Kurnik Castle

Kurnik Castle is a breathtakingly beautiful building, famous not just for its exterior but also for its rich history and fascinating legend. You can reach it from the bus station in Poznan. The name of the castle became the name of the town where the castle is located. To this day, it has attracted numerous tourists and hunters of legends.

From the history

Construction of the castle started in the XIV century. The idea of its creation belongs to the Gurkov family. They are known as the magnates of Great Poland at that time. At the time when Mikołaj Górka lived there, the castle was a magnificent (by the standards of that time) stone residence. It was based on piles made of wood.

The construction was finished in 1430. The construction included a tower consisting of two parallel wings in the north-east part and an entrance gate in the south. There was also an access bridge made of wood in the south. The castle had remained as it was until Stanislav Huirk, the last of the famous family.

After moving in, Stanislav decided to make some changes. He enlarged the castle. An additional wing was added to the northern part of the castle. When the building works were completed in 1574, Henry Valois came to the castle. He stayed at the Gurkha estate as he was in a hurry to the coronation in Krakow.

Pre-museum period

The castle was renovated by Stanisław and stood until the 19th century. Its then owner was Titus Dzialinski. He was well known for his patriotic sentiments and took a direct part in the national uprising that took place between 1830 and 1831.

The castle was rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style. The project was designed by the renowned German architect Karl Schinkel. Once the reconstruction was complete, the castle became a full-fledged ancestral residence. The last owner created a luxurious library on its territory. It included old books, maps and manuscripts. Titus collected them for many years. In addition, the premises included a collection of national symbols.

The last owner of the manor was Vladyslav Zamoyski. But he did not manage to stay as owner for a long time. In 1924 he decided to give the castle to the people. At the same time he gave away all immovable property, which was present in his premises. After that he decided to found a museum in the premises of the castle.

Present day

Nowadays the castle is an incredibly beautiful place where guided tours are organised. The museum is called The Castle in Kurnik and has a large number of halls filled with various objects. You can find sculptures, paintings, furniture sets, weapon collections, ancient books and much more.

The most famous room is the Mauritanian Room. It comprises three rooms of the Quadrangle Tower. The room contains knight’s armour, weapons, decorative utensils and jewellery. The items were collected by Zamość himself, but some have survived from the time of the castle’s previous owners.