Ruins of the Castle in Barwałd Górny

The ruins of the castle in Barwałd Górny lie at the top of Żar (527 m above sea level), in Wadowice County. Of the former stronghold only faint remains of foundations, ground-floor walls and traces of ramparts survive, along with remnants of the gate. This is a place for those who like to imagine a castle from the terrain rather than from finished walls.

A stronghold on the border of the duchy

The castle was built around the middle of the 14th century on Żar hill. According to Wikipedia it guarded the eastern borders of the Duchy of Oświęcim, whose dukes were vassals of the Bohemian kings, while on the other side of the border stood the Polish castle in Lanckorona. The builder is said to have been Duke Jan I Scholastyk. The first mention in documents dates from 1440. Later the castle belonged to, among others, the Skrzyński and Komorowski families.

Siege and demolition

In 1477 royal troops under the starost Jakub of Dębno besieged the castle for seven weeks using artillery. After the surrender Casimir IV Jagiellon ordered it to be demolished. In documents from 1564 the castle already appears as a ruin.

What can be seen today

The castle was laid out as an elongated oval measuring about 50 by 20 metres, surrounded by earth ramparts and a dry moat up to 10 metres deep. Today ramparts up to about 6 metres high survive, along with traces of foundations.

How to get there

According to the zamki.pl website, the remains are reached by the blue trail, which leads along the ridge of the hill from the monastery in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska.

Practical information

• Żar hill, Barwałd Górny; the site is a ruin, with no visitor infrastructure in the sources.
• The site is a hill with ramparts and a moat, so watch your step.