Grodno Castle - a gem of Lower Silesia. Check the history, price list and access
Grodno Castle in Zagórz Silesia is one of the gems of Lower Silesia. It is wonderfully located on Mount Choina covered by the reserve, by the picturesque Bystrzycki Lake. In recent years, a new, nice bridge has been hung over it, replacing the old one. It is a very charming place that I highly recommend visiting, because the castle is unique and magical, which you can feel here at every step. The hotel and the recently fashionable Spa have not been arranged here, but you will often meet knights here and feel the atmosphere of the old stronghold. It kidnaps us. We value it! The castle is open to the public all year round.
Access to the castle
As the Grodno Castle is located in a nature reserve, it is not possible to drive up to the building by car. It is best to leave the car in the village in a free parking lot and walk to the castle for about 10 minutes. The route leads slightly uphill, not very steep. The road without asphalt is compacted, but in bad weather there may be mud.
Tourist castle Grodno
The tourist career of the castle began quite early, as early as in the mid-nineteenth century, during the time of Count Friedrich von Burghaus. His descendants rebuilt the castle and at the beginning of the 20th century, Grodno Castle became one of the most visited castles in Poland. Inside, there was a museum, an inn, and a skeleton of a princess appeared in the dungeon, referring to the legend according to which Margaret did not obey her father and instead of marrying an old candidate for a husband, she threw him off a rock. My father saw everything from the castle tower and threw Margaret into the dungeon, where she died of hunger. Children like this story, just like climbing this tower. The view from here is beautiful 🙂 No wonder, Grodno Castle is one of the most beautiful strongholds of Lower Silesia, at the junction of the Wałbrzych and Owl Mountains, away from buildings, with surrounding forests and mountains.
Once the owner of the Castle was the PTTK Branch of the Wałbrzych Region, which arranged a Museum and a hostel here. Since 2009, the owner of the Grodno castle is the Walim commune and the castle is taken care of by the local government institution of the Centre for Culture and Tourism in Walim, whose aim is, among others, to renovate the castle. Grodno Castle is a place of numerous cultural and tourist events, and even several films were shot here. The most popular events at the castle are the National Amateur Film Festival "White Lady" in August and the Princess Agnes Fair in May.
Visiting Grodno Castle
You enter the castle through a beautiful Renaissance gatehouse, with an impressive decoration made in the sgraffito technique. The lower courtyard of the Grodno Castle is available free of charge, you can visit the Knight's Tavern here. You will also see an old court linden tree, over 400 years old. The name came from the fact that courts were held there.
Today, events are often held in the lower courtyard with the participation of the local knightly brotherhood. Interestingly, the lower courtyard is also available for tourists with dogs, if they are kept on a leash.
The paid tourist route leads through the Gothic upper castle and can be walked with a guide during the week, which is included in the ticket price, and independently on weekends and holidays. An audio guide can be rented on site. In addition to Polish, English, Czech and German are available.
Visiting the castle takes about 60 minutes!
On the route through Grodno Castle there is: a gatehouse with a beautiful portal, a chapel building with a Renaissance portal, a castle hall, a torture room, penitential crosses, a dungeon of Princess Margaret, an upper courtyard, a knight's hall, a hunting hall, princely halls and a wet room. The castle also has a Multimedia Bioeducation Center with a modern multimedia room dedicated to the "Mount Choina" nature reserve and a cinema room.
Our impressions of visiting Grodno Castle
The first thing that captivated me in the paid part is the wonderful portal in the gatehouse. He is not the only one in this castle, I do not know about you, but I always pay attention to them, because I like them very much and they make a big impression on me. The whole castle of Grodno is a place that makes an impression, the atmosphere of the old stronghold is felt here.
The dark underworld talks about the torture that used to be used, and after the stories about it, you learn that you were not quite safe here either. Overhead, venomous spiders hang in the dark, cave netters with their cocoons, in which their next generation grows. We know them from Jurassic caves. Relax, they are not dangerous to life or even health. However, the bite is quite painful, compared to that of a hornet. Of course, spiders are interested in cocoons, not tourists.
In the basement you will also see the skeleton of Princess Margaret. According to the legend, she did not obey her father and instead of marrying a given candidate for a husband - an old but rich baron, she threw him off a rock. She loved a young and poor squire. My father saw everything from the castle tower and threw Margaret into the dungeon, where she died of hunger. Children like this story, just like climbing this tower. The view from here is beautiful. I told Amelka briefly about Małgorzata earlier and after entering the castle, regardless of the guide's stories, she cries: Mom, I found these bones, I found bones !!!
In the upper rooms, we learn that only men had access to some significant parts of the castle. But the owner's dog had great privileges. It is strange, but the dog was no accident, he once saved the life of the son of the owner of this castle. One of the paintings tells about it and it is true, not a legend.
Anyway, the paintings, the beautiful Knight's Hall, the Prince's Rooms, Amelka liked the multimedia room with a nature film viewed lying down, a jacket on the bags. After the whole expedition to Lower Silesia, when asked what she liked the most, she mentioned this film in the first place in the castle.
Check out our ranking: The most beautiful castles in Poland with Grodno Castle
Trails to Grodno Castle
You can reach Grodno Castle either from the village of Zagórze Śląskie, or from Lake Bystrzyckie, via a new suspension bridge. It leads over the reservoir, and behind the bridge the path leads to the left. There are marked trails to the castle:
- blue trail - E-3 - Atlantic - Black Sea
- green trail - Trail of Piast Castles
- yellow route - Wałbrzych Główny railway station - Świdnica Miasto railway station
Information for parents with young children
Grodno Castle is not suitable for trolley tours. From the parking lot, you have to walk uphill for about 10 minutes, where the wheelchair could eventually handle good weather, but there are several steps to overcome under the castle itself, and real obstacles start when visiting the castle, which is certainly not adapted to wheelchairs. If you are planning a longer stay in the castle, for example in an inn, you can eventually leave a stroller somewhere in the castle courtyard and take your child to explore the castle in a stretcher.
History of Grodno Castle
The Grodno Castle in Zagórze Śląski in Lower Silesia was most likely built in the 13th century, during the time of the Piast prince of Świdnica, Bolek I. It protected the route running through the Bystrzyca valley. During the reign of Bolek II in the fourteenth century, the upper castle was expanded, which consisted of a defensive tower, two stone buildings, a gate tower, wooden outbuildings and a large courtyard. The whole area is surrounded by a defensive wall.
The fate of Grodno Castle, which today enjoys a 700-year history, was variable. It all began with the Silesian Piasts, through the Czech Crown, the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, to end again in Polish hands.
From the Gothic building in the 16th century, the Grodno Castle acquired the features of the Renaissance, at that time bastion fortifications were created surrounding the courtyards of the central and lower castles. At that time, Grodno was considered one of the most impressive residences in Silesia. At the end of the 16th century, the magnificence of this building came to an end, although today it still delights what is left of it🙂
Inn and accommodation at Grodno Castle
In the Grodno Castle, in an impressive gatehouse, there is the Knights' Inn. The restaurant is open every day, during the castle's opening hours. Interestingly, you will have a typical Silesian dinner here - beef roulade with blue cabbage and noodles. In addition, the Silesian sky - a pre-war regional dish.
In addition, the inn also offers accommodation in a historic gatehouse from 1570. There are two double rooms and one suite with an adjacent lounge. The prices are very decent and the circumstances are very interesting.
https://karczma.zamekgrodno.pl/
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Video about the castle
We also invite you to watch our video about this beautiful castle. I hope you enjoy it, so don't forget your thumbs up and your membership.
Access to the castle
Zagórze Śląskie is not a large town, so it will be difficult to get here without having your own car. There is no public transport here and it is even more difficult to find a railway station. So if you don't have your own car, all that's left is a taxi or something like Uber.
The nearest larger city is Wałbrzych. From there you have to go to Kłodzko DW381. After a few kilometers from the exit from the city, after the Orlen petrol station, turn to Dziećmorowice and in them choose a turn with signs to Zagórze Śląskie. Unfortunately, it is a local, narrow and not very level road, but it leads straight to the main parking area. The entire route is about 12 kilometers. The map can be found below.
Another larger city in the area is Świdnica. This route will take about 16 kilometers. Initially, you need to go to Bystrzycka Street. It leads through Bystrzyca Główna and Lubachów to Zagórze Śląskie to the same parking lot.
Bystrzyckie Lake
After the castle, it is definitely worth going down or climbing up to Lake Bystrzyckie, also in Zagórze Śląskie. It was created at the beginning of the 20th century, on the waters of the Bystrzyca River, as a dam reservoir. Once, an old suspension bridge was thrown over the lake, which has now been replaced by a new footbridge. It's nice to walk through it, there are benches and multimedia sounds of birds waiting here. And the views are quite cool, to the beach with equipment rental, a swimming pool, a hotel and, of course, a wonderful lake surrounded by Sudeten hills!
Aquarium in Zagorze
Beyond the lake, it is also worth visiting the new Aquarium opened in 2020 - the Tourist Traffic Service Center in Zagórze Śląskie, but unfortunately we arrived here too late and the Aquarium was already closed. It is also a regional tourist information point and a centre of environmental education. The name comes from the fact that the building houses a large freshwater aquarium, which we managed to see through the glazed building.
Parking is payable here, you can start a tour of the area, as there are hiking trails to the new footbridge at Lake Bystrzycki, Grodno Castle, water dam, viewing platforms and other interesting places in the area. The path to the castle is also located by the footbridge.
Practical information
All year
Mon-Fri 9.00-18.00, Sat-Sun 9.00-19.00,
X-IV Mon-Fri 9.00-17.00, Sat-Sun 9.00-18.00
Tickets: normal PLN 28, reduced PLN 23 Discount PLN
2 on a ticket with the Large Family Card
Audioguide in Polish, English, Czech and German - PLN 4 per rental
Guided tours last about 1.5 hours
On-site inn and toilets
Parking: free in the forest at the foot of the hill, from here it is about 15 minutes on foot to the castle
Current ticket prices and visiting hours can be found at:
https://zamekgrodno.pl/ Castle inaccessible to dogs. With a dog, you can only enter the courtyard without a ticket.
Castle Grodno
Castle Hill, Zagórze Silesian
Mountains Choina (450 m above sea level)
Green Trail of Piast Castles
tel. 74/ 845-33-60, 723-973-354
Rent a car
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What's worth seeing in the area?
If you have already visited this attraction, it is also worth visiting several other interesting ones places nearby. Within a radius of 100 kilometers you will find many interesting places places that can diversify your stay in this part of Poland.
- Church of Peace in Świdnica, distance: 12.2 km
- Książ Castle, distance: 13.3 km
- Szczeliniec Wielki, distance: 29.8 km
- Ostrów Tumski in Wrocław, distance: 60.3 km
- Wrocław Zoo with Afrkarium, distance: 61.2 km
- Bear Cave in Kletno, distance: 64.9 km
- Palace in Kopice, distance: 73.9 km
- Sky Walk Tower in Świeradów Zdrój, distance: 77.2 km
- Czocha Castle, distance: 83.7 km
- Barycz Valley, distance: 97.9 km
