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 Częstochowa ( , ; german: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau; la, Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (admin ...

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 ...

. The Trail of the Eagles' Nests was first marked by Kazimierz Sosnowski. Since 1980, much of the area has been designated a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

known as the

Eagle Nests Landscape Park The Eagles' Nests Landscape Park (''Park Krajobrazowy Orlich Gniazd'') is a protected area in south-western Poland, and one of over 120 Polish official Landscape parks. It was established in 1980, and covers much of the area of the Trail of the ...

( pl, Park Krajobrazowy Orlich Gniazd). The castles date mostly to the 14th century, and were constructed probably by the order of

King of Poland Poland was ruled at various times either by dukes and princes (10th to 14th centuries) or by kings (11th to 18th centuries). During the latter period, a tradition of free election of monarchs made it a uniquely electable position in Europe (16t ...

Casimir 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 w ...

. The trail has been named the "Eagles' Nests", as most of the castles are located on large, tall rocks of the

Polish Jura Chain Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

featuring many limestone cliffs, monadnocks and valleys below. They were built along the 14th-century border of

Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern and south-eastern Poland. Its capital and largest city is Kraków. Throughout centuries, Lesser Poland developed a s ...

with the province of

Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...

, which at that time belonged to the

Kingdom of Bohemia The Kingdom of Bohemia ( cs, České království),; la, link=no, Regnum Bohemiae sometimes in English literature referred to as the Czech Kingdom, was a medieval and early modern monarchy in Central Europe, the predecessor of the modern Czec ...

. The Trail of the Eagles' Nests is considered one of the best tourist trails in Poland, marked as No. 1 on the official list of most popular trails in the country. It encompasses all 25 castles and watchtowers, and is long (the bicycle trail is long). Most of the sites can also be reached by bus.Eagle-Nest Castles - Tourist attractions.
2011, ''KrakowInformer.com''

The castles of the Eagles' Nests

The Eagles' Nests castles ( pl, Orle Gniazda), many of which survived only in the form of picturesque ruins, are perched high on the tallest rocks between

and the former Polish capital

. The castles were built to protect Kraków as well as important trading routes against the foreign invaders. Later, the castles passed on into the hands of various Polish aristocratic families. ::

Picture gallery

File:Olsztyn(js)1.jpg,

Olsztyn Olsztyn ( , ; german: Allenstein ; Old Prussian: ''Alnāsteini'' * Latin: ''Allenstenium'', ''Holstin'') is a city on the Łyna River in northern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, and is a city with county rights. ...

Castle File:Zamek w Będzinie.jpg,

Będzin Castle The Będzin Castle is a castle in Będzin in southern Poland. The stone castle dates to the 14th century, and is predated by a wooden fortification that was erected in the 11th century. It was an important fortification in the Kingdom of Poland a ...

File:Ogrodzieniec_zamek_MG.jpg,

Ogrodzieniec Ogrodzieniec is a town in Zawiercie County, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,282 inhabitants (2019). It is noted for the extensive ruins of a medieval castle. Ogrodzieniec is a part of Lesser Poland. Ogrodzieniec lies among the hills of Le ...

Castle File:Zamek w Mirowie 12.08.08 p4-k.jpg, Mirów Castle File:Zamek w Ojcowie a1.jpg,

Ojców Castle Ojców Castle (Polish: ''Zamek Ojców'') - a castle located in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, part of a system of castles known as the ''Eagle's Nests'' (Polish: ''Orle Gniazda'') - formerly protecting the southern border of the Kingdom of Pola ...

File:Zamek w Rabsztynie3.jpg,

Rabsztyn Rabsztyn (german: Rabenstein) is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Olkusz, within Olkusz County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north-east of Olkusz and north-west of the regional capital ...

Castle File:Zamek Bobolice 2010.jpg,

Bobolice Castle The Bobolice Castle is a 14th-century royal castle in the village of Bobolice, Poland. The complex is located within a semi-mountainous highland region called the Polish Jura. History The castle in Bobolice was built by King Casimir III the Great ...

File:Pieskowa Skała 1.jpg,

Pieskowa Skała Pieskowa Skała (; Polish for ''Little Dog's Rock'') is a limestone cliff in the valley of river Prądnik, Poland, best known for its Renaissance castle. It is located within the boundaries of the Ojców National Park, 27 km north of Krak� ...

Castle File:Siewierz - Zamek 01.jpg,

Siewierz Siewierz is a town in southern Poland, in the Będzin County in the Silesian Voivodeship, seat of Gmina Siewierz. History Siewierz was first mentioned in 1125, and was administered by the Castellan of Bytom. In 1177, Casimir II of Poland grante ...

Castle File:Teczyn2.JPG,

Tenczyn Castle Tenczyn Castle, also known as ''Tęczyn Castle'', is a medieval castle in the village of Rudno, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Rudno in the Polish Jura, Poland. It was built as a seat of the powerful Tęczyński family. The castle fell into disrepair ...

File:Przewodziszowice (js)1.jpg, Przewodziszowice Castle File:Lutowiec2(js).jpg, Łutowiec Castle File:Smolen castle 20070503 1506.jpg, Smoleń Castle File:Korzkiew zamek 20080426 3180.jpg,

Korzkiew Korzkiew is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Zielonki, within Kraków County, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It lies approximately north of the regional capital Kraków. The Korzkiew Castle was part of the Szl ...

Castle File:Pilica (js)1.jpg, Pilica Castle File:Dankow1 (js).jpg, Danków Castle File:Ryczow castle 20070503 1248.jpg, Ryczów Castle File:Zamek Lipowiec 8 maja 2010.jpg, Lipowiec Castle, Babice :''Note: the photos above may include structures located just outside the marked Trail of the Eagles' Nests.''

References

* Eagles' Nests Trail online map
Waymarked Trails

''Poland'' by Neil Wilson, Tom Parkinson, Richard Watkins

Lonely Planet Lonely Planet is a travel guide book publisher. Founded in Australia in 1973, the company has printed over 150 million books. History Early years Lonely Planet was founded by married couple Maureen and Tony Wheeler. In 1972, they embarked ...

List of castles

{{Coord missing, Poland Hiking trails in Poland Lesser Poland Voivodeship Silesian Voivodeship

The castles of the Eagles' Nests

Picture gallery

See also

References