Książ Castle

Książ Castle is a beautiful and very impressive building, located within the city limits ofWałbrzych. Who doesn't know him? It gained popularity especially when it became famous about the golden train, but those who are interested in tourism in Poland have known this charming castle for a long time! 

It is the largest castle in Lower Silesiaand the third largest in Poland, after the Malbork Castle and the Wawel Royal Castle. It is not surprising that it is one of the most popular castles in our country. Wonderful is its surroundings, where you can spend the whole day full of attractions and charm, but an additional advantage is the fact that large parts of this old stronghold are available for tourists. You will see unique baroque palace chambers and a fantastic garden. 

A visit to Książ Castle leaves indelible impressions and memories, I know this from my own experience and I recommend planning a few good hours here, to at least look outside the castle into the magical Książ Landscape Park surrounding the castle!

Visiting Książ Castle

Książ Castle is one of the most interesting, and I even dare say the most interesting element of the Piast Castles Trail. In addition to the luxurious Książ Hotel, visitors can enjoy 3 variants of the tourist route through magnificent chambers and undergrounds, as well as magnificent gardens with terraces. It is necessary to go around the castle, because it allows you to admire the beautiful shape from different perspectives, among the lush vegetation.

Castle chambers

They are delightful, so be sure to visit them! Several of them are particularly beautiful, including the most impressive and ornate Maximilian Hall, which was later modeled after the famous Hall of Mirrors in the Pszczyna Castle. The huge windows of the Maximilian Hall can already be seen from the outside, in the newer facade of the castle. Here you can feel really small, with the grandeur, height and majesty of this room! While tourists pass through some of the chambers unhurriedly, in the Maximilian Hall all visitors stopped for a longer time, staring at the numerous and delightful details decorating its interior.

On the basic tour there are also other magnificent rooms: the beautiful Golden Hall with navy blue accessories, the White Salon with green furniture and the Oriental Salon. The Hunting Hall with the Black Courtyard, the Knights' Hall and the Konrad Hall, once known as a small ballroom, are very atmospheric. The third floor of Książ Castle, where new castle exhibitions are located, is also open to the public. 

Interestingly, the furniture at the exhibitions is authentic, dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. On the tour we also saw a lot of historical photos, both of the castle itself and its aristocratic owners.

Cinema Hall and Flower Festival

Recently, a cinema hall has been renovatedat Książ Castle, where tourists are invited during events, e.g. during the popular Flower Festival, which takes place in May and allegedly attracts large crowds of visitors. And the presented flowers decorate the castle chambers long afterwards. 

Daisy's Cabinet

We also had the unusual opportunity to enter Daisy's office, which is excluded from the tour on a daily basis. It's a very charming place, with lovely chairs in the color of function, or maybe purple. He wants to sit on them! The office offers a beautiful view of the Książ Landscape Park. The Duchess liked to paint or write her diaries in it. No wonder it's the Duchess's favorite corner. The room is small, but very atmospheric and with a fantastic view of the vast green area. Perhaps it was no wonder then, today such a large expanse of unmoved, green, almost virgin landscape delights. And we know that it is actually a bit like that, because the policy of the Park manager is to let nature decide for itself and not interfere with it here, as long as it does not threaten people, so you can see a lot of fallen trees here, which are governed by the laws of nature.

Terraces around the castle

And after visiting the castle's interiors in the summer season, you can either continue to admire the interiors, but without an audio guide, or go out on the terraces around the castle. I recommend this walk outside, because the gardens at Książ Castle are beautiful, full of flowers and fountains. The path around the castle will lead us to the Castle Underground.

Night tour of Książ Castle

This popular facility not only closes for a day tour, but also invites you to a more mysterious and atmospheric night tour, which takes about 90 minutes. Tourists then set off with a guide on a journey through the dark corridors, only with the light of a lamp in their hands. In addition to entering the most interesting castle chambers known from daily sightseeing, you will have a unique opportunity to walk through corridors and stairs that are not normally available, as well as, among others, the former Hochberg cellars. This is accompanied by stories of frightening and unknown stories related to the Prince and other supernatural events.

History of Książ Castle

The Piast beginnings of this charming stronghold date back to 1288, when the prince of Świdnica-Jawor Bolko I the Raw began its construction on the site of an earlier stronghold. Later, Książ Castle passed into Czech and Hungarian hands, and eventually returned to Polish rule. By far the greatest influence on the appearance of today's building was the famous Hochberg family, who managed the castle for over 400 years. And the most significant marriage for the Książ Castle of this family was, of course, Hans Heinrich XV with his beautiful and famous wife Daisy (Maria Teresa Oliwia Hochberg von Pless). Like his other ancestors from the Hochberg von Pless line, they also owned the castle in Pszczyna in Upper Silesia, but the famous Daisy loved the castle in Książ more and spent much more time there. Here, she arranged not only interiors, but also terraces and gardens, which are a wonderful combination of the order of French gardens, e.g. with evenly pruned boxwoods and the chaos of an English park. They pass smoothly into the Książ Landscape Park, clearly visible from the windows of the castle.

Attractions around Książ Castle

It is not only the Książ Castle itself that is worth visiting here, the whole area can delight you at any time of the year. There is a lot of greenery around the castle, and among this greenery there are numerous curiosities. I will list them first and then describe them a little more in detail, click on the blue link to find out even more details. At the bottom of the article, Książ Castle is shown on the map. Explore the attractions around Książ Castle!

1. Underground of Książ Castle

A novelty at Książ Castle is the underground tourist route, leading through a tunnel hollowed out at a depth of 50 meters under the castle, and the route is about 0.5 km long. It leads through a concrete tunnel, elsewhere again the corridor is hollowed out in raw rock. The side chambers of the bunker go sideways. The tourist route leads along the terraces, towards the castle, the tunnels were discovered during the search for the underground railway station and the famous golden train. The undergrounds were created for Hitler during World War II. Work began in 1944, when Książ Castle was taken over by the paramilitary organization "Todt". At that time, the inhabitants were displaced, including Daisy - the last duchess in the castle. The rooms were adapted for the needs of the army, and powerful tunnels were forged and concreted under the Courtyard of Honor. The Nazis needed workers, so they used prisoners from the nearby Gross-Rosen concentration camp. In May 1944, AL Fürstenstein - Książ Labor Camp was established here. The work was never completed before the Red Army entered, the tunnels were camouflaged or blown up.

2. Gardens of Lights in Książ Castle

For several years now, lights have been shining in the castle gardens in the winter season and winter magic begins! The stunning castle gardens turn into a princely ball, with beautiful light fountains, peacocks and other surprises, and the northern terraces invite you to the "Medieval Książ" luminous route with knights, shields, torches and ghosts. You will be surprised by the animation - Knight Tournament. Wałbrzych Palm House with an exotic world of animals, turtles, colorful fish, parrots, flamingos, monkeys and even a giant giraffe are also shining with lights at this time!

3. Książ Landscape Park

The beautiful, picturesque, green, extensive surroundings of Książ Castle are protected in the form of the Książ Landscape Park, abounding in natural monuments, mainly yew trees. Cis Bolko is the most famous here. The Park's policy is to interfere with nature as little as possible. Felled trees, as long as they do not threaten the safety of people, are left to nature to deal with on its own. In this way, there are a lot of windbreaks here, which give the impression that you are in virgin forests 🙂 The fractures of the Pełcznica and Szczawnik rivers, included in the reserve, are very impressive here. I recommend a walk along the green trail just above the turn of Pełcznica, which can be reached among the rocks and nature animated by the ruins of Stary Książ Castle.

4. Viewpoint at Książ Castle

While in the Książ Landscape Park, it is also worth visiting a lookout point, located a few hundred meters from the castle, next to the red trail. You can see the Książ Castle, the gatehouse and all its green surroundings.

5. Mausoleum of the Hochbergs

In Książ Landscape Park, about 500 meters from the castle and 200 meters from the parking lot, the Hochberg Mausoleum is available for a fee. It is located on the so-called Poplar Hill, southeast of the castle, at the southern gate of the Park. The building was built in 1734 as the Summer Pavilion and viewpoints. 

It was not until 1883 that the so-called belvedere was transformed into the Hochberg Mausoleum. The nameless daughter of the last aristocratic owners of the castle - Princess Daisy and John Henry XV - was the first to rest in the tomb chapel. Then John Henry XI, his two wives and the famous Daisy von Pless rested here. 

When the Soviets entered these lands in 1945, the Hochbergs' servants carried the bodies out of here, but there is no certainty where. Despite this, the Mausoleum is beautiful and worth seeing, especially the underground crypt, originally illuminated with 9 glass skylights. The sarcophagi of the aristocratic owners of the castle are still visible here, although they remain empty.

6. Old Książ Castle

These are the ruins of an 18th-century castle built by Prince John Henry VI of Hochberg. He modeled himself on romantic, gothic castles, which was in fashion at that time. From the beginning, it was a castle for hosting guests and playing games. It housed an inn and guest rooms. Romantic bridges led here from Książ Castle.

The end of the building was brought by 1945 and the Soviet troops who burned the castle. Since then, it has remained in ruins, but very picturesque. An interesting and beautiful green trail from the castle of Książ can be reached in less than an hour. You will see the map below.

7. Palm house in Lubiechów

And if you like nature, then it is also worth going to the historic Palm House in nearby Lubiechów as part of one ticket with the castle. It is located at 158 Wrocławska Street and is one of the oldest buildings of this type in Poland, dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, or more precisely from 1911-14. It was built on the orders of Henry XV von Pless - the lord of the castle of Książ from the Hochberg family, who wanted to create this miracle for his wife - Maria Teresa Cornwallis - West, called Daisy - a great lover of beautiful flowers and original plants. It is said that he gave her the world's largest bouquet of flowers 🙂 

The prince ordered 7 railway cars filled with solidified volcanic lava from Etna to be brought from Sicily for the construction of cascades and tunnels in the Palm House. Throughout the year, the palm house was a source of fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables for the castle. Bananas, grapes, oranges, tomatoes, cauliflowers or herbs. All this Daisy and all the inhabitants of the castle had throughout the year! Rosarium was also exceptionally cared for. Numerous gardeners brought from England carefully cared for the entire Palm House. But it was the German gardener Peter Lambert who in 1911 bred a rose with snow-white flowers in honour of Daisy, called the Rose of Princess Pszczyna. 

The palm house was already available to visitors in Daisy's time and it is still so today. We admired her charm. In addition to the historical part, it also hides fashionable scenes, perfect for photos. There is also a cafe in the Palm House.

In Wałbrzych itself, be sure to visit the Old Mine and the Porcelain Museum, while in the vicinity there is an observation tower on Borowa Street.

Where to eat and sleep at Książ Castle?

In the Książ Castle complex, gastronomic points are waiting for you, because there is so much to explore and walking can make you tired and hungry. Behind the gatehouse, in the castle area, turn right and go down, where bars with good food are waiting for you on both levels. We ate in the Old Forge, at the lowest level, near the entrance to the Underground. The burgers were very tasty and rich in vegetables.

On site, in the palace outbuildings, you can also spend the night in the Książ Hotel.

See our ranking: The most beautiful castles in Poland with Książ Castle

Film about Książ Castle

We have been to Książ Castle several times. Below you will see a video of your visit to this beautiful stronghold. We will visit beautiful halls and terraces, and go for a walk to the castle of Stary Książ. Finally, we will show you how beautiful it is in the Palm House.

Practical information

The Castle and Palm House are open:
IV-IX Mon-Fri 9.00-18.00 Sat-Sun 9.00-19.00
XI-III Mon-Fri 10.00-15.00 Sat-Sun 10.00-16.00
Tickets: 
Książ Castle and Palm House normal PLN 49, reduced PLN 39
Książ Castle, Underground, Palm House: PLN 69, PLN 59
Night sightseeing: standard edition: PLN 60, special edition: PLN 65 at the box office, PLN 59 online (there are no reduced tickets for night sightseeing, because the offer is only for adults)
Underground: normal PLN 35, reduced PLN 29
Mausoleum: normal PLN 10, reduced PLN 5
Explore Wałbrzych: Książ Castle, Palm House, Old Mine, Porcelain Museum: PLN 81, PLN 59

Gardens of Light 2 in 1: Gardens of the castle and palm house normal PLN 59, reduced PLN 49, 
The gardens of the castle PLN 39/33
Palm house gardens PLN 25/22
Książ Castle honors the Big Family Card
Parking: payable PLN 20
Onsite restaurants and toilets
Parent Information: Lock not accessible to wheelchairs
Information for people in wheelchairs: The castle is available in selected parts for people with disabilities in wheelchairs, by prior arrangement by phone. After showing the relevant documents, you can enter with an assistance dog.
Current tour times and ticket prices can be found at: www.ksiaz.walbrzych.pl

Książ Castle
ul. Piastów Śląskich 1, Wałbrzych
phone 74/664-38-34
Palmiarnia
ul. Wrocławska 158, Wałbrzych