Poland had a very turbulent history. As it lays in the centre of Europe it often stood “on the way” for marches of great armies e.g., Russian, German or French in their pursuits to the east or west. This is why Poland repeatedly was involved in major European conflicts. Polish area was so precious that even for 123 years it totally vanished from the maps of Europe partitioned totally by its neighbours. All of this explains the creation of many interesting castles and palaces that can be admired to this day. Below we present top 10 castles and palaces in Poland and their major regions of occurrence by ITS DMC Poland, a local travel agent.
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Castle and palaces regions in Poland
Complicated history explains well the need of creation of castles and strongholds. First more distinct of them, appear in the Middle Ages and are connected with the fights of crusaders Teutonic Knight Order in the Pomerania and Warmia regions. Nowadays, ITS DMC Poland states that they constitute a huge legacy and admirable Gothic brick castles are extremely popular among tourists. Another, set of castles were connected with the Medieval Polish king figure Casimir III the Great. It is said that he started his rule in a wooden Poland and left the country built of stone and this is no exaggeration. Castles and their ruins that were first built then still exist in the south of Poland and especially in Lesser Poland Region. Yet another, probably the richest region in castles and palaces is situated in Lower Silesia. The region has probably the highest density of magnificent castles and palaces in the country. Palaces here are connected with German rule and German inhabitants of the lands. Finally, moving the capital of the country to Warsaw in 1596 was a cause of construction of many palaces and grand buildings in its area.
Top castles and palaces in Poland by ITS DMC Poland
- Malbork Castle
- Royal Baths
- Wilanow Palace
- Ksi
- az
- Castle
- Wawel Castle
Malbork Castle
It is located in Malbork, about 1-hour drive from Gdansk. It is in terms of the area the biggest brick castle in the world and is also enlisted at the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. It was a capital town of the crusaders Teutonic Knights Order in the Medieval Period. Nowadays, tourists can see 3 units within this castle: upper, middle and lower one. Sightseeing takes usually at least half a day. It is possible to see the castle with a regular guide or an audio guide. The most interesting parts include dining chamber, amber exhibition and the castle’s chapel. ITS DMC Poland suggests, after living the castle grounds, to cross Nogat river with a pedestrian bridge to admire panorama of the castle from the other river bank. It allows to fully appreciate the might of the whole construction.
Royal Baths
It is often called “the Palace on Water” as it is situated between two ponds in the beautiful Royal Baths park and gardens in the centre of the Polish capital Warsaw. The Royal Baths was the summer residence of Polish King Stanislaw August. It is made up of classicist monuments and historical gardens. The palace itself is just a one of a few buildings that are usually visited in Royal Baths cluster. It is one of the most valuable Polish monuments in the classicist style and hosts the Royal Picture Gallery. ITS DMC Poland advises to visit Royal Baths in summer months and to listen to Frederic Chopin music piano concerts that are organized free of charge in the park by the famous monument of the composer.
Wilanow Palace
Wilanow Palace is located in Warsaw. The palace itself is not very big but along with beautiful Baroque gardens it is a definite must-see point in the capital. The palace also tells the romantic story of the most famous couple in Polish history King John III Sobieski and his wife Marysienka. Their love letters are still in Polish literary canon. The palace was built in the 17th century and was later on expanded. It represents the characteristic type of Baroque suburban residence. Tourists apart from admiring architecture and gardens can see interior design items and historic clothes exhibition. ITS DMC Poland also recommends to see this place in winter where Royal Gardens of Light installation is organised and the palace gardens glitter with thousands of fairy lights.
Ksiaz Castle
It is located in Lower Silesia region just slightly over 1-hour drive from Wroclaw. It is one of the three the biggest castles in Poland (along with Malbork and Wawel). It is beautifully situated among forested hills of Walbrzych town region that brings to mind famous Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. The castle grounds, gardens, palm house and horse stables are such an interesting and vast complex that ITS DMC Poland says that it is good to plan almost a whole day for sightseeing. Apart from legendary figure of Princess Daisy, Ksiaz is shrouded in mysteries of WWII and Adolf Hitler himself. It is really worth to visit the castle to learn about their stories.
Wawel Castle
It is foremost the seat of Polish Kings. Wawel Castle is located on the Wawel Hill in Cracow and offers a few sightseeing tourist routes, the most interesting ones include Royal Chambers and Royal Apartments. On Wawel Hill visitors will also find Wawel Cathedral and the Cathedral Museum, Below the Wawel hill tourists will also find a cave called the Dragon’s Den and a statue of famous legendary Wawel Dragon the symbol of the city. ITS DMC Poland warns to be beware of the dragon as it still blows fire. This is of course a joke but the figure blows real fire and it is loved by tourists.
Summing up, Poland can boast many magnificent castles and palaces and the above-mentioned examples are just the top 5 by ITS DMC Poland. If you enjoy sightseeing castles and palaces, we recommend visiting either Pomerania or Lower Silesia regions where whole weeks can be spent just on castles, palaces and romantic ruins sightseeing. Also, if you plan to visit any of the huge Polish agglomerations such as Warsaw, Cracow or Gdansk; visiting the above buildings is a real must. If you need any help in your group tour planning or trip organisation, feel free to contact ITS DMC Poland. The professional group advisors there will be at your disposal. Start your Polish journey still today!
