Pieskowa Skała Castle

The Kraków−Częstochowa Upland

LoginSave

If you can only do one thing in Ojców National Park, visit this 14th-century castle, one of the best-preserved castles in the upland. The castle was rebuilt in the 16th century in imitation of the royal residence of Wawel and is now a branch of the Wawel Royal Castle museum, with many exhibitions and a large collection of art and artefacts from the 15th to 19th centuries. The castle is near the park's north end, about 8km north of Ojców village.

From the castle, the red trail along the road towards Ojców takes you to an iconic 25m-tall limestone pillar; it’s rather demurely called Hercules’ Club (Maczuga Herkulesa).

The limited castle parking is 20zł. There is a decent restaurant in the castle.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Wawel Cathedral, Wawel Hill.

    Wawel Cathedral

    14.82 MILES

    Wawel Cathedral has witnessed many coronations, funerals and burials of Poland’s monarchs and nobles. The present cathedral is basically a Gothic, but…

  • Wieliczka Salt Mine

    Wieliczka Salt Mine

    21.83 MILES

    Some 14km southeast of Kraków, the Wieliczka (vyeh-leech-kah) salt mine has been welcoming tourists since 1722 and today is one of Poland's most popular…

  • St. Mary's Church on Market Square in Krakow.

    St Mary's Basilica

    14.48 MILES

    This striking brick church, best known simply as St Mary’s, is dominated by two towers of different heights. The first church here was built in the 1220s…

  • The Wawel Royal Cathedral (Polish: Katedra Wawelska, na Wawelu) by night in Krakow, Poland, city landmark dating back to the 11th century.

    Wawel Royal Castle

    14.85 MILES

    As the political and cultural heart of Poland through the 16th century, Wawel Royal Castle is a potent symbol of national identity. It's now a museum…

  • Gates to Auschwitz Birkenau Concentration Camp, Poland; Shutterstock ID 135123005; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: BiT Destination Page Images

    Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum

    29.74 MILES

    Auschwitz-Birkenau is synonymous with the Holocaust. More than a million Jews, and many Poles and Roma, were murdered here by German Nazis during WWII…

  • Collegium Maius

    Collegium Maius

    14.35 MILES

    The Collegium Maius, part of Jagiellonian University, is the oldest surviving university building in Poland, and one of the finest examples of 15th…

  • Pharmacy under the Eagle, Plac Bohaterow Getta 18, Podgorz.

    Museum of Pharmacy

    14.4 MILES

    The name of this museum doesn’t sound that exciting, but the Jagiellonian University Medical School’s Museum of Pharmacy is one of the largest museums of…

  • Church of SS Peter & Paul

    Church of SS Peter & Paul

    14.75 MILES

    The Jesuits erected this church, the first baroque building in Kraków, after they had been brought to the city in 1583 to do battle with supporters of the…

View more attractions

Nearby The Kraków−Częstochowa Upland attractions

1. Chapel on the Water

3.05 MILES

About 300m north of Ojców is the frequently photographed Chapel on the Water, which was fashioned in 1901 from the bathhouse that originally stood in its…

2. Kazimierz Castle

3.16 MILES

Ojców Castle was deserted in 1826, and has since fallen into ruin. The 14th-century entrance gate and octagonal tower are original, but there’s little…

3. King Łokietek Cave

3.37 MILES

Stretching over 270m through several passages, Łokietek Cave is accessible from the black trail heading south from Ojców Castle and can be visited on a 30…

4. Wierzchowska Górna Cave

4.94 MILES

Just outside the park boundaries, Wierzchowska Górna Cave is in the village of Wierzchowie, 5km southwest of Ojców. At 950m long, Wierzchowska is the…

5. Piłsudski Mound

13.08 MILES

This mound-based memorial was erected in honour of Marshal Józef Piłsudski after his death in 1935; it was formed from soil taken from WWI Polish battle…

6. Galeria Stańczyk

13.14 MILES

Art gallery that works on behalf of disabled artists and visitors. The gallery hosts regular exhibitions and maintains helpful information on its website…

7. Zoological Gardens

13.49 MILES

The 20-hectare zoological gardens are well-tended and home to about 1500 animals. Highlights include a pair of Indian elephants, pygmy hippopotamuses, and…

8. Krakowski Park

13.77 MILES

Renovated in spring 2018, this park is a lovely place to spend an hour with children, walking a dog or on your own. Added plants bring colour and attract…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "poland/ojcow-national-park/attractions/pieskowa-skala-castle/a/poi-sig/1420702/1004036",
  "destination": "The-Kraków−Częstochowa-Upland",
  "continent": "Europe",
  "country": "Poland",
  "region": "The-Kraków−Częstochowa-Upland",
  "position": "superzone"
}