Castle of the Dukes of Mazovia in Ciechanów

The castle in Ciechanów was built on the swamps of the Łydynia River on the turning point of the fourteenth and fifteenth century. It was erected by the Masovian Duke Siemowit III, and his son Janusz I, Prince of Ciechanów and Warsaw. The brick stronghold was built on the mound made of layers of clay and timber. The towers located in the four corners of the castle's square formation help to defend the stronghold, and additional 10 metre high defensive walls. In the fifteenth century, the castle was raised by an additional level and a raised courtyard.
The castle as the prince’s headquarters had defensive, economic, administrative and judicial roles. 
After the death of the last duke of Mazovia, in the second half of 15th century, Mazovia was incorporated into the Polish state. In 1547, when the castle belonged to Polish queen Bona, the stronghold changed its function into an aristocratic residence. In later years, the building fell into disrepair. The castle was destroyed by the Swedish army in the so-called Swedish Deluge (second half of the 17th century). After the Third Partition of Poland (1795), the stronghold became part of Prussia and was partially deconstructed for cheap building material. In the 19th century, the castle was visited by famous Polish writers and poets. Its ruins, representing the memory of past glory, inspired the spirit of the nation. 
In the 1950’s, some archaeological and architectural studies were launched with the reconstruction of the castle. The Castle of the Masovian Dukes was rebuilt and its interiors are used for temporary exhibitions, mainly archaeological, history-related meetings and ancient music concerts. 


You might also like other articles about most beautiful Polish castles and palaces (click)
 Polish Castles & Palaces

Comments

  1. Wonderful post, very informative (I love history)
    Thanks for sharing!

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  2. Amazing, Thanks for sharing :)

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  3. What a cool castle! Great photos.

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  4. I agree- Wonderful post, great castle, beautifully captured.

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  5. awesome! my dad's ancestors come from there :-)

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  6. Fajne miejsce. Zawsze zastanawiało mnie, dlaczego Ciechanów jest tak zapomniany. A tu proszę...

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    Replies
    1. Niestety Ciechanów leży trochę na uboczu, z dala od głównych tras prowadzących nad jeziora, czy nad morze i dlatego chyba rzadko ktoś tu zagląda. A szkoda, bo również w okolicach jest mnóstwo ciekawych miejsc, np. Muzeum Romantyzmu w Opinogórze, czy piękne drewniane kościoły...

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  7. Oh my! What a castle! Beautiful.

    Here's my Wordless Wednesday: Mabel Dodge Luhan House. I hope you will stop by.

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  8. Szczególnie pięknie wyglądają mury na pierwszym zdjęciu, niemal czerwone na tle szafirowego nieba :) Rzeczywiście trochę zapomniany jest Ciechanów, a miejsce warte zobaczenia :) pozdrawiamy

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  9. Wow! Spectacular castle

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  10. That looks cool. Were teepees also popular dwellings there?

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  11. Lovely brickwork on the tower, thanks for visiting my blog.

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  12. What a stunning castle!

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  13. A different castle.. Nice shots.. Cheers

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  14. Wow some beautiful colors and textures.

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  15. This is one fine castle. Enjoyed reading all about it. Some of your pictures remind me of the Tower of London. Like all the beautiful brick. genie

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  16. Stronghold is a good description! Thanks for the interesting post.

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  17. Wow, such an ancient place. I'm glad part of it is preserved.

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  18. Wonderful impressions of this old castle and stuff inside.
    Best, Synnöve

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  19. what a lovely shots! amazing captures of history and castle!

    https://jaipurthrumylens.com - Blog on Jaipur!

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  20. I'm curious about the tents outside of the castle walls.
    I found you through Photo Friday and wanted to invite you to join our weekly photo linkup at image-in-ing:
    http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2016/09/los-viejos.html

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  21. What an amazing place! More reasons to keep exploring Poland!

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  22. An impressive castle design and the interior looks so intriguing. I'd love to wander there.

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  23. Great castle! Love hearing the history behind it. I would love to visit. Thanks for sharing.

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  24. Thank you for sharing this very old part of Polish history. It is great that the castle was rebuilt and has a useful purpose now. It is an impressive building. When we were in France we saw very early castles and monastery's that were rebuilt and some that were in ruins. I love seeing the historical value of these awesome buildings.

    Happy Blue Monday,
    Jeanne

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  25. Great shots! Thanks for sharing in the Travel Tuesday meme. I hope to see more of your photos this week.

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