Krzyżtopór Castle is located in Ujazd in

Świętokrzyskie Mountains in the Iwaniska parish.

 The castle is derelict and it is a

unique monument of an

international class.

In 1619 Ujazd with the Iwaniska parish became the property of Krzysztof Ossoliński. He decided to build a palace which would overshadow all other magnates seats in Poland

and abroad. In this way,

he came up with the

idea of building the greatest

residence not only in Poland

but also in the entire Europe.

The castle in Ujazd was

constructed in several

stages between 1621-1644.

The main building and its defences were constructed in 1621-1627. The next stage comprised the extension of the gate clock tower. In 1631 it was documented by engraving on a plate the inscription:

,,A Cross – defence/ A Cross – a support/ The children of our battle-axe”. This plate was situated

by the main entrance. During this stage, the name of the castle was changed from Krzysztopór (referring to the name of the founder) to Krzyżtopór, which is used presently. At the main gate, a large cross and a battle-axe were placed together with the inscription.

The main gate with the cross

and a battle-axe:

The Krzyżtopór castle is a typical example of palazzo in fortezza, a mixture of both palace and

a fortress.

The construction plan of this defensive castle is unique as it comprises a bastion inscribed in a

pentagon. The palace, fortifications and a garden were connected axially.

In 1770 the castle was destroyed during the Bar Confederation and its ruins can be seen today.

The Ruins of the Krzyżtopór Castle

Every year tournaments are held in the ruins of Krzyżtopór Castle - fighting knights.

Photos of knights…

…in front of the castle.

Krzyżtopór castle is unique because…

…it has as many windows as there are days in a year.

It has the same

number of rooms as there

are weeks in

a year.

It has twelve parlours.

The castle

also has as many

towers as there are

seasons in a year.

Furthermore:The dining room, which was situated in the tower, had a glass ceiling through which visitors could see an aquarium with exotic fish.

In the stables on the right,

there are excellent acoustic

conditions admired by experts who

suggested the owners of the

castle to organize concerts

there.

In the cellars of this tower, there is a spring with water of unusual taste and therapeutic properties called 

Krzyżtopożanka.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Castle’s dimensions:• The total area of the castle 1.3 hectare• The total length of walls 600 meters• The total area of walls 3,730 square meters• The total area of gardens 1.6 hectare 

Materials used for the construction:• 11,000 tonnes of local quartzite sandstone,• 300 cubic meters of kunowski sandstone,• 30,000 roofing tiles,• 200,000 bricks,• 500 tonnes of burnt lime,• 5,000 cubic meters of sand as well as marble, alabaster and exotic

wood; 1 million egg whites were used to make waterproof mortar.

Krzyżtopór Castle is a unique and magical place. You need to come to Ujazd to get to know its story and feel

like a knight or a lady of the seventeenth century.

Thank you for watching

Patrycja SnochKl. II aB

ZSZ nr 1 Kielce

Source: zdjęcia wnętrza zamku – własne zdjęcia ‘z lotu ptaka’ i z zewnątrz – google.pl oraz strona główna Zamku Krzyżtopór informacje – pozyskane w czasie zwiedzania Zamku Krzyżtopór, ze strony głównej Zamku Krzyżtopór oraz z wikipedia.pl