Clan Rising
Chojnik Castle today

Poland · Partial ruin

Chojnik Castle

Zamek Chojnik

Chojnik Castle is a medieval fortress standing above the town of Sobieszów (now part of Jelenia Góra) on a steep granite hill in southwestern Poland. Built from the late 13th century and long held by the Schaffgotsch family, the stronghold burned in 1675 and survives as a semi-ruined tourist site that includes a mountain hut, restaurant and visitor paths.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

First raised

1292

Its prime

1650

Today

Partial ruin

As it stood in 1650

What Chojnik Castle looked like in its prime.

Perched on a bare granite crag, the castle forms a compact rectangular stronghold of light-grey masonry with a continuous crenellated curtain wall and a prominent cylindrical keep at one corner. The walls rise directly from steep rock faces, with narrow slit windows and regular embrasures in the parapet. Surrounding slopes are wooded with birches and pines. At its prime the curtain, keep and added low bastions presented an essentially roofed but austere military silhouette, with inner ranges opening onto a central courtyard.

Its story

The story of Chojnik Castle.

Duke Bolko I the Strict ordered the castle raised in 1292 on the Chojnik hill, at the site of a hunting lodge built by his father Bolesław II the Bald, to protect the borders of his Duchy of Jawor against Wenceslaus II of Bohemia. His grandson Bolko II the Small, the last independent Piast duke, began reconstructing it in 1355.

After Bolko II died without issue in 1368, his widow Agnes von Habsburg sold the castle to the knight Gotsche Schoff, founder of the Schaffgotsch line that held Chojnik for most of its existence. Gotsche II Schoff expanded the castle in 1393 and donated its Gothic chapel, completed in 1403. The fortress withstood Hussite attacks, and Hans Ulrich von Schaffgotsch served the Emperor under Wallenstein in the Thirty Years' War.

After fire destroyed the castle in 1675 the comital family moved down to the palace of Warmbrunn, and the ruin became a tourist attraction as early as the 18th century, visited by the Prussian royal family, Kleist and Goethe, and made famous across Germany by a Theodor Körner poem. The Schaffgotsches owned the ruins until the family's expulsion in 1945; the site now stands within the Karkonosze National Park.

Step inside

9 places to explore in 1650.

The record describes 9 distinct spots at Chojnik Castle, including 3 interiors: inside the round keep, inner courtyard and service ranges, gothic chapel of st catherine and st george. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach from the valleyCurtain wall walk along the cliffInside the round keepInner courtyard and service rangesGothic chapel of St Catherine and St GeorgeLow bastion platformTrail at the foot of the cragOuter forecourt and gatewayWall over the cliff (legend route)

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Whose castle

Clans who held Chojnik Castle.

The families that held Chojnik Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Schaffgotsch

    Bought from Bolko II's widow in 1368 by the knight Gotsche Schoff, the castle stayed with the Schaffgotsch family until their expulsion in 1945.

Questions about Chojnik Castle

What is the history of Chojnik Castle?

Chojnik Castle began as a late-13th-century fortress raised in 1292 by order of Duke Bolko I the Strict. It stood on the site of a hunting lodge built by Bolesław II the Bald and protected the borders of the Duchy of Jawor against Wenceslaus II of Bohemia. The Schaffgotsch family later held it for most of its history, until fire destroyed it in 1675.

What is inside Chojnik Castle?

Inside Chojnik Castle are the round keep, an inner courtyard and service ranges, and the Gothic chapel of St Catherine and St George. The chapel was donated in 1393 and completed in 1403. The castle's inner ranges opened onto a central courtyard.

Who owns Chojnik Castle now?

Chojnik Castle is owned by the House of Schaffgotsch. The ruins remained with the Schaffgotsch dynasty until the family was expelled in 1945. The castle also has the heritage designation of an immovable monument in Poland.

Why was Chojnik Castle built, and what was it used for?

Chojnik Castle was built as a frontier fortress to protect the borders of the Duchy of Jawor against Wenceslaus II of Bohemia. It was later expanded and used as a stronghold, with forecourts, depots, bastions and a chapel added over time. After the 1675 fire, the ruined castle became a tourist attraction.

Where is Chojnik Castle?

Chojnik Castle is above Sobieszów, now part of Jelenia Góra, in southwestern Poland. Its remains stand on Chojnik hill within Karkonosze National Park, overlooking the Jelenia Góra valley. The site is on a steep granite hill above the town.

When was Chojnik Castle built?

Chojnik Castle was first raised in the late 13th century, in 1292. Its construction began under Duke Bolko I the Strict, and Bolko II the Small started reconstructing it in 1355. Further expansion followed in 1393, when Gotsche II Schoff modernised and enlarged the castle.

Was Chojnik Castle ever attacked or besieged?

Chojnik Castle was attacked by the Hussites in 1426 and withstood their assault. King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary also attacked during his 1469 campaign, although the supplied account does not say that Chojnik Castle fell. During the Thirty Years' War, Swedish forces attacked the castle, whose garrison resisted them.

Which family or clan held Chojnik Castle?

Chojnik Castle was held by the Schaffgotsch family from 1368 until their expulsion in 1945. The knight Gotsche Schoff bought it from Bolko II's widow, Agnes von Habsburg, in 1368. His purchase established the Schaffgotsch line's long association with the castle.

What did Chojnik Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Chojnik Castle was a compact rectangular stronghold of light-grey masonry on a bare granite crag. It had a crenellated curtain wall, a cylindrical keep, narrow slit windows, regular parapet embrasures and low bastions. The walls rose directly from steep rock faces, with inner ranges opening onto a central courtyard.

Is Chojnik Castle still standing, or is it a ruin?

Chojnik Castle survives as a semi-ruined, partial ruin. Lightning caused a fire that destroyed it completely in 1675, and it was not reconstructed. The Polish state restored the ruins in 1964 and rebuilt the mountain hut, while the castle remains a tourist attraction.

Can you visit Chojnik Castle?

Chojnik Castle can be visited as a tourist attraction. The semi-ruined stronghold includes visitor paths, a mountain hut and a restaurant. It stands within Karkonosze National Park, and the ruined castle became a tourist attraction as early as the 18th century.

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