page_title: Chęciny
section_title: Points of interest
hierarchical_section_title: Chęciny / Points of interest
caption_attribution_description: English: Castle in Chęciny / Poland Polski: Zamek w Chęcinie
context_page_description: Chęciny is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 4,252 inhabitants. It was first mentioned in historical documents from 1275, and obtained its city charter in 1325. At that time was one of major urban centers of northern Lesser Poland. The most important sight in Chęciny is the royal castle built in the late 13th or early 14th century on the Castle Hill above the town. It fell into a ruin in the 18th century and remains in that state to this day. For centuries Chęciny had a Jewish community and it had been the center of the Hasidic Chentshin dynasty,
context_section_description: Royal Castle – The  construction of the fortress probably began around the 13th or 14th century.  Around this date the upper part of the castle, consisting of the upper courtyard with housing unit and two rounded defensive towers, was built.  The castle had its own chapel, located by the eastern tower. The castle  treasure was being kept in the room above the chapel. It is certain that  the castle existed in 1306, when King Ladislaus I presented it  to the Archbishop of Kraków, Jan Muskata. In following years a dispute on  ownership title of then Lesser Poland has been raised between the king and the bishop. As a result of the dispute, after detection of a plot against the royal power, the castle was returned to the king. King Ladislaus soon made the royal castle in Chęciny the centre of his  political and military power. In 1318 the treasure of the Archdiocese of Gniezno was transferred and hidden inside the castle to prevent it from being captured by Teutonic Knights. The  castle played a significant role as a place of concentration of Polish  troops departing for Battle of Płowce with the Teutonic Knights in 1331.  In the first half of the 14th century the stronghold was enlarged by  King Casimir III the Great. Then the lower courtyard with a rectangle  tower was constructed, forming the existing shape of the castle. At that  time Chęciny became a residence of the king's second wife Adelaide of Hesse. It was also a residence of Elisabeth of Poland, Queen of Hungary,  Sophia of Halshany and her son Władysław III of Varna and Italian by  origin – Polish Queen Bona Sforza, who departed Poland in 1556. Later it  was used for many years as a state prison with main dungeon located  underneath the eastern tower. Among imprisoned here were: Michael  Küchmeister von Sternberg future Grand Master of the Teutonic Knights,  Andrzej Wingold, King Jogaila's half-brother. The castle briefly  regained its former glory due to reconstruction initiated by Stanisław  Branicki, Starost of Chęciny. However, in the second half of the 16th century, the castle began to decline.  In  1588 the parliament ordered to transfer the castle's inventories to the  Chęciny Parish Church. In 1607 the Castle was captured and burned by  the Zebrzydowski Rebellion. In 1657 the Castle was again partially  destroyed by the Rakoczy troops. During the Swedish Deluge the Castle  turned into a ruin and remains in that state to this day. The  ruins of the Castle have been preserved several times. First major  construction works were undertaken in 1877. Between First and Second  World Wars the castle was preserved by then mayor of the city Edmund  Padechowicz. After the Second World War the castle was again preserved  and partially reconstructed with middle tower rebuilt.  Since then the eastern tower serves as a scenic viewpoint.
  The Parish Church of St Bartholomew  is located at the rock terrace cut in the slope of the Zamkowa Mountain, 362 metres (1,188 feet) above sea level. It was probably founded by Ladislaus I. The construction was started around 1315 and was finished in the times of King Casimir the Great. In 1568–1603 it served The Polish Brethren  – members of the Minor Reformed Church of Poland, a Nontrinitarian Protestant church that existed in Poland from 1565 to 1658. Brethren were popularly known as "Arians" or "Socinians" and after their expulsion from Poland, "Unitarians". The church gained its contemporary appearance during the last alteration in the years 1830–40. The Gothic character is preserved mainly in the stockade-like window shape, but the roofs were lowered and the tower was built. The triple-nave, hall church has an entrance leading through the vestibule from the 17th century with a tunnel vault. The side naves are based on octagonal pillars. The early Baroque altar was consecrated in 1628. The stalls  surrounding the presbytery and those on the back side of the church come from the late Renaissance and were originally placed at the Franciscan monastery. A Renaissance Fodygas-Family chapel was built in 1614 by Swiss by origin – Kacper Fo
caption: One of three castle towers
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