Krzyżtopór Castle is located in Ujazd in Świętokrzyskie. It was built in the seventeenth century, and today only parts of it remain, mostly ruins.
It is a vast palace-castle built in the Italian style, lies within a pentagonal bastion fortification (pentagon – associated with Mars – god of War). It served as both a representative and defensive building.
Above the gate there is a characteristic cross (a symbol of faith and politics) and an axe – a symbol referring to the coat of arms of the Ossoliński family, from which the founder of the castle, Krzysztof Ossoliński, came. He was provincial governor of Sandomierz. The symbols on the gate were meant to defend the faith of the inhabitants, from which they would never depart.
You could say that the castle is an attempt to realize the dream of the founder. He had the means, a well-known name, and ancestral fortune. In the seventeenth century – until the construction of Versailles – Krzyztopor was said to be Northern Europe’s largest castle-palace complex. In its heyday, splendor reigned: the roof of the tower was built of glass, around the palace stretched gardens. Interestingly, this building was never fully completed. Neither the founder of the castle nor his son had the chance to live in it. The founder died of disease, and his son was killed on a military expedition. Successive owners were reluctant to spend money on completing the building and and consequently the castle fell into disrepair.
It is interesting that in the construction of the castle, the founder’s passion for numbers is highlighted for numbers and their magic. And so as a result the castle was founded with 365 windows (as much as the days in a year), 52 rooms (symbolizing weeks), 12 rooms (symbolizing months) and 4 towers (quarters).
The castle occupies an area of 1.3 hectares, the total length of the walls is 600m. There are designated hiking trails, and the property is officially open to the public. Through an EU grant, the site was adapted for tourism – new safeguards in hazardous locations, the lighting of the underground, and a metal staircase was even built. In addition, at the gate we can find a souvenir shop and sanitary facilities.
Visiting the castle is also an interesting attraction for children who were eager to find secret passages linking various places in the castle.