Green Velo

Chęciny is a small town which, centuries ago, was one of the most important centres of the Polish Republic. Its picturesque panorama is dominated by a Gothic castle, built around 1295 on the high mountain.

During a walk through the restored town centre, it is worth taking note of the parish church from the first half of the 14th century, the Bernardine convent, the Franciscan church and monastery founded in 1368, as well as the Renaissance building of the former inn called Niemczówka from 1570 and the late-Renaissance synagogue.

The Royal Castle in Chęciny was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries on a hill (360 m above sea level) as an upland fortress. King Władysław Jagiełło took advantage of its specific situation and chose it for the court years and for inns of the nobility. In 1331, before the expedition to Płowce, the king appointed his son Kazimierz the steward of Greater Poland. After the death of Łokietek, Casimir the Great expanded the castle, making it one of the most powerful fortresses in Poland. The castle in Chęciny took over from Małogoszcz the role of the administrative center and became the seat of the town starosts and the capital of the poviat. Throughout its history, the castle has served various functions. As the residence of the queens, it hosted the second wife of Casimir the Great, the Hessian princess Adelaide, Elżbieta Łokietkówna, ruling under the underage son Ludwik, Zofia, the wife of King Władysław Jagiełło, and Queen Bona, who stayed here during her trip to Bari).

The castle was also used as a state prison - Andrzej, the half-brother of Władysław Jagiełło, the Teutonic commander Michał Kuchmeister von Sternberg and other Teutonic masters were imprisoned here. After the conquest of Wielkopolska, Łokietek transferred the seat of the Crown Treasury to the Chęciny Castle, and in 1318 he also placed the treasury of the Archdiocesan Cathedral of Gniezno here. Ultimately, the castle was intended for the apartment of the castle starosts, as well as the place of the court and the castle office. The commoners, town writer, town judge, burgrave, clerk, cook, portal and chaplain lived here. In the oldest part, between the two cylindrical towers, there was a courtyard with a residential building. The chapel of the Ten Thousand Martyrs' Knights adjoined the castle. In 1576, the courtyard was enclosed with cloisters, the tower was built up with brick, and the castle was extended by a spacious courtyard with a rectangular tower. A 100-meter well was carved in the rock. In 1607, the castle was conquered and burnt down by Zebrzydowski's army. In 1657, the rebuilt castle was destroyed by Rakoczy's army. It was destroyed again in 1707 during the wars with the Swedes. Since then, it has not returned to its glory, remaining in partial ruin. His guns were fired for the last time in 1787, when Stanisław August Poniatowski was passing through Chęciny. During World War I, one of the towers was used as a Russian vantage point, which led to its destruction by the Austrians. After the end of World War II, a viewing point was set up on one of the towers. The renovation works carried out allowed to secure the castle in the form of a permanent ruin.