Tenczyn Castle on a volcano! Sightseeing, history and trivia

Above the village of Rudno, on the Castle Hill, there are magnificent, one of the largestin the Jura, ruins of the Tenczyn Castle, which from the Middle Ages to the 17th century was the family nest of the Tęczyński family, powerful and significant almost on an equal footing with the king! Interestingly, this magnificent castle, once called Little Wawel, stands on a volcanic cone. Until recently, only parts of the residential walls and towers stood here, threatening collapse and catastrophe. In2010, even a fragment of the wall collapsed. After this event, security and reconstruction works began, which have been going on for years and allow this beautiful object to be made available to visitors!

Visiting Tenczyn Castle

Today, the Tenczyn Castle remains under the care of the Krzeszowice commune. Since July 2016, the castle has been open to the public during the tourist season. The sightseeing route leads through the entrance bastion (barbican), the defensive corridor, the foregate, the Navajo Tower, the courtyard of the upper castle and the defensive wall of the upper castle. The tour also includes the entrance to the Barbican and the Navojowa Tower, from where there is a beautiful view of the rest of the castle and the whole area, even the Tatras can be seen on clear days! 

The tour of the castle is guided by guides who tell an interesting story about the rich history of Tenczyno and its reconstruction. In summer, the castle has a souvenir stand, small gastronomy and many events accompanying the sightseeing. The tourist route is operated by the NEW ERA art Foundation.

Access to Tenczyn Castle

Access to the castle from the parking lot from the Tenczynek side is quite steep, but short, so it should not cause any problems. There are: the yellow trail of the Jurassic Valleys, the black cycling route Rudno - Dulowska Forest, the black Route of the Former Coal Mining. 

But this is how you used to approach the castle in the past, now the vast majority of tourists reach the castle on the A4 motorway, where a exit to the castle was prepared in Rudno, this is where you find a paid parking lot almost under the castle after 3 km. Along the way, very close to the stronghold, you will pass the Agate Museum in Rudno with the treasures of this Earth, it is worth joining here!

History of Tenczyn Castle

The first, then wooden castle, was built here around 1319 by the castellan of Kraków - Nawój z Morawica - the progenitor of the Tęczyński family. He erected a tower called the Navojowa Tower to this day. However, the proper creator of the Gothic brick castle was only Nawoj's son - Jędrzej. In 1331-61, he built another fragment of the upper castle, standing on the highest part of the Jurassic hill. Another member of the family was Jan Tęczyński - the guardian and advisor to Queen Jadwiga, who built the lower castle. 

Renaissance mansion

In the 16th century, or more precisely in the years 1579-93, the nobles of Tęczyński transformed the castle into a magnificent Renaissance residence, called the Little Wawel, because it somewhat resembled the Wawel castle thanks to the cloisters. However, I dare say that the Tenczyn Castle was even more beautiful than the Wawel itself, which results from the figures! Mikołaj Rej from Nagłowice, Jan Kochanowski and other prominent representatives of the Polish Renaissance often visited Tenczyn. Unfortunately, in 1656, the castle was burned down by the Swedes, and in addition, the Tęczyński family began to die out, after Magnus Tęczyński survived the death of his three sons. 

His daughter Izabela married Łukasz Opaliński in 1639 and Tenczyn, after more than 300 years of glory, ceased to be the family nest of the Tęczyński family. It is true that the Lubomirski family tried to rebuild the castle after the flood, but after the fire of 1748, when it was struck by lightning, the stronghold was abandoned and began to fall into ruin. In the years 1816-1945, it was owned by the Potocki family, after which it was taken over by the State Treasury. Since 1996, it has been in the hands of the Krzeszowice commune.

Saving the castle

When the castle was taken over by the Krzeszowice commune, works began to protect the castle from total destruction. The first renovation works were carried out in 2007-09. In 2010, a part of the castle collapsed, so thanks to the efforts of the Krzeszowice commune, in consultation with the heirs of Adam Count Potocki, an even more intensive and extensive renovation began, which actually continues to this day. It was carried out from the commune budget and largely thanks to subsidies from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The walls of the entrance bastion were reconstructed, the roof of the gate tower was rebuilt, the defensive corridor, the Grunwald tower were revitalized and the walls of the entire castle were generally taken care of. The Navojová Tower has also been made available to tourists, from which there is a wonderful view of the surrounding area and the mountains, including the Tatras.

Events at Tenczyn Castle

The popular and well-liked Tenczyn Castle is eagerly visited by tourists, especially since in recent years it has become an arena of various events and outdoor events. Some refer to the history of the stronghold, such as the staging of the defense of the castle during the Swedish Deluge or the extremely interesting geological history of the region, as reminded us by the "Festival of Stones. Exhibition of Agates from Rudno and the surrounding area". In addition, concerts, theater performances, exhibitions and various shows are played here.

Surviving castles in the Jura - let's save the heritage!

The Tenczyn Castleis another saved castle in the Jura, next to the Rabsztyn Castle, the castle in Siewierzu, the castle in Korzkiew, the castle in Smolen, the castles in BoboliceandMirów. More and more ruins gain an owner or guardian and arise from total ruin and oblivion, serving tourists and subsequent generations of history lovers, being a lasting trace of our history! This is a great thing, because it makes Jura more and more attractive.

Film Tenczyn Castle

Several historical series were shot at the Tenczyn Castle in Rudno, including the popular "Black Clouds" and "Knights and Robbers". Also today, he appears in films, but more often in private travel videos, shot amateurly and professionally by more or less well-known vloggers. Check out our video about Tenczyn Castle.

Practical information

Open in the tourist season 
Mon-Wed closed
Thu-Sun 10.00-19.00
Tickets: normal PLN 10, reduced PLN 5, family PLN 25 (with a Large Family Card PLN 20)
Parking: PLN 7 (from the motorway side)
Guided tour
Current opening hours and ticket prices on the website: www.facebook.com/ZamekTenczyn

Zamek Tenczyn
ul. Zamkowa, Rudno
tel. 784-412-561