Dobczyce Castle: The Legend of the Treasure in the Wall

Po polsku: Zamek w Dobczycach

What if a nanny, just trying to calm a crying baby, accidentally found a hidden treasure in a castle wall? That is the legend of Dobczyce Castle, which stands on a rocky hill above Lake Dobczyce, about 30 km south of Kraków.

This guide is based on the Polish text and photos by Grażyna Kubiak, who loves visiting castles and writes about interesting places on her own site. I have adapted it for English-speaking visitors.

The legend of the treasure in the wall

According to the legend, in the 18th century a nanny worked for one of the castle’s starostas (royal administrators). One day she wanted to amuse a crying baby, so she tapped a bunch of keys against the wall.

A piece of the stone wall fell off. Behind it was a niche with a huge treasure.

The story does not end well for the castle. People began tapping and breaking every wall in search of more valuables. They found nothing, but the building was ruined. What was left was gradually taken apart for building material, including for a church, river embankments and houses. For years the small remaining pieces of wall, covered in grass, served as a pasture.

A short history of the castle

The royal castle was built on a rocky hill above Lake Dobczyce, which was created by damming the river Raba. Nobody knows exactly when it was built. The first written mention dates from 1362 and refers to King Władysław Łokietek staying in the castle in 1311. The castle was already complete by then, so historians think it may have existed as early as the 11th century.

The king’s stay was linked to the rebellion of wójt (town reeve) Albert in Kraków. In Dobczyce Łokietek issued and signed a document confiscating the property of the Kraków rebels. The people of Dobczyce helped the king win back Kraków. In return, his son, Casimir the Great, gave Dobczyce town rights, freed the townspeople from customs duty and granted them other privileges.

At its best, the castle was a huge two-level building with several towers, a bastion and several dozen rooms.

For many centuries the castle and nearby villages were a royal estate run by starostas. One of the first, around the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries, was Mikołaj Wierzynek, the royal table-server (stolnik) of Sandomierz. Others included Zbigniew of the Lanckoroński family, Piotr of Kamieniec, Stanisław Lanckoroński and later his descendants, and Seweryn Boner, castellan of Kraków.

In the 16th century the Lubomirski family lived here. They rebuilt the residence in Renaissance style and added a well, a fountain, a chapel and a clock on the tower. From the middle of the 17th century the Jordan family lived here. Michał Jordan extended the castle walls, but they were badly damaged in the fighting with the Swedes. Two years later Rakoczi’s troops finished the destruction. The castle was partly rebuilt and again became the starostas’ seat.

In the first years of the 18th century the Swedes attacked again and almost completely destroyed both castle and town. People still lived in the damaged castle for another 80 years, but it had lost its old importance. Then the treasure hunters did the rest.

A message from the castle

A plaque in one of the rooms greets visitors with a short history, told as if the castle itself were speaking. In my own translation:

„In the 11th century I was built here as a stronghold for defence. In the 14th century I was turned into a fortress and the seat of the starostas. In the 15th century I became a place of exile for Prince (Saint) Casimir, after his failed expedition to Hungary. In 1702 the Swedes partly destroyed me. From 1782 to 1832 greedy starostas thoughtlessly pulled me down. Since 1960, volunteers and friends of Dobczyce have dug me out and rebuilt me for future generations. And now I am entrusted to your care.”

The rebuilt castle and what to see

Research and excavations began in 1961, with the aim of rebuilding the castle. Today you can visit a beautifully restored castle that houses a PTTK museum (run by the Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society) with interesting exhibitions. The castle walls also offer lovely views.

A little below the castle is a small but charming skansen (open-air museum). Further on is a church built from the remains of the castle walls.

If you walk down towards the town, you can see remains of the town fortifications. The old town of Dobczyce stood on the same hill as the castle. Only in the second half of the 18th century was it moved to the Raba valley, to make room for extending the fortress.

Right next to the church is a protected natural monument, the lime tree called Marysieńka, with a statue of the Virgin Mary. It was planted in 1683 after Jan III Sobieski’s victory at Vienna.

Prince Casimir at Dobczyce

The sons of King Casimir Jagiellon were brought up in this castle and studied here under the historian Jan Długosz. One of them, Casimir, was named patron and honorary citizen of Dobczyce. He was later declared a saint.

Trupielec hill and its legends

The hilly countryside around Dobczyce is a great place for walking or cycling. Across from Castle Hill, hidden in the forest, rises a hill called Trupielec. It was once known as Charstek or Turza Góra.

One legend says it was the hideout of robbers called the Beggar Brothers, led by a man named Charstek. In 1467 they attacked the settlement and took over the castle and town. Soon the army dealt with them and the whole gang was killed near their hideout. Another story says there was a skirmish with the Swedes here.

Legends aside, archaeologists have found ancient burial mounds (kurgans) on Trupielec hill. They date from ancient pagan times, when the cremated remains of the dead were buried in them.

More guides: Kraków & Małopolska in English.

Łukasz, Niezwykła Małopolska