The ruins of the castle in Konary

The remains of the knight's castle in Konary are particularly difficult to find in the summer, when trees and bushes luxuriate over the loess promontory on which the building was founded centuries ago.

It is equally difficult (and maybe even harder) to determine the history of the castle. We know that the castle was probably built by representatives of the Słupiecki family, who in the 14th century owned the surrounding lands.

According to Jan Długosz, one of the family members, Grot, led an adventurous lifestyle. In 1403, he entered into a neighborly dispute with castellan Jan Ossoliński, which ended in the death of Grot's opponent. As Długosz further relates, the news of these events reached Władysław Jagiełło himself. The ruler, wanting to punish, ordered the castle to be razed to the ground.

Modern historians, however, dispute this version of events. They recognize that the royal reprisal did not take place. And even if the castle was then demolished, it had to be rebuilt later and inhabited by the next few generations.

Today, the seasoned eye of a tourist will see short fragments of the walls of the lowest storeys and barrel vaults of the cellar chambers. The opening that leads to them is called by the locals "the gates of hell".

Remember that the ruins of the castle are not available for tourist purposes, and exploring the cellars on your own can be risky.