Czocha: a castle surrounded by legends that was erased from the maps in 1952

@ElentirENG ES 6·05·2023 · 23:30 0

The Lower Silesian Voivodeship in southwestern Poland is a region that has had a very eventful history over the past millennium.

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Like other parts of Central Europe, that Polish region passed from one hand to another over time. That was also the story of Czocha Castle, built in the 13th century and located less than 6 kilometers from the border with the Czech Republic. Its construction was ordered by Wenceslaus I, King of Bohemia (today part of the Czech Republic). Later it passed into the hands of the Holy Roman Empire, and its walls were besieged by the Hussites and the Swedes.

Polish explorer group Urbex History released a video today showing the role-playing game currently taking place in the castle, with an impressive setting (the video is in Polish, you can activate the English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):

I have not found anything about the legends that the video cites, but about other much later ones. There are stories linking Czocha to the Abwehr, the German intelligence service, during World War II. On the official website of the castle, which today works as a hotel, they also point out that it was "a place where the most secret projects of miraculous weapons" of nazism were worked on, and that this made Czocha "a great cache of treasures and secrets of the Third Reich."

The castle's website also talks about possible treasures belonging to the family of Tsar Nicholas II, the last monarch of Russia, which Ernst Gutschow would have hidden in hiding places inside the fortress. Gutschow, a tobacco businessman from Dresden, was the one who rebuilt the castle after buying it in 1909 for 1.5 million marks, since it had fallen into ruins. He commissioned the task to the German architect Bodo Ebhardt, who relied on a 1703 engraving for the reconstruction. Gutschow, who had a relationship with the Russian imperial court, welcomed Russians fleeing communism into the castle. He lived there until 1945.

At the end of World War II, the castle was looted by the Red Army. Later the region, which was in German hands, became part of Poland to compensate this country for its eastern strip, annexed by the Soviets in 1939. In 1952, the Polish Army turned the castle into a secret place and he erased it from the maps, in order to turn it into a residence for officers. For years it has been the setting for the filming of several films.

In 1996, after the fall of communism, the castle opened its doors to the public. In addition to being a hotel, it functions as a venue for various events, such as weddings, first communions and congresses, in addition to the aforementioned role playing game. Torchlight visits are also made at night, as you can see in the video.

It must be said that the interior aspect of the castle is truly impressive, with wooden floors and walls, coffered ceilings and a decoration reminiscent of the ancient times of this fortress, as you can see in these images of its official websito.

As a curiosity, all the rooms are different, receiving very picturesque names. The most impressive, without a doubt, is the so-called "Komnata Książęca" (Prince's Chamber) , which you can see below these lines. The bed, the stained glass windows, the text and the chairs are true works of art.

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Images: ZamekCzocha.com / Urbex History.