Historic sites
octagonal 18th-century park pavilion with the Wielopolski coat of arms
Historic sites
ruins of a castle from the early 15th century at the top of a hill between the Soła and the Koszarawa
Historic sites
brick building from the late 19th century in the frontage of the Żywiec Market Square, still the seat of the town office
Historic sites
the Habsburg palace from 1871-1885 with a Hall of Mirrors and a coat of arms on the projection
Historic sites
manor house of 1720 rebuilt as a villa, with a park with a pond and a 40-metre white poplar
Historic sites in Żywiec: the Habsburg New Castle, the Chinese House in the park, the town hall, Klementynka villa and castle ruins on Grojec hill.
The five sites include the palace complex on Zamkowa Street as well as the market square, a manor rebuilt as a villa and medieval ruins on a hill above town. Most are close together in the centre, so they make an easy walk. For anyone interested in Żywiec's past, it is a good set for a first day in town.
On Zamkowa Street stand the New Castle, also called the Habsburg palace, and in the park the Chinese House. Both share the address Zamkowa 4.
The brick, neoclassical palace was built in 1871-1885 for Archduke Albrecht after a design by Karol Pietschke. It was extended several times after completion: in 1893-1895 a wing with a glazed roof was added, later a pavilion with a ballroom known as the mirror hall, and in 1911 a projecting bay. The Chinese House is an octagonal, two-storey pavilion dating to the later 1700s, funded by the Wielopolski family. Their Starykoń coat of arms can be seen above the roof. A cafe works on the ground floor and a gallery upstairs. It entered the register of monuments in 1987. More about the family's story is in the article on the Habsburgs and the Archducal Brewery.
The town hall stands on the northern side of the Rynek at number 2, and Klementynka villa at Paderewskiego 10 in the town centre.
The town hall is four-storey, brick and eclectic, from the late 19th century, and its origins go back to the townhouse of the Kantorowski family from around 1620. Today it houses the municipal office, so it is a building to admire from the outside only. Right beside it stands the co-cathedral dedicated to the Nativity of Mary, so both can be seen in one walk around the Rynek. Klementynka began as a manor in 1720 and became a villa in 1887. It had defensive features: cellars with walls two and a half metres thick and loopholes. A park with a forty-metre white poplar surrounds it.
Yes, the castle on Grojec hill is a ruin on a summit 612 m above sea level, between the Soła and Koszarawa rivers.
The register of monuments lists the site under the heading of ruins. An early medieval stronghold stood on top first, then in the early 15th century a castle of the Skrzyński knights of the Łabędź coat of arms, destroyed in 1477. After the Second World War the building of a television relay station wrecked a large part of the site, which makes exact dating impossible. Further places in town sit on the Żywiec page, for example parks and nature in Żywiec and museums in Żywiec, and the regional roundup is historic sites in Silesia.
On Zamkowa Street, next to the park. From there you can walk to the Chinese House.
A cafe on the ground floor and a gallery on the upper floor.
It is the seat of the municipal office, so the building is best seen from outside, from the Rynek.
It stands on a hill 612 m above sea level. The castle is a ruin today.
