One more Eagle's Nest aka the Raven's Rock - the ruins of Rabsztyn Castle.

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I am going to present this fantastic place in several scenes! You will see a realistic 1:25 scale model, a photo of the ruins from 100 years ago, and of course - a report from my recent trip.

I planned the visit to the ruins in Rabsztyn on the same day as the visit to the Pieskowa Skała castle. Initially, I wanted to walk all the route between castles (about 15 km - it means a minimum of 4 hours to me, including making many pictures) on my feet, following the Eagles' Nests trail. However, my stay in Pieskowa Skała took me much more time than planned - I was free after 1 p.m. I could only visit the ruins in Rabsztyn until 5 p.m. I really don't like to rush, so I decided to take a small local bus to the nearby town (Olkusz) and walk the rest (6 km).

In a cafe on the market square in Olkusz, I had a quick coffee and charged my phone; I was ready for the next stage of the journey :)

About 2 km I walked through the city (nothing interesting, I wanted to get away from there as soon as possible), another 4 km through forests and fields.

The ruins in Rabsztyn are visible from afar. Like all Eagle's Nests, the castle was built on the highest rocky hill in the area.

The name Rabsztyn comes from the German word Rabenstein which means Raven's Rock.

There is something incredibly romantic about the ruins. I appreciate every well-preserved historical object, but only in this slightly destroyed form can you see the passage of time and the dramatic history.

Once again, I am amazed at the optimal use of the terrain by the castle's builders. The slopes of the hill protect it on three sides, and the only bridge runs through a dry moat.

In the courtyard, I found a metal model of the castle (the same was in Pieskowa Skała). It allows you to imagine what this place looked like hundreds of years ago.

However, two weeks later, I managed to see something even better, in the miniature park next to the Ogrodzieniec Castle. Yes, Ogrodzieniec is another Eagle's Nest - remember, there were about thirty of them!

There are 17 models of fortresses in the 1:25 scale in the miniature park. It is a great idea, as almost all the castles have been preserved only as ruins. Thanks to this, we can see what they looked like in their heyday.

Here is the model of the castle in Rabsztyn. We can see the upper part with a tower, set on a high rock on the right side. It was built in the 14th century on the site of an older, wooden stronghold. The rest was built in the Renaissance style two hundred years later, changing the character of the fortress from defensive to residential.

In the background of the photos, you can see fragments of other models; maybe I will show them one day.

So this is what it looked like hundred years ago, and today...

Only the shell of the outer walls has remained from the residential part built in the 16th century.

But I still find them very glamorous and romantic :)

Today, the ruins are in better condition than they were 100 years ago. What you can see is primarily reconstruction. Like most Polish fortresses, the castle began to decline in the 17th century after being burnt down by the Swedes. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the tower that remembered the times of King Casimir the Great collapsed. The work of destruction was done by treasure hunters who blew up what was left. All because of the legend, according to which great treasures were hidden in the underground.

This is what the ruins looked like in 1927. There is no upper castle there :(

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The image above has been made available by the National Digital Archives; it remains in the public domain. At the end of the text, I have provided link to the page with picture and licence information.

And this is what it looks like today, after the reconstruction. It was opened to the public in 2015. I am glad that I could admire it in this form.

It looks a bit different from the miniature park model but still has its unique atmosphere.

Walking around the ruins, I climbed higher and higher, enjoying the views. I tried to go back 600 years in my imagination. What did the knights see? Did they ever admire the landscape, as all tourists do today, or maybe they did not have time for such nonsense? After all, they had a duty to defend the borders.

I was climbing the stairs to the upper castle having a good time. Every time I was sure that I had reached the top, I found other stairs and another, so on to infinity! It was like a matryoshka :)

Finally, I went to the top of the tower. What a view!

The location of the castle and the terrain make it possible to see four sides of the world. Above, there is a panorama from the top of the tower, below - from the lower levels.

I took hundreds of photos, and each of them seemed unique to me. Well, at home, it turned out that almost all of them were the same 😅

For example, I have a pretty extensive collection of windows that form a natural frame for the landscape. Let me show you just three of them ;)

I spent over an hour in the castle; unfortunately, I did not have a coffee in the courtyard because it was approaching 5 pm. I slowly walked around the ruins once more to say goodbye to them.

I wanted to stay to watch the sunset; however, I had to go back to Olkusz, where I had to catch a bus to Krakow. It was a lovely day - I visited two Eagles' Nests and did a pretty good walk. And the weather was perfect - we had a beautiful end of summer 💚

Now it's time for golden Polish autumn!

--- Thanks for stopping by! --- @astinmin
I'm the only author of the text and photos (except for the archival picture)

Source of archival photo: National Digital Archives, photos under the CC0 license (Public Domain), link:
https://www.szukajwarchiwach.gov.pl/en/jednostka/-/jednostka/5895852/obiekty/455346#opis_obiektu



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I always love to visit the historic places because I feel like I can travel to the past. Imagining what it was like, I just love that feeling. And now I can do it through your post. Thank you so much.

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A lovely day indeed. Visiting two historical places in a day is awesome.

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Yes, it is! Thanks for taking part in my small trip 🙂

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You're welcome, it was an interesting read (^_^)

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(Edited)

Wow! Hello @astinmin. Visits to historical sites embedded with rich architectural relics are incredible journeys. And the great thing about this particular exploration of Rabsztyn Castle (Raven's Rock) is you got to discover the landmark in its scaled model presentation (that miniature park is spectacular) and the actual ruin itself. Perfect combination!

I truly love your photographic style, as every image narrates an interesting story. 😊

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