Pearl of Eagles' Nests

The castle is the largest stronghold in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland and, undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful castles in Poland. It is located in the central part of the Jura and is easily accessible for communication. Tourists who visit this place in large numbers have repeatedly asked to visit the fortress after dark. We did everything we could to make it possible for them, and at the same time we carried out the necessary conservation work on the historical ruins.

The project involved the renovation of a the part of the walls surrounding the outer bailey, which had not undergone maintenance earlier. The works also included the north and west wall of the High Castle, the walls of the west, north wings, the Baszta Kredencerska Tower and the footbridge leading to the bailey. Some works were also carried out in Dziedziniec Pański Courtyard, where tourist traffic is concentrated. This is the visible part of the works. But we also made the internal electrical and multimedia installation. Along the entire tour we have installed illuminated lighting, thanks to which the castle can also be admired at night. Illumination together with the audio system contributed to the creation of several additional scenarios of visiting the castle, in which we use various light and sound effects. The lightening of the fortress after dark also allows us to safely organize night knightly feasts and visits to the castle with ghosts.

The work was demanding. During these two years of work, the castle was still open to the public. Conducting works in the historic building under the supervision of the conservator forced the contractors to look for unconventional solutions. Hiding the installation (including cables) running through the entire castle required not only precision, but also attention to detail with the least possible interference with the historic structure of the object.

The old walls erected on the rocks make a huge impression on everyone without exception. The castle has been used many times as an open-air setting for films and series. In 1973 it was shown in the series "Janosik", in 2001 the ruins of the castle were used as an open-air film setting for "Zemsta", and in 2019 a part of the series "The Witcher", produced by Netflix, was shot here.

It is beyond any doubt that the Ogrodzieniec Castle is one of the most important cultural monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship. The medieval castle stood to witness the period of rule of the last Piasts, however, time was never too generous for it. A rather minor gothic fortress was built here at the order of Casimir the Great. In the mid-XVI century Ogrodzieniec enjoyed its time of greatness – the Castle was extended by Seweryn Boner, becoming a breath-taking magnate residence. Nevertheless, soon after that, the renaissance buildings were eaten by flames twice due to attacks of the Swedish army. After the second fire, the Castle deteriorated greatly as a result of which, at the beginning of the XIX century, its last inhabitants abandoned it. The rest was handled by the forces of nature – the progressing erosion gradually destroyed the limestone walls, causing some serious damages.

Today, Ogrodzieniec is a complex of quite unique but still ruins. A mere reminiscence of the former power of this place. Having said that, this reminiscence is crammed with many centuries’ long history of the region, thus, undertaking maintenance and reconstruction actions in the area of the Castle is so crucial. Thanks to these ventures we can be sure that our heritage will not be lost and that it will be handed over in its best possible shape in the hands of the future generations.

For myself, a guide by profession, it is of special importance. Renovation activities carried out in the Castle have impacted the comfort and safety of my work. Today I can take tourists into places that were inaccessible before due to the bad state of the building or show them the fortress elements that managed to be saved from total decomposition. We consider the mounting of electric and multimedia installation that allows us to make the Castle sightseeing even more attractive a great advantage. It continues to attract more and more tourists wishing to discover Ogrodzieniec and spend some unique moments in this remarkably recreated climate of a renaissance fortress. Thanks to such actions the heritage of this place will last not only in our memory.