Ksiaz Castle
One Of The Largest Castles In Silesia And In Poland, Begun Around 1288 And Rebuilt In Baroque Style By The Hochberg Family, Then Taken Over By The Nazis In The Second World War. Its Terraced Gardens And Rock Tunnels Draw Treasure Hunt Legends About The Amber Room And The Nazi Project Riese Tunnels Nearby · Walbrzych, Lower Silesian
Ksiaz is one of the largest castles in Poland, a sprawling palace on a rock above a wooded valley near Walbrzych in Lower Silesia, about 70 km from Wroclaw. A fortress was begun here around 1288 and the site was later rebuilt in baroque style by the Hochberg family, who lived here until the Second World War. The show rooms include the grand Maximilian Hall, with its painted ceiling and gallery. Below the walls the terraced gardens step down the hillside, and the old horse stables stand nearby. The Nazis took the castle in the war and worked on it. Stories of the Amber Room and of the secret Project Riese tunnels in the hills around are told here; they are legend and speculation, not proven fact, and nobody has shown the Amber Room is hidden here. Come for the architecture and the setting, not for a treasure. The interiors are partly bare after wartime losses, and the town of Walbrzych below is a tired mining town.
Ul. Ksiaz 1, Walbrzych, on a rock above the Pelcznica river valley in the Sudetes foothills, Walbrzych, Lower Silesian, Poland
The castle is a museum and hotel complex, and the interior is visited on timed tours or set routes. It is commonly closed to visitors on Mondays, with longer daily hours in summer and shorter ones from autumn to spring. The last entry is often an hour or more before closing. The terraced gardens and the courtyard approach are outdoors and often free to walk, though parts may be ticketed or closed in winter. The stables and any tunnel or special tour have their own seasonal times. Confirm opening days, tour times and what is free close to your date, because they change by season.