kaczawskie Mountains, at about 550 m, on the Piast Castles Trail. Rogowiec Castle in the Suche Mountains lies on a hill 870 metres high: the old border stronghold destroyed in 1482 was never rebuilt. In the Wałbrzych Mountains the ruins of Nowy Dwór Castle are reached by a yellow trail. The ruins of Gryf Castle lie between Gryfów Śląski and Mirsk, those of Cisy Castle in Cieszów near Świebodzice, and those of Homole Castle above the Polskie Wrota pass.
Finally, something unusual: Henry's Castle on Grodna hill in the Łomnica Hills is a hunting castle from 1806, built from the start as an artificial ruin and renovated in 2015-2016. Old Książ Castle in Wałbrzych has a similar character, an artificial ruin rebuilt in the late 18th century as a viewing element for Książ.
Several objects now serve as hotels. Kliczków Castle is a Gothic stronghold from the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries on the Kwisa, today a hotel and conference centre. Karpniki Castle in the Rudawy Janowickie has roots in the 14th century, and its present neo-Gothic look comes from a rebuild in the mid-19th century designed by Friedrich August Stüler. The manor in Ślęza, known as Topacz Castle, works as a five-star resort hotel with a Gothic tower from the 14th-15th century. The palace in Warmątowice Sienkiewiczowskie near Legnica is a hotel offering weddings and conferences.
If you prefer palaces, see the Korn Palace in Pawłowice from 1895, surrounded by a 7.2-hectare park, and the neo-Gothic palace of Marianne of Orange in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki. The castle in Ząbkowice Śląskie is the brick ruin of a 16th-century Renaissance castle, open to visitors.
Silesian castles form routes. The Piast Castles Trail includes Książ, Grodziec and Niesytno. Grodziec Castle stands on a basalt hill 389 metres high, and its history reaches the 12th century and the stronghold of the Bobrzanie. The Srebrna Góra Fortress is a Prussian complex of six forts from 1765-1777 on the pass below Srebrna Góra, where a prisoner-of-war camp for Polish officers operated in the Second World War.
For one day choose an area with several objects close together. Wałbrzych combines Książ, Old Książ and Nowy Dwór. Around Bolków are Niesytno and Świny. If you like a town with several castles, open the page about castles in Lwówek Śląski, where some objects lie in the surrounding villages.
The tag also covers objects that are closed or gone. Leśna Castle in the Table Mountains is currently closed to visitors. The palace in Dalków is private and under renovation, and you see the interiors only with the owner. The Schaffgotsch Palace in Cieplice serves as a teaching centre of Wrocław University of Science and Technology and has no regular visits. The castle in Gorzanów is under renovation. And the imperial castle in Wrocław no longer exists: the main building of the University of Wrocław stands on its site. Do not plan a visit to these places unless information on the site's page has changed.
Książ in Wałbrzych, the third largest castle in Poland, after Malbork and Wawel.
Wleń Castle is regarded as the oldest masonry castle in Poland, and the Piast Castle in Legnica is among the oldest in the country.
In Kliczków, Karpniki, Czocha and in the manor in Ślęza, that is Topacz Castle. Check room availability with the site.
Ruins such as Nowy Dwór are reached by a trail. Check the entry rules of each object on its page.
The closest is Wojnowice Castle, a moated castle about 25 kilometres from the city. For a longer trip choose Wałbrzych with Książ.
