The Trail of the Eagles' Nests () of south-western Poland, is a marked trail along a chain of 25 medieval castles between Częstochowa and Kraków. The Trail of the Eagles' Nests was first marked by Kazimierz Sosnowski. Since 1980, much of the area has been designated a protected area known as the Eagle Nests Landscape Park ().
The castles date mostly to the 14th century, and were constructed probably by the order of King of Poland Casimir the Great. The trail has been named the "Eagles' Nests", as most of the castles are located on large, tall rocks of the Polish Jura Chain featuring many limestone cliffs, monadnocks and valleys below. They were built along the 14th-century border of Lesser Poland with the province of Silesia, which at that time belonged to the Kingdom of Bohemia.
The Trail of the Eagles' Nests is considered one of the best tourist trails in Poland, marked as No. 1 on the official list of most popular trails in the country. It encompasses all 25 castles and watchtowers, and is long (the bicycle trail is long). Most of the sites can also be reached by bus.Eagle-Nest Castles - Tourist attractions. 2011, KrakowInformer.com
The castles of the Eagles' Nests The Eagles' Nests castles (), many of which survived only in the form of picturesque ruins, are perched high on the tallest rocks between Częstochowa and the former Polish capital Kraków. The castles were built to protect Kraków as well as important trading routes against the foreign invaders. Later, the castles passed on into the hands of various Polish aristocratic families.
{| width="90%" cellpadding="5" style="float: center; border: 1px solid #BBB; margin: 1em 0 0 1em;" |- | bgcolor=#CAE8F6 colspan="5" | |- ! Royal castles ! ! Knight's castles ! ! Defensive watchtowers |- | valign="Top" | Będzin Castle * Bobolice Castle * Brzeźnica Castle Kraków - Wawel * Krzepice Castle Lelów Castle Ojców Castle * Olsztyn Castle * Ostrężnik Castle Rabsztyn Castle * Wieluń Castle Żarnowiec Castle
Babice - Lipowiec Castle Siewierz Castle * Sławków Castle | width="3%" | | valign="Top" | Biały Kościół Castle Bobrek Castle Bydlin Castle * Częstochowa - Błeszno Castle Danków Castle Koniecpol - Chrząstów Castle Koniecpol Stary Castle Korzkiew Castle * Koziegłowy Castle Kraków - Gródek Castle Tyniec - Tenczyn Castle Krzykawka Castle Mirów Castle * Morawica Castle Morsko - Bąkowiec Castle * Pieskowa Skała * Pilica Castle * Podzamcze - Ogrodzieniec Castle * Rudno - Tenczyn Castle Smoleń Castle * Udórz Castle Żarki Castle | width="3%" | | valign="Top" | Częstochowa - Mirów Giebło Klucze Łutowiec Castle Przewodziszowice Ryczów Castle Siedlec n. Będzin Suliszowice Wiesiółka Złoty Potok
Dubie Grabowa Kraków - Zwierzyniec Kwaśniów
Picture gallery
Note: the photos above may include structures located just outside the marked Trail of the Eagles' Nests.
See also Dunajec river castles
References
Eagles' Nests Trail online map: Waymarked Trails Poland by Neil Wilson, Tom Parkinson, Richard Watkins, Lonely Planet List of castles Map of the castles in Śląskie Voivodship Map of the castles in Greater Poland Voivodeship