Pieskowa Skała
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Pieskowa Skała (; Polish for ''Little Dog's Rock'') is a
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on co ...
in the valley of river Prądnik,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
, best known for its
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
castle. It is located within the boundaries of the Ojców National Park, 27 km north of
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
, close to the village of Sułoszowa. The castle was first mentioned in Latin documents of Polish king
Władysław I the Elbow-high Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * ...
(''Władysław Łokietek'') before 1315, as ''"castrum Peskenstein"''.


History

Pieskowa Skała castle, built by King
Casimir III the Great Casimir III the Great ( pl, Kazimierz III Wielki; 30 April 1310 – 5 November 1370) reigned as the King of Poland from 1333 to 1370. He also later became King of Ruthenia in 1340, and fought to retain the title in the Galicia-Volhynia Wars. He ...
(''Kazimierz Wielki''), is one of the best-known examples of a defensive
Polish Renaissance The Renaissance in Poland ( pl, Renesans, Odrodzenie; literally: the Rebirth) lasted from the late 15th to the late 16th century and is widely considered to have been the Golden Age of Polish culture. Ruled by the Jagiellonian dynasty, the Crown ...
architecture. It was erected in the first half of the 14th century. It is part of the chain of fortified castles along the Trail of the Eagle's Nests, along the highland plane of the Polish Jura () extending north-west from Kraków to the city of Częstochowa. The castle was renovated and donated in 1377 by king Louis I of Hungary (''Ludwik Węgierski'') to Piotr Szafraniec of Łuczyce, according to the 15th century chronicler
Jan Długosz Jan Długosz (; 1 December 1415 – 19 May 1480), also known in Latin as Johannes Longinus, was a Polish priest, chronicler, diplomat, soldier, and secretary to Bishop Zbigniew Oleśnicki of Kraków. He is considered Poland's first histo ...
. The Szafraniec family gained the full ownership rights of the castle in 1422 from King
Władysław Jagiełło Władysław is a Polish given male name, cognate with Vladislav. The feminine form is Władysława, archaic forms are Włodzisław (male) and Włodzisława (female), and Wladislaw is a variation. These names may refer to: Famous people Mononym * ...
in recognition of faithful service at the
Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald, Battle of Žalgiris or First Battle of Tannenberg was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respec ...
by Piotr Szafraniec, the chamberlain of Kraków. The castle was rebuilt in 1542–1544 by Niccolò Castiglione with participation from Gabriel Słoński of Kraków. The sponsor of the castle's reconstruction in the mannerist style was the Calvinist, Stanisław Szafraniec, voivode of Sandomierz. At that time the original medieval tower was transformed into a scenic double loggia decorated in the sgraffito technique. Between 1557 and 1578, the
trapezoid A quadrilateral with at least one pair of parallel sides is called a trapezoid () in American and Canadian English. In British and other forms of English, it is called a trapezium (). A trapezoid is necessarily a convex quadrilateral in Eu ...
shape courtyard was surrounded at the level of two upper storeys by arcades, embellished with 21 mascarons. The arcade
risalit An ''avant-corps'' ( it, avancorpo or , plural , german: Risalit, pl, ryzalit), a French term literally meaning "fore-body", is a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the ''corps de logis'', often taller than othe ...
above the gate is a 17th-century addition. The last owner of the castle of Szafraniec family was Jędrzej, Stanisław's son, who died childless in 1608. After his death the estate was purchased by Maciej Łubnicki and later by the Zebrzydowski family. In 1640 Michał Zebrzydowski built the bastion
fortification A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere' ...
s with baroque gate and a chapel. The castle changed hands many times over the centuries. In 1903 it was bought by the Pieskowa Skała Society led by Adolf Dygasiński and with time turned over to the Polish state and meticulously restored.


Popular culture

The castle has been featured in many films and TV series including '' More Than Life At Stake'' (1968), '' Janosik'' (1971), '' The Ring and the Rose'' (1986), ''
With Fire and Sword ''With Fire and Sword'' ( pl, Ogniem i mieczem, links=no) is a historical novel by the Polish author Henryk Sienkiewicz, published in 1884. It is the first volume of a series known to Poles as The Trilogy, followed by '' The Deluge'' (''Potop'' ...
'' (1999), and ''
The Amazing Race ''The Amazing Race'' is an adventure reality game show franchise in which teams of two people race around the world in competition with other teams. The ''Race'' is split into legs, with teams tasked to deduce clues, navigate themselves in forei ...
'' (2006). It was also depicted on a 4- zloty stamp issued by the Polish Post in 1971, which remained in circulation until 1994. It was part of the ''Polish Castles'' series.


Gallery

File:Pieskowa Skała w Dolinie Prądnika.jpg, View of the Hercules' Club rock formation and Pieskowa Skała Castle File:Sułoszowa, zamek 09.JPG, Inner courtyard (before renovation) File:163vik Zamek w Pieskowej Skale. Foto Barbara Maliszewska.jpg, Fortified entrance File:Garden of the Pieskowa Skała Castle, Poland, September 2019, 01.jpg, Castle garden File:Fragment muru obronnego z bramą 2.JPG, Castle walls File:Dziedziniec,.JPG, Outer courtyard File:A-609 M zespół zamkowy, zamek, oficyna z bramą i basztą, fortyfikacje bastionowe, ogród kwaterowy, park Pieskowa Skała 13.JPG, Artworks inside the castle museum File:Lange-Ojców.jpg, ''View from Ojców'' by Antoni Lange, 1839


See also

* Maczuga Herkulesa, a 30 meters tall limestone Monadnock nearby *
Trail of the Eagles' Nests The Trail of the Eagles' Nests ( pl, Szlak Orlich Gniazd) of south-western Poland, is a marked trail along a chain of 25 medieval castles between Częstochowa and Kraków. The Trail of the Eagles' Nests was first marked by Kazimierz Sosnowski. Si ...
between Częstochowa and
Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
* List of mannerist structures in Southern Poland *
Castles in Poland Below is the list of castles in Poland in alphabetical order, based on similar lists compiled by various sight-seeing societies.Official website, at www.pieskowaskala.pl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pieskowa Skala Castles in Lesser Poland Voivodeship Kraków County Museums in Lesser Poland Voivodeship Historic house museums in Poland