photo sharing and upload picture albums photo forums search pictures popular photos photography help login
Michal Leszczynski | all galleries >> Lesser Poland Tour/Malopolska Tour >> Niepolomice > The Niepolomice Castle - Courtyard
previous | next
03-JUN-2011 Michal Leszczynski

The Niepolomice Castle - Courtyard

The Niepolomice Royal Castle is a Gothic castle from the mid-14th century, rebuilt in the late Renaissance style and called the second Wawel. It is situated in Niepolomice, Poland.

The Niepolomice Castle was built by order of King Casimir III the Great on the slope of the Vistula valley, to serve as a retreat during the hunting expeditions to the nearby Niepolomice Forest. The castle consisted of three towers, buildings in the southern and eastern wing, and curtain walls around the courtyard. Sigismund I the Old rebuilt the structure, giving it the form of a quadrangle with an internal courtyard. Queen Bona Sforza's gardens were located on the southern flank. In 1550 the great fire destroyed the east and north wings. The reconstruction works were conducted in 1551-1568 under the supervision of Tomasz Grzymala and a sculptor Santi Gucci. Since the end of the 16th century the castle passed into the hands of noble families of Curylo, Branicki and Lubomirski. At that time, only the small changes were made in the castle's interiors (fireplaces, ceilings). The construction of an arcade courtyard began in 1635 and was completed in 1637. The Swedish-Brandenburgian invasion in 1655 brought an end to the magnificence of the building. The castle was transformed into a food store during the occupation. In the 18th century it was acquired by King Augustus II the Strong and Augustus III. The reconstruction of the former royal residence began in 1991, when it became the property of Niepolomice Municipality.

Canon EOS 40D
1/320s f/11.0 at 18.0mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
Gerard Koehl12-Jul-2011 01:52
Le cadrage est parfait et met bien en valeur ce beau château. V
Marcia Colelli12-Jul-2011 01:21
Wonderful light, great architecture and nice details V
Stephanie11-Jul-2011 21:58
This is an awesome capture of the courtyard. The lighting is superb! BV
Simon Chandler11-Jul-2011 21:52
Beautiful composition with great clarity. v
marie-jose wolff11-Jul-2011 21:21
beautiful castle with an impressive courtyard! V
marie-jose wolff11-Jul-2011 21:21
beautiful cstle with an impressive courtyard! V
Ted Aanensen11-Jul-2011 20:51
super scope and detail, a wonderful history lesson V
Guest 11-Jul-2011 20:41

Excellent shot with superb details.
veraferia11-Jul-2011 20:32
Wonderful place and architecture!
Colin Storey11-Jul-2011 20:29
Very well composed image with great information. v
Type your message and click Add Comment
It is best to login or register first but you may post as a guest.
Enter an optional name and contact email address. Name
Name Email
help private comment