If you have a free weekend and have no plans, I think I can help you. There are many interesting places to visit in Poland. This article would be interesting not only for those, who love history and mystery, but also for those, who love to travel. There are so many different castles in Poland with their unique history and magic, with their legends and heroes. So, I chose for you top three castles that are not really far from Lublin.
I would like to start from the castle in Yanovec. Magnificent, huge ruins of the old castle are towering over the Vistula River. It is hard to believe that till the 70th of the last century, this castle was the private property of the last Polish Prince Leon Kozlowski. The majestic castle was the silent witness of the history of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Long time ago these ruins were the fortress that was considered one of the most impregnable fortresses of the Commonwealth.
As all old castles, castle in Yanovec has its own mystical legends and stories. It is a story about the ghost of Black Lady. The legend says that as soon as the full moon appears over the castle, the ghost of the Black Lady appears on its walls. It is the ghost of very unhappy young girl Helena Lubomirska. The daughter of very wealthy and noble parents, who fell in love with an ordinary, poor fisherman. It was obvious that the parents were against their love, and made a lot of effort to protect the family from such big shame. They could not think of any better idea as to imprison the poor thing in one of the towers. After spending a few months in tower, Helena did not give up her gentle and romantic feelings, but commited the suicide. She jumped from a tower window directly into the courtyard. The rich and powerful father insisted that the body of his unhappy daughter was buried in the local church, that was in a contrary to the church canons. Since that time the ghost of poor Helena wanders around the castle every full moon.
Scary story, isn’t it? If you want see the ruins of famous castle go to Yanovec. The castle is open to visitors every day from 10:00 to 17:00. The ticket cost is from 6zl. to 12 zl.
One of the main landmarks of the old town of Zamosc is the old fortress. It was never won by Khmelnitsky Cossacks nor the Swedish army. The city walls had defensive function, but over the times, they became outdated and destroyed. Fortress lost its importance after 1866. In the place of the once powerful defensive walls of the city, garden were growing. Despite the ruins there were still preserved Lviv Gate, Lublin Gate, Schebreshynski Gate, rotunda, high ramparts and bastions. The fortress was closed in 1866. In 1992, Zamosc, which is one of the classic monuments of urban planning in Europe of the Renaissance, was included in the list of World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. If you really want to see the ideal town and the monument of past glory of the Polish people you should visit old fortress of Zamosc.
In the small town of Ujazd is an ancient castle Krzyztopor from the 17th century. This is the mysterious and beautiful place filled with legends, that is not far from Opatów. The castle was built in the period from 1626 till 1644.
The cross and the ax are hanging at the main gate of the castle, that gave the name of the palace. Its name comes from words “cross” (a symbol of christianity) and “ax” (coat of arms of Ossoliński). Near the cross and ax depicts a mysterious sign, resembling the letter W. Christopher Ossoliński, the owner of the castle, was very interested in magic and astrology and some researchers say that the symbol W is perpetual continuation of that place.
The owner’s love and great interest to the symbolism and astrology was reflected in the design of the castle. It was built on the principle of the calendar. The castle has 365 windows as the number of days in the year, and during a leap year 366 windows were opened. There were 52 rooms in the castle, as the number of weeks in the year, there were 12 large halls, as the number of months in the year, and 4 towers of the castle symbolized the number of seasons in the year.
Although today the castle remained well preserved ruins, archaeologists have found many interesting things there. For example, according to legends, a dining room in the tower once had the glass ceiling, through which one could see the aquarium with exotic fish. In the underground room of the tower still is a spring, called Krzyztopozhanka, that has specific taste of water, which has healing properties. Castle is full of places associated with astrology and magic.
According to legend, the unusual treasure, like three barrels of gold, silver and copper coins were hidden in the dungeons of the castle. It is said that the treasure was hidden behind a triple door, and the guardian is a ghost that has the devilish laugh. According to legend, the treasure could be reached only when the human sorrow and tears would be reimbursed.
In 1655 the castle was captured by the Swedes. Although, the castle was well fortified, it gave up without a fight. Rich residence was completely robbed, and after that Krzyztopur had never been restored. Till the 18th century the owners tried to live in the least ruined parts of the building. But the owners refused to repair the residence. The owners of the castle had neither the money nor the desire to restore the former glory and from 1770 the magnificent castle is a beautiful ruin.
Almost all rooms and halls on the second floor of the castle are open for the tourists. The old stables have very good acoustics, so the concerts are often organized there. Fans of history and antiquity can walk through the gloomy, underground tunnel.
If you like those stories go to see those magnificent castles with your own eyes. Maybe just you will be the lucky person to find the treasures of the Krzyztopor.
