Zamek książąt Sułkowskich

About the museum

The Sułkowski Princes’ Castle is the oldest and largest historic building in Bielsko. According to legend a robbers’ stronghold once stood here, but archaeological research only confirms that a wooden stronghold probably guarded the crossing over the Biała river and a junction of trade routes in the 13th century. In the second half of the 14th century, Duke Przemysław I Noszak of Cieszyn built a stone castle. The building was an important border fortress and for more than two centuries served as one of the seats of the Piast dukes of Cieszyn.

In 1572 the castle became the centre of an independent Bielsko estate state, ruled successively by the Promnitz, Schaffgotsch, Sunnegh, Solms and Haugwitz families. In 1752 the estates were taken over by the Polish magnates, the Sułkowski family, and the estate state was raised to the rank of principality. Damaged by great fires in the town (1753, 1808 and 1836), the castle was rebuilt in the 1850s and 1860s on the initiative of Prince Ludwik into its present eclectic form. The Sułkowskis lived in Bielsko until 1945.

After the Second World War several cultural institutions were housed in the castle, and since 1983 the museum has been the building’s only user. Today visitors see an archaeological and historical exhibition on the history of the region, galleries of painting and graphic art, the Shooting Range (Strzelnica) with a collection of weapons, and the Biedermeier Salon and the Music Salon. The castle also houses St Anne’s Castle Chapel.

Highlights

• Archaeological and historical exhibition on Bielsko-Biała and the surrounding area in the north wing
• Biedermeier Salon with paintings by Peter Michal Bohuň
• Music Salon – the castle’s most representative interior
• Galleries of European, Polish and portrait painting and of graphic art from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries
• Shooting Range with a collection of weapons and hunting memorabilia
• Saturday – free admission to the permanent exhibitions

Permanent exhibitions

• Dzieje archeologiczno-historyczne Bielska-Białej i okolic – Exhibition in the north wing of the castle presenting over a thousand exhibits and telling the story of the region, the town and the castle from earliest times to 1989.
• Galeria Malarstwa Europejskiego i Polskiego XIX i XX wieku – The finest examples of Polish and foreign painting from the 19th century to the present day, shown in the east wing of the castle.
• Biedermeier, czyli Salon Mieszczański drugiej połowy XIX wieku – A classic salon of the bourgeois and industrial community of Bielsko and Biała, with an exhibition of paintings by Peter Michal Bohuň.

Operated by

Samorząd Województwa Śląskiego (Muzeum Historyczne w Bielsku-Białej)

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Every Saturday – free admission to the castle (excluding temporary exhibitions).

Holders of the Karta Dużej Rodziny and of the Rodziny Plus card (programme “Śląskie dla rodziny”) pay PLN 15 (standard ticket) or PLN 10 (reduced).

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The entrance is at pavement level. On the ground floor wheelchair users can reach the ticket office, the shop, the Atrium, the Shooting Range, the cloakroom and the toilets (with help from staff). The first floor is reached by a lift operated by staff, which is currently out of order due to a fault. The museum has no induction loops; an online sign language interpreter is available at the castle ticket office (Mon–Fri). Guide dogs and assistance dogs may enter the museum.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers workshops and lessons for children of different ages and the programme “Rodzina w Muzeum” (Family in the Museum); a family ticket applies.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

The castle has a museum shop, a cloakroom and toilets.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit