Niedzica Castle (Dunajec Castle)

Niedzica Castle was built between 1320 and 1326 by the Hungarian Kokos of Brezovica. Sitting on a hill upstream from the mouth of the Dunajec River, it is also sometimes called the Dunajec Castle. Long a border post with Hungary, the castle is considered to be one of the most picturesque in Poland. It has changed hands and undergone renovations numerous times over the centuries, but has been a museum since 1963.
While much of the castle is in ruins, the dungeons and some rooms in the upper and middle castle have survived, as has a painting of the crucifixion that once hung in the chapel. The castle museum displays artifacts, remnants of the old interior, historical documents, prints and engravings of the castle’s exterior and antique clocks, pistols and rifles. Two terraces provide visitors with scenic views of the river and nearby lake.
Niedzica Castle is also the subject of local legend, which says that an Inca princess was killed here, leaving her ghost to haunt the castle nightly, leaving a testament to her son describing the location of a lost Inca treasure.

Practical Info

The castle is open to visitors daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October to April and until 7 p.m. from May to September. Without your own transportation, the best way to reach the castle is to join a tour from Krakow or Zakopane.