The late-Renaissance 'castle' at Krasiczyn is more of a stately home – ostentation trumped defensive strength when Italian architect Galeazzo Appiani built it between 1592 and 1618 for the wealthy Krasicki family. With its whitewashed walls, turreted towers and spacious, arcaded courtyard, it remains wonderfully photogenic. You can join Polish-language tours to see the interior (English-language tours cost 150zł for groups of at least five and must be booked a day in advance), or just stroll the lovely English-style park outside.
The design of the towers was a conscious reflection of the social order at the time. The towers were named (clockwise from the southeastern corner) after God, the pope, the king and the nobility. The God Tower (Baszta Boska), topped with a dome, houses a chapel. The King Tower (Baszta Królewska), with its conical roof and little turrets, would make a lovely home for Rapunzel of long-haired fame. On the courtyard side of the castle walls are Renaissance graffiti decorations of Biblical scenes and Polish nobility.
