The ruins of a medieval castle in Podzamcze, on the highest hill of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, on the Trail of the Eagles' Nests, open to visitors.
Ogrodzieniec Castle is the ruin of a medieval castle in the village of Podzamcze in Zawiercie County. It stands on Castle Hill, the highest elevation of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland (515.5 m above sea level), and belongs to the system of the Eagles' Nests. The manager calls it the largest castle site in Silesia and the most popular castle on the Trail of the Eagles' Nests. The ruins are open to visitors as a permanent ruin.
The first fortifications probably stood here as early as the 12th century, and the wooden stronghold was most likely burned during the Tatar invasion of 1241. The stone castle was built by Casimir the Great as part of the defence of the south-western border of the kingdom. The castle was fitted into the rocks: on three sides it was sheltered by high rock walls, the entrance led through a narrow cleft, and the perimeter was closed by a stone wall.
In 1387 Władysław Jagiełło granted the stronghold to Włodek of Charbinowice, and the Włodek Sulimczyk family held it for nearly a hundred years. In 1530-1545 Seweryn Boner rebuilt it as a Renaissance residence, and from the 1560s it belonged to the Firlej family. In 1587 it was taken by the troops of Archduke Maximilian, and in 1655, during the Swedish Deluge, it was partly burned by the Swedes.
After the Deluge the castle was bought by Stanisław Warszycki, who rebuilt it in 1669-1680 and surrounded it with earth bastions. After his death the building fell into ruin, and in 1702 half of the castle burned in a fire started by the troops of Charles XII. The last residents left it around 1810.
For decades local residents took stone from the walls to build houses. In 1885 the traveller and local-history enthusiast Aleksander Janowski came to the ruins, and inspired by the castle, the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society was founded in 1906. The writer Adolf Dygasiński called the ruins an eagle's nest, which is the origin of the name of the Land of the Eagles' Nests.
In January 1945 the ruins suffered further damage. After the war the site was cleared of rubble and the walls were secured; conservation work lasted from 1949 to 1973. The castle was then opened to tourists. Today it is owned by the municipality of Ogrodzieniec, and since 1995 it has been managed by the municipal company "Zamek".
The castle consists of a lower ward and an upper castle. The lower ward once held stables, coach houses, a smithy, a brewery and a distillery, and a torture chamber is now set up in the southern corner. The upper castle had a kitchen, a well and reception rooms. The whole site covers about 3.5 ha, and the defensive wall is about 400 m long. The oldest part, the High Castle, stands on a rock to the north. In the lords' courtyard a rainwater cistern and the haiduk shops have been reconstructed, and on the lowest storey of the Hen's Foot (Kurza Stopa) fragments of Renaissance frescoes with lilies have survived.
The castle has often served as a film location. Productions shot here include the series "Janosik" (1973), Andrzej Wajda's "Revenge" ("Zemsta", 2001) and scenes for the series "The Witcher" (2019). In neighbouring Podzamcze stands a chapel built from castle elements, with a cannonball said to have fallen into the castle during the Swedish Deluge.
About 1.2 km from the castle is the Stronghold on Birów Hill, a reconstructed royal stronghold. The manager's website states that archaeological research has confirmed the presence of people in the rock massif as early as 30,000 years ago.
The castle lies on the route of the Trail of the Eagles' Nests, about 1.6 km from the ruins.
Right next to it, about 100 m away, is the Miniature Park in Ogrodzieniec.
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