Hatzfeldt Castle and Palace Ruins in Żmigród

A stronghold in Żmigród was first mentioned in 1296; the brick castle, surrounded by the Barycz wetlands, was probably built in the 14th century. The surviving residential and defensive tower was built in 1560 by Wilhelm Kurzbach – a plaque bearing his coat of arms still hangs above the entrance. According to local legend, in the winter of 1640, as the Swedes were hauling their cannons across the frozen Barycz, the defenders opened the pond sluices and the ice gave way. The Swedes eventually captured the castle and in 1642 added another storey to the tower.

In 1641 Emperor Ferdinand III granted the Free State Lordship of Żmigród to Field Marshal Melchior von Hatzfeldt; his family held it until 1945. A Baroque palace rose on the site of the stronghold (main block 1706–1708, designed by Christoph Hackner), followed in 1762–1765 by a neoclassical wing by Carl Gotthard Langhans. On 9–12 July 1813 Tsar Alexander I, King Frederick William III of Prussia and the Swedish Crown Prince Charles John Bernadotte agreed here on the Trachenberg Plan – the strategy that led to victory over Napoleon at Leipzig.

In January 1945 the palace burned down, and in the 1970s much of the ruin was demolished. In 2007–2008 the neo-Renaissance façade was restored and the walls secured as a “permanent ruin”; a wooden trellis pergola in the restored park recalls the vanished wing. The park (approx. 15 ha) has a monumental oak and yew, as well as a former orangery.

The tower houses the “Baszta” Tourist Information with an exhibition and a rooftop terrace (the view is partly blocked by trees). The ruins and park are free to visit; admission to the tower according to the 2025 price list: 10 zł standard, 5 zł reduced. From April to September you can rent a kayak here on fine weekends. Address: al. Zesłańców Sybiru 2, Żmigród.