Krzyżtopór Castle

Krzyżtopór Castle in Ujazd is an extremely powerful, visible from afar ruins of the once magnificent Ossoliński castle. Did you know that this 17th-century mansion, founded by Krzysztof Ossoliński, was in its heyday the most powerful magnate building not only in Poland but also in Europe? And so it was until the creation of the French Versailles. 

It got its name from the large bas-reliefs of the cross and axe visible at the entrance gate. They symbolize attachment to the faith and the coat of arms of Ossoliński. You will see them today as soon as you get closer to the castle. It is a real pearl of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. It was located about 15 km southwest of Opatów, by the road No. 758 connecting Iwaniska with Klimontów.

Krzyżtopór Castle - a secured ruin

The castle makes a great impression and today it is a protected, permanent ruin, made available for tourists to visit. We love the castle of Krzyżtopór and although we are not close here, we have already admired these walls four times up close. They are huge, mysterious and fascinating. Every time they surprise us and delight us again!

Tour of Krzyżtopór Castle

Visiting the ruins of the castle takes place individually or in groups with a guide. Through numerous corners, rooms and basements, thematic paths marked with numbers and colours lead here. This makes it much easier to get to know this castle. 

Thanks to this, you will not get lost here so easily, although I managed to lose my family, because I forgot what color we are currently using. And we went through several variants of routes 🙂 On the official website of the castle you will find a QR code to download routes to your mobile. https://www.krzyztopor.org.pl/

Routes at the castle in Ujazd

• Green route - visiting the bastions (5 bastions of the castle: Grey Monk, Crown, Barbican - a high saucepan, Here for you and Dragon). The entrance to the route leads from the main courtyard on the left upstairs. The descent down to the courtyard is located next to the "Dragon" bastion. A museum hall was created here and toilets are available
• Blue Route - visiting the outbuilding and the palace. Entrance from the main courtyard on the left, to the first floor by stairs
• Blue Route - visiting the source and gardens. Descent from the ground floor behind the courtyard through an elliptical corridor down to the octagonal tower
• Yellow route - visiting the cellars. Take the stairs down from the main courtyard on the left
• Red route - visiting basements for the brave (you must have your own light source) - "route with difficulties – low ceiling"

The castle is open to tourists not only during the day, but it is also possible to visit it at night for groups. In the glow of illumination and with attractions with the participation of the Knights' Brotherhood (two versions are available - standard and premium). In addition, sightseeing with a mobile application, historical lessons, meetings by the fire and artistic workshops. 

In the tourist season, on Saturdays and Sundays in the courtyard, there are often events with the participation of the knight's squadron. Then you will listen to old music, see dances, there are competitions and fun for the whole family.

History of the Teutonic fortress

Ujazd in the 12th century belonged to the Cistercian monastery in Jędrzejów, and in the 15th century the property became the property of the Oleśnicki family. At the beginning of the 17th century, the estate fell into the hands of Jan Zbigniew Ossoliński - lord of Ossolin. He gave the estate to his son Krzysztof as a wedding gift. This is Krzysztof Ossoliński - a comprehensively educated voivode of Sandomierz and Sądecki who founded the Krzyżtopór castle. 

The construction of this huge residence took over 20 years, between 1621 and 1644. Already in the foundation letter from 1627, Krzysztof Ossoliński mentions the fortress and the Krzysztoporski castle. The year 1631 was recorded on the entrance gate, it is assumed that it signifies the completion of a certain stage of work. The stronghold was builtof local stone in the palazzo in fortezza type, which means that it combines the features of a residence with defensive features. 

It consisted of a palace and residential and economic complex with a bastion fortification system on a regular pentagon plan. The assumption was determined by the perimeter of the rugged earth embankments with five bastions, around which a dry moat was carved in the rock and a drawbridge was thrown over it. The construction of Ossoliński's headquarters took place under the supervision of the Italian architect - Lorenzo Senes, hence the Italian style of construction "palazzo in fortezza". It combined the convenience of the inhabitants and the defensive function of the stronghold. Hence, the magnificent palace is also called a castle. 

From the north, Italian gardens adjoin the palace. In 1644, King Władysław IV Vasa visited the finished, delightful castle. Unfortunately, Krzysztof Ossoliński did not enjoy the castle, because he died only a year after the construction was completed. Krzysztof Ossoliński, despite three marriages, had only one son, who died in the bloody battle of Zborów in 1649. 

The castle was therefore owned by the Kalinowski family, and later passed from hand to hand into the hands of the Morsztyn, Potocki, Sanguszko, Denhoff, Pac, Sołtyk, Łempicki and Orsett family. 

Swedes at Krzyżtopór Castle

Shortly after its construction, in 1655, during the Swedish Deluge, the Teutonic Knights were occupied by Swedish troops and occupied until 1657. It will not come as a surprise that during this time they greatly strained hospitality, looting the more valuable equipment of the palace, library and archive. Even the marble decorations did not protect themselves. The building itself did not suffer at that time, because the Swedes conquered it by deception. Without firing a shot.

The Bar Confederation destroys the Ossoliński fortress in Ujazd

The stronghold suffered really significant damage during the battles of the Bar Confederation in 1769. Then it was burned and turned into ruin. It is still in it to this day, but it is not a ruin that I want to cry over. It is a beautiful complex, secured and delightful, shocking even by its scale.

The castle in Ujazd is currently

Since 2007, the ruins of the Krzyżtopór Castle have been looked after by the Municipal Office in Iwaniska. A lot of security work has been done since then. In addition, visits to the fortress are improved every year. In 2018, the Krzyżtopór Castle received the title of the Historical Monument. Tourists really like the castle in Ujazd, because it not only has an interesting history, but it is extremely impressive and works on the imagination!

Symbolic references to the calendar

At the time of its completion, the Krzyżtopór Palace or Castle was not only the largest magnate residence in Europe, but it was also full of splendor and surprised with unusual solutions. This outstanding work was also full of symbolism. It is said that the original shape of the building referred to the calendar - 4 towers symbolized 4 seasons, 12 rooms - the number of months, 52 chambers - the weeks of the year, and 365 windows - the number of days of the year. 

Legends say that the ceiling of the dining room was a huge aquarium with exotic fish. The stables prepared for 300 horses had marble manholes and crystal mirrors. All this to make them clearer, because they were located in the cellars.

Krzyżtopór Castle in numbers

• cubic capacity of the complex: 70,000 cubic meters
• area of the castle: 1.3 ha
• total length of walls: 600 meters
• total area of the walls: 3,730 square meters
• garden area: 1.6 ha
• dimensions of the entire facility: 120 meters (north-south) by 95 meters (east-west)

For the construction of the castle, the following were used:

• 11 thousand tons of local quartzite sandstone
• 300 cubic meters of Kunów sandstone
• 30,000 tiles
• 200,000 bricks
• 500 tons of quicklime
• 5,000 cubic meters of sand, as well as marbles, alabasters and exotic wood.
• protein from a million chicken eggs was added to the mortar

Legend of Krzyżtopór Castle

Like most castles in Poland, the Teutonic Order has its own spirit. On a lunar night on the walls you can meet a black figure of a knight, who is reportedly the son of Krzysztof Ossoliński - Krzysztof Baldwin Ossoliński. He appears in hussar armor. The Teutonic Knights also have their White Lady.

Castle stables in Ujazd

After the renovation of the Krzyżtopór castle, there are, among others, underground stables, which have unique acoustic properties. Their walls were once lined, which is hard to believe today, with crystal mirrors, located opposite small ceiling windows. This was to give the animals more light.

See our ranking: The most beautiful castles in Poland. Top 15 with the Krzyżtopór castle.

The film castle Krzyżtopór

Artists also see a lot of potential in Krzyżtopór Castle, which does not surprise me at all. The scenes for several interesting films were shot here. Here they are:

• The Way in the Moonlight (1972)
• 1973 Cross and Axe
• "Deluge" from 1974 (headline to part 2)
• "Friend of the Merry Devil" (1986)
• "Father Mateusz" - episode 46 of season 4 from 2010
• "Gabriel" from 2013

See also our video about the Krzyżtopór Castle

Attractions near Ujazd

And when you go from the Krzyżtopór castle to the beautiful Sandomierz, which is also definitely worth visiting, you can enter Klimontów with a unique collegiate. It is also worthvisiting Koprzywnica with the old abbey and eating something tasty in the Manor House on the Wuthering Hill in Przybysławice. 

We really liked the apple pie here, it could not be otherwise in the Sandomierz region and the duck in beets! The surroundings of the manor house are a very charming place, away from cities, bustle and crowds, where you can sometimes find a concert. Colorful flowers, green fields, gentle hills. Swojsko and idyllic. You can also spend the night at the Manor.

Practical information

The Krzyżtopór Castle is open daily:
IV-VIII 8.00-20.00
IX-X and III 8.00-18.00
XI-II 8.00-16.00
Night tour IV-VIII 21.00-23.00, IX-XI 20.00-22.00 

Tickets: in the normal season PLN 15, reduced PLN 13, in the off-season PLN 13/10
Tickets for holders of the Large Family Card PLN 10/9
Night sightseeing PLN 30 (standard), PLN 45 (premium) 

Parking: free
Current sightseeing hours and ticket prices can be found at:
www.krzyztopor.org.pl Toilets and souvenir shop on site There are souvenir
stalls next to the castle, a few hundred meters from the ruins there is a restaurant
The castle courtyard is available for wheelchairs

Krzyżtopór Castle 
Cultural Institution Krzyżtopów Castle in Ujazd Ujazd
73, Iwaniska
tel. 15/ 860-11-33

What's worth seeing in the area?

If you are looking for more ideas for interesting places to visit, we have it for you some options in the area. There are several attractions within a radius of 100 kilometers, that are worth adding to your travel plan.

• Świętokrzyski National Park, distance: 24.7  km
• Sandomierz, distance: 31.1  km
• The 7 best zoos in Poland, check out the ranking and plan your weekend with us!, distance: 37  km
• Kielce, distance: 51  km
• Paradise Cave, distance: 58.4  km
• Wiślica, distance: 60.6  km
• Janowiec Castle, distance: 79.2  km
• Kazimierz Dolny, distance: 81  km
• Tarnów, distance: 81.3  km
• Magic Gardens in Janowiec, distance: 83.8  km