Checiny Castle

The castle above Checiny was built around 1300 on a narrow limestone ridge running east to west, which dictated its shape: a long thin enclosure with two round towers at the east end and a square one at the west, walls following the rock. It was a royal castle of some importance in the fourteenth century - the treasury of the Gniezno archdiocese was kept here from 1318, troops set out from here for the battle of Plowce in 1331, and it was a residence of queens, among them Adelaide of Hesse, wife of Kazimierz Wielki, and later Bona Sforza, and for many years a state prison. It declined from the sixteenth century and has been a ruin since the eighteenth. Restoration has made the towers climbable and the views run over the Swietokrzyskie hills. The area around is marble country - the local limestone polishes and was used in churches and palaces across Poland - and the Raj cave with its stalactites is a few kilometres away.

History

Building probably began in the late 13th century, and the castle certainly stood in 1306, when King Władysław the Elbow-high gave it to Jan Muskata, Archbishop of Kraków, and took it back a year later. Kazimierz the Great enlarged it, and queens lived here, among them Adelaide of Hesse, Sophia of Halshany and Bona Sforza, while for many years it also served as a state prison. It declined from the second half of the 16th century: in 1588 the parliament had its records moved to the church in Chęciny, and in 1607, during the Zebrzydowski Rebellion, its walls and buildings were badly damaged (Wikipedia, Chęciny Castle).

Highlights

• A ridge-shaped castle - long and narrow, with two round towers and one square.
• A treasury site - the Gniezno archdiocese treasury kept here from 1318.
• Climbable towers - views over the Swietokrzyskie hills.
• Marble country - the local limestone quarried and polished for churches across Poland.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Before you go

The approach is a steep climb. It is a ruin with limited interpretation. The ridge is exposed and towers close in high wind. Weekend crowds come from Kielce.

Nearby

Raj cave is a few kilometres away; Kielce is north.

Key facts