The Royal Castle in Chęciny was built on a rocky hiltop at the turn of XIII and XIV century. For the first time, the castle was meant in the Wladyslaw the Elbow-high document from 1306. Prince Wladyslaw gave this facility (together with 11 villages) to Bishop of Cracow, Jan Muskata. After the political argument, in the year 1308, the fortalice was back in Wladyslaw’s hands. During his kingship, Chęciny was the second knighthood centre in Poland, after Cracow. Here, in 1320 prince Wladyslaw became polish king as Wladyslaw the First. During this royal ceremony, famous polish sword „Szczerbiec” was used. We have a copy of this sword and you can watch it in our castle’s chapel, above the royal treasury.
The fortalice was a building of high importance. In 1331, Wladyslaw and his son Casimir, invited the representation of all polish knighthood lands, which is called „the first polish parliament sitting”. Then, both the king and the prince, went off to the battle of Plowce, June 14th. King Casimir the Great has expended the castle: the bastilles were upped to 30 metres, the great chambers were built, and the lower castle was started to build.
Chęciny castle served as a prison of state as well. For example, Andrzej the Hunchbacked, king Wladyslaw Jagiello half-brother spent ten years here for treason. The stink and dirt of bastille’s dungeon almost made him lost his mind. Michael Sternberg, after the battle
of Koronowo in October 1410, was imprisoned here also. Conditions of his imprisonment were altough very good. He even got a horse and could ride on it around the area. Later he will become the Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights (from 1414 to 1422).
Fortress was a place where the Royal Family had stayed. For example, Elisabeth – Casimir the Great’s sister, stayed here with her son Luis I of Hungary. Jagiello’s wife, Sofia Holszanska and her son Wladyslaw found here a shelter from plague, which were very dangerous for all citizens of Cracow. 1.5 million golden coins was kept in the castle’s treasury, in the name
of Queen Bona Sforza, by her trusted man – Bracaccio. When she was leaving Chęciny, her treasury was transported by 24 horse-drawn wagons. There were 140 horses included in this operation. Which means there were 6 horses on one wagon. Unfortunately, some of the coins were drawned
in the Nida river, only 6 kilometres from Chęciny. Bona sent a knight to find help, but nobody want to give any. This soldier committed a suicide then. Dark knight is showing up untill now as
a memento.
For the first time, the castle was conquered by a trickery in 1607 by rebellious divisions, commanded by Nicolas Zebrzydowski. The buildings were set on fire, the armoury was stolen and the fortifications were severely damaged. Zebrzydowski was a calvinism believer and a voivode of Sandomierz. He betrayed the polish, catholic king and has started a civil war. King Zygmunt the Third, with a little help from his friends, famous hetmans: Zolkiewski and Chodkiewicz, defeated the Rokosz Rebellion and defended the catholic faith in Poland.
In the year 1610 the starost of Chęciny – Stanislaw Branicki restored and expanded the castle. In the year 1657, in the era of Swedish Deluge, the Chęciny fortress was devastated by George Rakoczy’s troops. After that, it was restored again. However, during the North War, the Swedish troops burned the castle again. Then it was no longer the residence of the starost. The castle’s cannons launched for the last time on 11th of July 1787 in honour to the king Stanislaw August Poniatowski, while his return journey from Cracow to Warsaw via Chęciny.
After the Third Partition of Poland the castle started to fall into ruin. In that time, even the residential building with the starost’s chambers has been devastated. The castle walls were also damaged by the local people, who were free to use them as the building materials. The first repairings of the castle walls were performed in the 1880s. Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz was a first polish famous person who talked about necessity of doing it in public.
In the year 1947 the Voivodeship Conservator entered the buildings into the Register of objects of cultural heritage and classified them as the first, the highest group possible in the country. As a result of further works carried out in the years 1948-1949, the guard tower (seriously damaged in the First World War) was renovated. In the Middle Ages it served as the last resistance point: thick walls and food stocks made it possible to await the relief there. Until now, various works are being carried out in order to secure the buildings, which are now classified as a „solid ruin”.
Chęciny castle is divided into two parts: the older one (top part) and the younger one (lower part). The top part had royal and residential character and the lower part was a place where everyday life was going on. Swords, armours, shields, golden and silver coins, and even… chess from animal horns were being prepaired there. In the middle of the castle’s yard there is a well’s mouth, which is 100 metres cored in the rock. We believe that there is a tunnel, connecting the castle and Chęciny. The entrance is probably there, in the well.
Currently, it is one of the most visited heritage site of that type in Poland. Huge bastilles dominate in the area and are visible from the road leading to Cracow. The circle of the outer defensive walls, three towers (bastilles) and the foundation of the residential buildings (Great Chambers) are preserved up to now. In the eastern tower there is an observation point and when the weather is nice, the summits of Tatra Mountains are visible.
Please let me know, if you enjoy this article and want to visit Chęciny castle very soon: https://odkryjswietokrzyskie.pl/kontakt/