n the 13th century, on a high rocky hill above the Dunajec River, there was a wooden and earth watchtower, where Bolesław Wstydliwy and his wife Kinga found shelter while escaping from the Tatar invasion. At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, a free-standing round tower was erected on the rock in the northern part of the complex, and shortly afterwards, probably during the reign of Casimir the Great, the top of the hill was surrounded by a stone wall over 2 meters thick. The complex was divided into an upper and middle castle by a wall running across the courtyard. The tower was located within the middle castle, and a residential building was erected on the upper castle along the western part of the perimeter wall. An entrance gate was located in the eastern wall of the middle castle by the tower. At
Aerial photo, photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2021
that time, the castle was royal property and, due to its border location, it was one of a number of castles protecting the country from the south. The starosty was located here. The castle was destroyed several times during its existence during invasions and sieges.
In the 15th century, another expansion took place, during which a gate building was built at the previous entrance with a trapdoor and a second series of walls were built to extend the castle area to the east. The new entrance gate was located in the southern part of the new wall, and it was reinforced with a gate building occupying the south-eastern corner. Zawisza Czarny had his seat here when he took over the Spiš starosty.
During the modernization in the 16th century, the area under the castle was surrounded by a wall, creating an extensive lower castle, and in place of the demolished tower in the middle castle, farm buildings were built. Before the mid-17th century, the last reconstruction was carried out by the Czorsztyn starosta Jan Baranowski, who modernized the defense system,
The walls of the upper castle, photo by ZeroJeden, V 2001
expanded the residential part in the upper castle and the farm buildings in the lower parts of the castle. The previous building at the entrance gate to the middle castle was replaced with a four-storey gate tower adapted for the use of artillery. In 1651, the stronghold was captured during a peasant rebellion by troops led by Aleksander Kostka Napierski. The first attempt to retake the castle by Polish troops of starosta Mikołaj Jordan failed, and a second expedition set off shortly afterwards. The castle was captured and the leaders of the rebellion were sentenced to death.
During the Swedish Deluge, Jan Kazimierz took refuge in the castle in 1655, leaving the Crown Treasure there before leaving for Głogówek.
Later, construction work was carried out here, but only of a renovation nature. In the 18th century, the castle fell into ruin and was put up for auction by the Austrian authorities. In 1819, it was bought by the Drohojewski family.
At the end of the 20th century, conservation work began here, and is currently still ongoing, but the castle is
Ruins of Czorsztyn on a lithograph by Józef Szalay from 1858
Turn off 3D
the 13th century, on a high rocky hill above the Dunajec River, there was a wooden and earth watchtower, where Bolesław Wstydliwy and his wife Kinga found shelter while escaping from the Tatar invasion. At the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries, a free-standing round tower was erected on the rock in the northern part of the complex, and shortly afterwards, probably during the reign of Casimir the Great, the top of the hill was surrounded by a stone wall over 2 meters thick. The complex was divided into an upper and middle castle by a wall running across the courtyard. The tower was located within the middle castle, and a residential building was erected on the upper castle along the western part of the perimeter wall. An entrance gate was located in the eastern wall of the middle castle by the tower. At 
