Castle Krzyżtopór

In the city
Contact Ujazd 73
27-570 Iwaniska świętokrzyskie
+48 15 860 11 33

Description

The Krzyżtopór castle in the village of Ujazd near Iwanisk is currently one of the largest buildings in Poland, preserved in a state of ruin.

It was built in 1621-1644 as the aristocratic residence of Krzysztof Ossoliński, the voivode of Sandomierz. During its magnificence, it was the most beautiful residence of the then Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, which exceeded the assumption and rich equipment of all others in terms of grandeur. It is sometimes called the "Polish Versailles".

The castle belongs to the late Renaissance Italian buildings. In the Polish lands, it is the most original and the most splendid example of an architectural design of the "palazzo in fortezza" type, in which the palace was inserted masterfully into a modern, pentagonal bastion type fortification. The entire residence is characterized by spatial composition in a harmonious application of architectural motifs of Baroque and Mannerist art.

The main decoration of the entrance gate, leading to the castle courtyard, are two massive bas-reliefs, from which the now functioning name of the residence has come: the cross, symbolizing Counterreformist beliefs of the founder, and ax, the family coat of arms of the Ossoliński family.

According to tradition, the castle was built like a calendar and had 4 bastions - as many seasons, 12 large rooms - as many as months, 52 chambers - as many as weeks and 365 windows - as many days as in the year.

Above one of the rooms in the octagonal tower was supposedly a glass ceiling filled with water, being an aquarium with exotic fish. In the underground stables, there were marble mangers and crystal mirrors that illuminated the stables, reflecting the light coming in through the small windows. These are just some of the elements that testify to the splendor and richness of the residence

The Krzyżtopór was occupied by the Swedish army in 1655 during the "Deluge", after which the Swedes robbed a lock of valuables and pieces of equipment. In this way, the short period of splendor of the residence ended. The next owners occupied only some of the palace rooms, they were not able to maintain such a great residence in their entirety. Krzyżtopór was slowly falling into ruin. During the Bar Confederation in 1770, probably the Russians burned the remaining wooden elements and from then on the Krzyżtopór is the largest ruin of the Old Polish period in our territories. To this day, it surprises with its dimensions and architectural and engineering solutions used, in many places unique on the national and even European scale.

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Location

Ujazd, Świętokrzyskie
, 27-570 Iwaniska świętokrzyskie
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