Welcome to the website of Chudow Castle Foundation and Chudow Castle Museum.
We invite you to visit the castle:
In high season (May-September) the castle is open (on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays) from 10 am to 6 pm
In low season (October-April) the castle is closed!
The castle in Chudów is an example of a 16th-century noble residence with defensive qualities (location in wetlands, massive walls, moat).
According to the sources, the first historically confirmed owner of Chudów was Jan (Johannes) de Hodow, who appears in the records on October 15, 1434 as one of the judges. This may indicate his high position or the office he held. The documents from July 6, 1459 mention him as the owner of the village.
Archaeological research shows that in the 15th century on a small island (with a probable diameter of about 30-40 meters), a wooden tower with a side of about 9 meters was erected. This tower was destroyed by fire, most probably at the turn of the 15th and 16th centuries.
The builder of the brick castle (erected in place of the earlier tower) was probably Jan Gierałtowski, about whom the earliest records come from the first quarter of the 16th century. He conducted very intensive economic activities, acquired neighboring estates, also searched for ore deposits and hard coal.
The first construction phase of the early-16th-century castle was only the stone and brick tower (a small keep). The other buildings were added a couple of decades later. Inside the castle there was a rectangular courtyard with a well.
On January 11, 1875, the castle burnt down. At the request of the then owner, Count Schaffgotsch, many part of the walls were pulled down, creating a picturesque ruin (fashionable at the time).
Since the end of the 20th century, the owner of the castle has been the Chudów Castle Foundation, which conducted archaeological research on the castle and carried out securing works and partially reconstructed the tower, in which the museum is now located.
How to reach us:
From 2020, the Chudow Castle Foundation is the first Polish member of the International National Trust Organisation.
From 2021, the Chudow Castle is a member of INTO Places programme.
Help needed!
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