Zamek Pieniński

Pieniny Castle (Polish: Zamek Pieniny), also known as the Castle of St. Kinga, is a ruined medieval Polish castle located near Krościenko nad Dunajcem, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, in the Pieniny mountains.

The stronghold was most likely built in the early 1280s. Its construction is associated with Saint Kinga, who is believed to have commissioned it as a refuge for the Poor Clares' monastery in times of conflict. The duchess and the nuns took shelter there during the third Mongol invasion of Poland.

The castle's subsequent 14th-century history is poorly documented. While recent research suggests that it remained in use in the 15th century, the prevailing view among researchers holds that it was likely abandoned in the 14th century and destroyed during the invasion of the Hussites or the forces of Stibor of Stiboricz at the beginning of the 15th century.

Text adapted from “Pieniny Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Zamek Pieniński ranks #370 of 6,412 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #1 of the 279 mapped in Poland. Founded c. 1285, it is older than 70% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 555 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. See how Poland compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗