Poland is full of castles, from medieval fortresses to royal palaces and palace monasteries. These buildings tell the story of the country. Some of these stories are true, some are legends but all create Polish heritage.
Day 1
Warsaw
Visiting the most valuable monuments of the city such as the Royal Castle with its beautifully restored chambers and painting works by Canaletto, Bacciarelli and Rembrandt. In the vicinity of the Castle, there is the Sigismund’s Column, commemorating the ruler who moved the capital from Krakow to Warsaw at the end of the 17th century. Along the Palace Route, there is the Palace on the Water. At present, the Łazienki Park [the Royal Baths Park] is an extensive park with picturesque alleys, canals and small ponds, decorated with numerous outstanding sculptures. While visiting this unique place, you may also admire the Myślewicki Palace, the Old Guardhouse, the Old Orangery, the New Orangery and the magnificent Amphitheatre. At the southern end of Warsaw, surrounded by the greenery of the historic park of Wilanów, a seventeenth century residence of King John III Sobieski is located. The Palace is sometimes called „the Polish Versailles.” This is a magnificent residence of richly decorated chambers and with the Portrait Gallery containing pictures of Polish monarchs and magnates.
Day 2
The Zamoyski Palace in Kozłówka
Late Baroque magnate residence, the former seat of the aristocratic families of Bielinski and Zamoyski. The palace is one of Poland’s official national Historic Monuments and one of the most monumental and representative magnate residences in Poland.
Day 3
The ruins of the Krzysztopór Castle
The ruins are regarded as one of the most fascinating ruins in Europe. According to the legend, the castle was built in accordance with the following concept: as many towers as there are seasons in a year, as many ballrooms as there are months, the number of rooms equal to the number of weeks, and the number of windows equal to the number of days in a year.
The Castle in Baranów Sandomierski
One of the most beautiful aristocratic buildings of the 16th century in Poland. In the corners of the building, there are towers in the shape of a cylinder. The Castle includes a beautiful courtyard surrounded with galleries. The entire complex also encompasses a beautiful geometric garden with fountains, as well as a large park.
Day 4
The Sieniawa Palace
Historic complex of six buildings, with its front building of the 18th-century Ducal Palace, surrounded with one of the most beautiful Poland’s park of 29 hectares.
The Castle in Łańcut
One of the most beautiful aristocratic residences in Poland, famous for its excellent interiors and interesting collection of horse carriages. The Palace interiors are richly decorated with stylish furniture, crystal chandeliers, as well as rich collections of paintings, silverware and porcelain. The palace complex is surrounded with an old and picturesque park in the English style with an orangery.
The Castle in Krasiczyn
One of the most beautiful Renaissance residences in Poland. It was built at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. The construction includes four corner towers. The Castle is abundant in paintings depicting Polish kings, as well as biblical and hunting scenes.
Day 5
The Royal Castle in Niepołomice
It is a Gothic Castle of the mid-14th century, which was built at the request of King Casimir the Great, to serve as a summer residence during hunting trips to the nearby forests.
Day 6
Kraków The Royal Castle
Visiting the Stately Royal Chambers decorated with the original Flemish tapestries depicting biblical scenes and coats of arms. Other rooms worthy of the visitor’s attention are the Senator’s Hall, which is the largest room in the Castle and the Envoys’ Room with the coffered ceiling decorated with sixteenth-century statues of male and female heads, as well as the Royal Private Apartments, the Crown Treasury and the Armoury.
The Wawel Cathedral
The Gothic three-nave basilica which used to be the site of coronation and burial of former rulers, is also the centre of the cult of St. Stanislaus, the Bishop and patron of Poland, as well as of Saint Jadwiga, the Queen of Poland. The cathedral is enclosed with a chain of nineteen chapels, the most recognisable of which is the Renaissance Chapel of Sigismund, called the „Pearl of the Renaissance north of the Alps.”
Day 7
The Książ Castle
The third largest castle in Poland, consisting of more than 400 rooms. It is located on a rocky promontory and surrounded by a natural ravine. The architecture of the castle comprises all the possible styles as it has often been rebuilt and modernised.
The Kliczków Castle
The local castle was built in the 13th century. At present, it mainly serves as a hotel and conference centre.
Day 8
The Gothic Castle in Kórnik
Rebuilt in the English Neo-Gothic style, houses a library, collections of paintings from the 14th to the 19th centuries, as well as engravings and manuscripts. The palace is situated on an island surrounded with a moat. In the adjacent arboretum, on forty hectares of land, about three thousand species of trees and shrubs have been gathered, many of them exotic.
The Palace in Rogalin
Decorated in the style of the late Baroque, is one of the most famous former aristocratic residences in Wielkopolska. The interiors of the Palace are filled with collections of arms and family memorabilia of its owners. Next to the Palace, there is a historic carriage house.
Day 9
The Gothic Castle Golub-Dobrzyń
Originally, in the 13th and 14th centuries it was a fortress of the Teutonic Knights; at present, it is a place where knights tournaments are held.The largest Gothic castle complex in the world, with the area of approximately 21 hectares and the total capacity of buildings exceeding a quarter million cubic meters.
The Castle in Malbork
The largest brick construction built by human. It consists of the Upper, Middle and Lower Castles, the Cathedral and the Palace of the Grand Master, as well as gates, towers and ramparts.
