Bielsko-Biała

State of preservation:		The complete castle
Admission:		Entrance to the museum requires a fee
Parking:		The castle is situated in the town center in restricted parking zone. In a week time parking is paid, on Sundays is free of charge.
Searching difficulty:		The museum is located in the town center by the main streets
Access difficulty:		From the parking lot you go down the sidewalk
Subjective rating:		The building of an average looks

Driving directions:

From Wadowice you have to drive down the road no 52 to Bielsko-Biała. In the town head for the center, and later for the road no 942 to Szczyrk. The castle will appear directly opposite behind the junction of the Zamkowa and Wzgórze Streets.




Historical outline:

The beginning of the castle is not clearly explained. It is believed that it arose in the XIIIth cent. within the borough limits in Stare Bielsko. The remnants of the first brick building located at that place are dated for only the second half of the XIVth cent. While the second written mention of the castle originates from 1489.
Since the start of its existence the castle belonged to the dukes of Cieszyn. In 1571 the castle became a private property (of the Promnitz family, later Schaffgotsch family, and then the Sünnegh family). In 1752 the castle together with the lands were bought by Aleksander Sułkowski, who received a dukedom thanks to it. The last owner of the castle was Aleksander Ludwik Sułkowski, who carried out a thorough reconstruction of the castle, as a consequence of which it lost its defensive nature nearly completely. The castle was in the possession of the Sułkowski family until 1945. After the war the castle was taken over by the State and was used as the seat of cultural institutions. Since 1983 it houses the Museum in Bielsko-Biała.


Pictures:




Nearest castles:

Pszczyna

Grodziec (Silesian Province)

Łodygowice