top of page
Zamek Krzyżtopór

Ujazd

Krzyżtopór Castle

Krzyżtopór Castle

Krzyżtopór is an impressive ruin of a 17th-century defensive palace located in Ujazd in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship. Built in the years 1621-1644 by Krzysztof Ossoliński, then voivode of Sandomierz, Krzyżtopór was one of the largest palace residences in Europe before the foundation of Versailles. In 2018, the building was granted the status of a historical monument.

 

The palace was built on a pentagonal plan with bastions at the corners. It was an Italian-style complex of the palazzo in fortezza type, including a palace complex with farm buildings, bastion fortifications and Italian gardens. The main building material was stone and brick, and the central element was a gate tower and a bastion called the High Roundabout. The three-story palace was built on a rectangular plan with an elliptical inner courtyard.

Krzyżtopór is an example of palazzo in fortezza architecture, integrating the functions of a residence and a fortification. The palace had baroque elevations painted yellow, with portraits of the Ossoliński family and coats of arms on the entrance gate. This place was both a symbol of faith (cross) and the power of the Ossoliński family (axe).


Currently, Krzyżtopór remains a permanent ruin, but with preserved fragments of fortifications, moats, fortifications and traces of bridges. It is valued as a tourist site due to its architectural and historical value. The symbolism of the name Krzyżtopór, derived from the Ossoliński coat of arms and the name of the founder, adds additional historical depth to this place.


Print, frame of works, photo files: castlespalaces.picsell.eu/gallery/623

bottom of page