Żupny Castle is a Gothic castle, the former headquarters of the Wieliczka and Bochnia Salt Mine. The castle is located in the former mine complex and was designated as part of the Wieliczka and Bochnia UNESCO World Heritage Site, since an expansion in 2013. The castle is located in Wieliczka, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in Poland.

A castle was built on top of the hillside in the XIV century, under the reign of Casimir III the Great and completed the sixteenth during the reign of Sigismund I the Old. The current castle was built in a square formation, including living quarters outside the castle walls. From the castle's earliest days, up until 1945, the castle was the headquarters of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Currently, the castle houses an exhibition containing the history of Wieliczka from the past decades, and the only collection of saltshakers in Poland.

Żupny Castle

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The Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great, who reigned from 1333 to 1370, and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard.
In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen's Foot (Kurza Stopka) and the Danish Tower. The Jadwiga and Jogaila Chamber, in which the sword Szczerbiec, was used in coronation ceremonies, is exhibited today and is another remnant of this period. Other structures were developed on the hill during that time as well, in order to serve as quarters for the numerous clergy, royal clerks and craftsmen. Defensive walls and towers such as Jordanka, Lubranka, Sandomierska, Tęczyńska, Szlachecka, Złodziejska and Panieńska were erected in the same period.
The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill constitute the most historically and culturally important site in Po­land. For centuries the residence of the kings of Poland and the symbol of Polish statehood, the Castle is now one of the country’s premier art museums. Established in 1930, the museum encompasses ten curatorial departments responsible for collections of paintings, including an important collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, prints, sculpture, textiles, among them the Sigismund II Augustus tapestry collection, goldsmith’s work, arms and armor, ceramics, Meissen porcelain, and period furniture. The museum’s holdings in oriental art include the largest collection of Ottoman tents in Europe. With seven specialized conservation studios, the museum is also an important center for the conservation of works of art.
People have lived on Wawel Hill at the site of the Castle as early as fifty thousand years ago, in the Paleolithic Age. The settlement was apparently bustling with trade, assorted crafts and local farming. When more people began to settle down on the Wawel Hill and when trade became more efficient, the rulers of Poland took up their residence at the Hill as well.
During the early 16th century King Sigismund I the Old (Zygmunt I in Polish) and his wife brought in the best native and foreign artists including Italian architects, sculptors, and German decorators, to refurbish the castle into a splendid Renaissance palace. It soon became a paragon of stately residence in Central and Eastern Europe and served widely as a model throughout the region.
In the fire of 1595, the northeast part of the castle burned down. King Sigismund III Vasa rebuilt it, although of his efforts only the Senator Stairs and the fireplace in the Bird Room remain today. In 1609 King Sigismund moved the capital to Warsaw, and tough times for Wawel began. Both the castle and other buildings were neglected despite the concerns of local governors. The Swedish invasions of 1655–1657 and 1702 contributed to the further deterioration of the castle.
Gobelin tapestries, such as this one with monogram "SA" of King Sigismund Augustus of Poland, Brussels, c. 1555, were part of famous Jagiellonian tapestries, also known as the Wawel Tapestries or Wawel Arrases.
The Hill was occupied by the Prussian Army in 1794. Royal Insignia were stolen and never retrieved (apart from the Szczerbiec).After the Third Partition of Poland (1795) Wawel, as an important defensive point, was modernised by Austrians with defensive walls. The interior of the castle was changed and some of the buildings pulled down. In the second part of the 19th century the Austrians redesigned the defensive walls making them a part of a stronghold. However, in 1905 the emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria gave an order for Austrian troops to leave Wawel. Restoration works began, with the discovery of the Rotunda of Virgin Mary as well as other relics of the past. The renovations of the Wawel Hill were financed by public subscriptions
After World War I, the authorities of the newly independent Polish Second Republic decided that Wawel Castle was to become a representative building of the Polish state and would be used by the Governor and later by the President himself. In 1921 the Polish Parliament passed a resolution which gave Wawel official status as the residence of the President of Poland. Following the ravages of World War II, by the decree of the State National Council, Wawel Castle became a national museum.
The Crown Treasury situated in the historic Gothic rooms which were used from the 15th century on for storing the Polish coronation insignia and Crown Jewels, feature on display priceless objects from the former Treasury that survived plunder, among them the memorabilia of Polish monarchs including members of their families and eminent personages, like the hat and sword given to John III Sobieski by the pope after the Battle of Vienna, as well as the coronation sword Szczerbiec.
A column fragment of Wawel Castle has been incorporated into Chicago's landmark Tribune Tower. Located in its own niche over the upper-left corner of the main entrance, it is a visual tribute to Chicago's large Polish populace, the largest such presence outside of the Republic of Poland.

Wawel Castle in Krakow

Dobczyce Castle (Polish: Zamek w Dobczycach) is a castle in Dobczyce, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in southern Poland. It is located on a rocky hill above Lake Dobczyce. The castle was first mentioned in written sources in 1362, but had been fortified since 1311. In the time of Casimir III the Great, the walls were from 5 to 9 meters thick, and the castle was a fortified stronghold. In 1398, the castle was the abode of King Władysław II Jagiełło and his wife Jadwiga. In 1473, for several months, Prince Casimir stayed here after returning from an unsuccessful expedition.
The Lubomirski family, who ruled the castle from 1585, rebuilt the Gothic fortress into a Renaissance residence in the years 1593-1594. The clocktower, chapel and fountain were added. By 1620 the castle had 70 rooms and 3 towers. In the 1960s the site was extensively excavated.

Dobczyce Castle

Niepołomice were founded probably even in the thirteenth century, although the first certain information about the village comes from 1349 years. Hunting castle built for sure Casimir the Great, which certify chroniclers of Czarnkow Jan and Jan Dlugosz. Located near the capital of Krakow in forests full of wildlife, became a frequent place of residence of the King holiday. The castle was built of brick on stone foundations, on a plan similar to a square the side of which is less than 60 meters. In the corners of the north-east and north-west were rectangular in plan towers, two wings were located along the eastern and southern side of the foundation. Both wings were two-storey, Southern had two routes, the eastern one. The entrance was located in the western curtain wall. 
The real flowering of the castle took place for Wladyslaw Jagiello, who as often as he organized hunting royal council meeting here. After the victory in the Great War with the Teutonic king, returning to Krakow, drove to Niepołomice and from there went to the foot of Wawel Cathedral submit gained banners. 
Another ruler who contributed to the growing importance of Niepołomice was Sigismund the Old. During his time also after 1506 years has been a major expansion of the castle. The four-established assumption, the existing buildings were added to the northern wing dwutraktowe and Western jednotraktowe. Around the courtyard along all wings of the established wooden cloisters, and the gate was located in the south wing. 
Son Sigismund the Old - Zygmunt August also cared for residence in Niepołomicach. After the fire, which damaged the castle in 1550 the king entrusted the renovation work associated with the expansion of assumptions Thomas Grzymala. The work lasted for 1571 years and resulted in all wings raised by one floor. The work probably also participated Santi Gucci. 
The castle remained a royal residence for 1586 years, then was transferred governors. Not performed in these times larger building, only in 1637, Alexander Michael Lubomirski reconstructed cloisters at brick. During the Swedish invasion, the castle was damaged and stripped of equipment. Then he slowly fell into disrepair and renovations were superficial in nature. 
Around 1800, as a result of adaptation by the Austrians at the barracks, was demolished highest tier. Since the beginning of the nineteenth century were carried out again fairly superficial repairs. Only the reconstruction carried out at the end of the last century castle restored splendor of the royal era reign of the castle. Already during the reconstruction of the courtyard to find a place marketplace, but now the whole complex is used for the purposes of a museum and cultural.

Castle Niepołomicach

Already in ancient times there was a castle here, which protect the local population in times of danger. In 1044 years Casimir the Restorer brought to Tyniec Benedictine, who shortly afterwards at the castle erected the first brick elements - the Romanesque church and monastery buildings with a small cloister arcade. Since 1247 years the monastery has increased the importance of defense, as became a fortress frontier. During this period the monastery was already surrounded by the castle wall with towers. In 1259 years was destroyed during the Tatar invasion. The rebuilt monastery again destroyed the army of Bishop John Muskata. 
In the fourteenth century stronghold had defensive tower and the building of the county, and the entrance ran through two gates. In the first half of the fifteenth century Polish state border shifted south-west, so the monastery ceased to be an important stronghold. Neglected fortifications were once more renewed, but in the middle of the fifteenth century, the building previously used by the crew of the king was ceded to the monks to serve as a dwelling abbots. In the sixteenth century, the assumption was expanded. 
The monastery suffered greatly during the Swedish wars in the seventeenth century the monastery at the foot of the ramparts with towers, later upgraded with the bastions. 
Close proximity to Krakow meant that the monastery was used in the eighteenth century by the army during the Bar Confederation. During the construction work carried out since 1769 years Tyniec monastery became a strong bastion fortress, repeatedly plagued by foreign armies. 
In 1831 destroyed the monastery buildings destroyed by fire, after which discontinued use of the fortress. It was only in the interwar period to the monastery returned Benedictines who gradually heaved it out of the ruins. Today most of the monastic buildings are already renovated.

Monastery in Tyniec

The first documents from 1352 talks about the top, on which the castle was Korzkiew erected here by the coat of arms of Syrokomla coat of arms. In the 15th century it was owned by the burgher Peter Krupka, then ended up in the hands of the Ługowskich family. In the 16th century, was rebuilt and has lost the characteristics of a medieval castle. Newly-built building had the shape of the walls of perfectly matched to form rocks. Irregular storey building, having carved out in the rock caves, okalał the wall of the building bramnym. At the time of "the Swedish deluge" probably Castle was destroyed, since the documents mention of its reconstruction in the 2nd half of the 17th century. In the following years was owned by, who was Dębowskich and Czackich. From 1720 to the end of the 19th century served as a hunting residence. After World War II, the castle was open, but sometimes fell into disrepair. In the late 1990s. It became privately owned. The new owner started the reconstruction of the fortress. Now partially restored to stay at the hotel, and meeting rooms. Further work is underway. Ultimately it is planned to use the whole Castle Hill and its surroundings. 
Before the path we're going on the trail of the Eagles ' nests to Krakow to yet to visit and learn about the history of the castles of Lipowiec and Tenczyn, located to the West of our ancient capital.

http://jura.slaskie.travel/

Castle in Korzkiew

Now there are fortified manor house, but it was built on the site of a Gothic castle in 1530. Mansion built Wieruszyccy Szreniawa coat of stone and brick. The whole has a square plan of the tower in the north-eastern corner. In 1983, he began to lead renovations.