The Mirow and Bobolice Castles, Poland

About 25 km north of the castle of Ogrodzieniec there is another "eagle's nest" - the ruins of the castle of Mirów, located in interesting Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. And another half kilometer to the west we have another medieval residue - a castle of Bobolice. Interestingly, from one castle to another leads a very nice and relatively easy hiking trail, which is really worth to go.

How to get there. Parking in Mirów

We decided to go to Mirów first, see the castle, then walk Mirów-Bobolice trail and finally return to Mirów, where we got some rest and ate something. The Mirów area can be reached via the roads 792 or 789. We turn to local road and get to Mirów village, where we turn to even more local road (albeit a very well-maintained) and after about 200 meters we are already at a large parking lot, where we leave the car (P; GPS: 50.614190, 19.471826). Right next to the parking lot there is an inn "Cottage in the Jura" ("Chata na Jurze" in Polish) which later will be very useful for us.

The Mirów Castle

Although these are only ruins (A; GPS: 50.614146, 19.475366), they make a big impression - especially during beautiful weather, when white walls contrast with a dark blue sky. The fourteenth-century castle, built during the reign of King Casimir the Great, is located on a hill devoid of trees - just from limestone rocks suddenly grows slender, austere ruin, which is now protected and will probably be renovated and shared to tourists. That's why you can not go inside. The area is also incredible - a combination of white monadnocks, green vegetation and blue sky - some artists could create more than one picture here.

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The Mirów - Bobolice Trail

There is another castle close to Mirów - it's the renovated Bobolice castle. You can just drive there on a nice asphalt road, but why to do it when you can walk a much more attractive tourist route showed above ("Szlak Orlich Gniazd" in red labelling on the map). The trail (shown on the above map, between points A and B) begins at the castle of Mirów and gently winds its way among the rocks. The route is not too difficult, although you should have better shoes because sometimes you walk between the stones or even on them. However during our walk we met both a lot of families with small children as well as seniors, so this is a route simply for all! On the way we pass local flora - there are for example rowan trees, juniper bushes and hawthorn bushes. When we are at the highest point of the route, we can see our goal, which is the castle of Boblice. It however quickly disappears from sight because we immerse in a local grove. When we get out of it, the Boblice castle appears in a full glory - it's a beautiful view.

The Bobolice Castle

The Bobolice castle (B; GPS: 50.612955, 19.492713), built like Mirów castle in fourteenth century, was completely renovated and rebuilt by the Lasecki family - the owners of the property. The official opening of the castle for use took place in 2011. Interestingly, during the reconstruction weren't used any documents - the appearance of the castle was restored only on the basis of existing ruins and the knowledge of archaeologists and historians. The castle is situated on a rocky hill - there is a wall, a cylindrical tower and the moat with a drawbridge. Nearby the castle there's a distinctive rock called Lasecki Gate ("Brama Laseckich") - it's a monadnock rock in the shape of an irregular arc formed 100 million years ago, that is, dating from the Jurassic period. For a long time the rock was hidden among the bushes, and was discovered during the renovation of the castle when the whole area was purified. The rock is a big attraction - a lot of people make a picture with it. The castle can be visited between the hours of 10:00 and 18:00. The ticket prices: adults - 15 zł, reduced - 10 zł; students - 5 zł; children under 3 years of age enter for free. We can not however confirm whether or not is good to invest such amount in visiting the interior, because we were just perfect content with watching the castle from the outside. For more discerning travelers there's also a restaurant and a hotel, which both are located at a foot of the castle hill.

The return to Mirów

We descend from the castle hill and just walk back the asphalt road to Mirów. There you can get something to drink and satisfy your hunger in a really pretty good inn "Cottage in the Jura" ("Chata na Jurze" in Polish) located right next to the parking lot. The food is inexpensive, yet tasty - we really enjoyed the pork chops and french fries - if we visit this place again, we'll order the same things.