This fortified castle, picturesquely located high above the Dunajec River, was built in the first half of the fourteenth century by a member of the Berzevics family of Hungary, which at that time controlled these lands. The fortress was reconstructed in the fifteenth, sixteenth and eighteenth centuries by successive Hungarian lords of Niedzica. Currently, although only ruins remain of what used to be the Gothic castle, its dungeons and some of its residential rooms have survived, as have some of the paintings depicting the Crucifixion that once used to adorn the castle's chapel. The later buildings comprise a densely packed complex with a courtyard surrounded by residential wings with covered arcades, towers and fortified walls. The castle has been open to visitors since reconstruction was completed in 1963.
The museum in Niedzica collects archaeological artefacts related to the castle, remnants of the masonry elements that once adorned its interiors, prints and engravings with views of the castle from various periods and historical documentation. The museum's collections also include ethnographic exhibits from the Spisz (Slovak: Spiš, German: Zips, Hungarian: Szepes) region, including an interesting collection of clocks. In 1996, a new collection was begun. Because of the fortress's Hungarian origins, çkos Engelmayer, Hungarian ambassador to Poland (1990-1995), donated his collection of Hungarian-related items of historical interest from Poland, such as maps of Hungary from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, engravings depicting Hungarian kings, castles, cities and battle grounds and old prints, which it is hoped will be the start of the largest collection of Hungarian-related materials outside Hungary.
Permanent exhibitions: "The Castle in Niedzica - History, Archaeology, Architecture"
Muzeum Zamek w Niedzicy
Zamek 1
34-441 Niedzica
Region: woj. małopolskie
Phone: (+48 18) 262 94 89,
Phone/Fax: (+48 18) 262 94 80, 262 94 73
Email: shniedzica@wp.pl