Friday, 9 January 2015

Krzyżtopór castle in Ujazd

Krzyżtopór (formerly Krzysztopór) - the former castle located in Ujazd in Świętokrzyskie voivodeship in southern Poland. Erected in the seventeenth century. The castle was partially destroyed during the Swedish invasion known as The Deluge in 1655, and then reduced to ruin during the war of the Bar Confederation by the Russians in 1770.

Zamek Krzyżtopór


Krzyżtopór name derives from the merger of two Polish words Krzyż - cross and Topór - ax.
The cross was a symbol of faith and politics provincial governor, ax Ossolińskich crest. Both of these symbols are placed on the gate to the palace. Ossoliński called his palace"Krzysztofory", which is probably derived from the etymology of his name (gr. Christophoros - Krzysztof).

Zamek Krzyżtopór
gate to the castle


The castle was built between 1627-1644 by Christopher Ossoliński, it was never fully completed. This is an extensive castle in the Italian style palazzo in fortezza type.

Zamek Krzyżtopór
one of the corner towers


Zamek Krzyżtopór
courtyard of the castle

Krzysztof Ossoliński died suddenly a year after its completion. He left behind a debt capital which was inherited by his son Christopher Baldwin Ossoliński. After the death of Christopher Baldwin Ossoliński (1649), the palace has inherited a relative of the family Kalinowski. The palace was looted during Swedish invasion (1655). Inhabited until 1770, when it was destroyed by the Russian army during the defense of the supporters of the Confederation of Bar.

Zamek Krzyżtopór
next to the courtyard


Zamek Krzyżtopór
somewhere in the castle


The history of the palace and its splendor is still not fully explained, this is the reason for the rise several legends around it. One of them is the story of the application in the palace of the symbolism of numbers referring to the calendar: the windows had as many as days in a year, the rooms as much as weeks; large rooms as much as months, and four corner turrets symbolize the number of quarters.

Zamek Krzyżtopór
view from the outside


Today, the palace has the status of a permanent ruin. In the former classification of monuments was included in the zero class. It includes extensive fortifications: bastions, moat, traces of fortifications and bridges.


Zamek Krzyżtopór
gate to the courtyard


Zamek Krzyżtopór
"lady from the window"


Zamek Krzyżtopór
my wife in the basement of the castle


Zamek Krzyżtopór
the interior of the stables


Place to build a fortress has been selected by the natural conditions of the defense this castle. So castle "Krzyżtopór" in Ujazd is situated on a promontory of the hill.

Zamek Krzyżtopór
gate to the castle - view from the inside


Zamek Krzyżtopór
view from inside the tower


Zamek Krzyżtopór
external walls of the castle


The ruins of the castle are making really amazing impression .... I only wish, that the castle is not as a whole to this day.

Zamek Krzyżtopór
one of the four turrets of the palace


I would recommend visiting the ruins of the castle to anyone, who at least a little interested in history, really worth it.

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