Iłża

State of preservation:		The tower and ground walls have survived of the stronghold
Admission:		The entry to the castle area is free of charge. However, in the time of the tournament entrance tickets are compulsory.
Parking:		At the foot of the castle hill there are free parking lots
Searching difficulty:		The castle is seen from afar, therefore finding it is very easy
Access difficulty:		The access to the ruins is very difficult since you have to climb steep stairs up the high hill
Subjective rating:		The building of an average beauty

Driving directions:

Driving from Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski to Radom down the road no 9, after traveling 35 km you enter Ilża. There you must keep driving down the main road and look out for a castle tower on the hill on the right side of the road.


Historical outline:

First mentions of Ilża originate from the XIIIth cent., when it was a property of Episcopal castellany in Tarczek. Then existed there bishops’ wooden defensive mansion, which was destroyed by Tatars and Lithuanians in the second half of the century. At the turn of the XIIIth and the XIVth cent. Ilża became an independent material castellany of bishops of Cracow. Not long later a bishop Jan Grot started building a brick castle, which confirms Jan Długosz. Subsequently the stronghold was modernized by the next bishops. In 1655 the Swedes and Rakoczy’s armies heavily destroyed the castle, which was reconstructed in 1670 and renovated a few times in later years.
Takeover of bishops’ property by the government in 1788 contributed to castle’s decaying, and the fire from the XIXth cent. sealed its fate. Preservation of part of the castle up to this day was possible thanks to restoration works from the XXth cent.


Pictures:



Pictures of knights tournament which took place at this castle




Nearest castles: