Grodziec Castle
Medals can be purchased in the shop!
On a basalt, post-volcanic, steep hill – 389 m above sea level – in picturesque scenery rises a fabulous building – this is Grodziec Castle.
Grodziec was first mentioned in a bull by Pope Hadrian IV on 23 April 1155. In 1175 Prince Bolesław Wysoki granted privileges to the Cistercians from Lubiąż. During the reign of his successor, Henry the Bearded, the wooden and earthen castle was replaced by a brick one. The foundation of the castle church is attributed to St Jadwiga. In the 14th and part of the 15th century the castle belonged to the knightly family of Boživoj.
During the Hussite wars, the building was captured and plundered by Hussite troops. In 1470 it was bought by Frederick I, Duke of Legnica, who brought in master masons from Breslau, Legnica and Görlitz to give the castle its present layout. After the Duke’s death, work continued on the orders of his son, Frederick II. As a result, Grodziec became one of the most beautiful Gothic-Renaissance residences in Silesia. The culmination of the works coincided with the duke’s wedding to Princess Sofia von Hohenzollern. On this occasion, a reception and the famous knights’ tournament were organised in the castle.
During the 30-year war, the castle was captured and burnt down by the army of Duke Albrecht Wallenstein. As the scale of the damage was huge and the fortress was of no further military value, it was decided after the war to blow up part of the fortifications. In the 17th and 18th centuries attempts were made to rebuild Grodziec, but they were not very successful. It was not until 1800, when Duke Jan Henryk VI von Hochberg of Książ and Mieroszów became the owner of the estate, that major conservation and reconstruction work was undertaken.
They were briefly interrupted by the Napoleonic campaign, but already in the 1830s the castle became the destination of numerous tourist expeditions. At the time, it was considered the first monument in Europe to be specially adapted for tourism.
Between 1906 and 1908, the castle underwent extensive reconstruction. A museum of Silesian Gothic and Renaissance art, a hotel and a restaurant were established in the castle. Burnt down by the Russians in 1945. Partially rebuilt in the 1960s.
Between 2004 and 2005 it is the site of film productions by Swedish, French, Belgian and Russian television.
In 2007 and 2008, the Russians filmed scenes for the film ‘The Devil’s Flower’ and ‘Taras Bulba’.
The castle currently hosts regional and international events:
- Legnica-Brzeg Tournament of Knights for the Castellan’s Silver Ring
- International Festival of Borderland Folk Groups
- Silesian Song Festival
- Agrotourism Festival of Wine and Mead
