Czocha Castle

We have been a little smug about the lack of rain over the last few days but it started again this morning (and it is raining as I write now), fortunately the temperature has remained in the mid 20s. 

A quick park!

Spent some of the morning planning our moves over the next week with a hotel stop over in Kraków later next week. 

We briefly checked out Luban before moving onto Czocha Castle. Interesting to note that it took over fifty years for the complete restoration of the Town Hall (Rathaus) due to lack of funds from the central government. Luban was part of the Upper Lusatian Six Town League - a small trading block from the Middle Ages. It's  contribution was mainly brewing and cloth and woven fabrics. 

Bracka Tower - erected in 1318 as part of the defence of the town. It has been used for many other things over its time. Armies have attempted to destroy it in the past but have failed - it now is a symbol of the towns endurance. 

Czocha Castle was touted as the chief tourist attraction in Upper Silesia so we thought this would be worth a visit. And an interesting one. The castle was originally for border defence being located on the Polish-Czech border back in the days. It had been destroyed a few times over the centuries, rebuilt and now is a hotel and tourist attraction. 

A cat nap!

Perhaps we were expecting a little more polish(!) but nevertheless an interesting experience. We marvel at the lack of "nanny state" intervention at some of these places - here , as part of the guided tour we were left to our own devises to ascend a crimbling brick staircase to climb to the tower of the castle, in near total darkness! But we are glad we visited Czocha Castle. 

An interesting bedroom - the bed has a secret trapdoor which connects half of the bed with the basement. It is thought that this was a way for the owner to be rid of unwanted mistresses! But for the ladies - the walls contain hidden secret hiding places for their lovers! 

As it was getting late in the afternoon we headed for the town of Jelenia Gora, stopping for our overnight a little short of there at the village of Rybnica. 

Much is said about the roads in Poland. It is true that they are not in the same league as those in Germany. It can be a little pig-in-a-poke, the main highways are generally very good but you take your  chances on some of the other grades of roads. It is obvious that the country has had other priorities but we must say that since our last visit infrastructure has improved greatly. 

Patched roads.

It is the same with the house in villages - many look derelict but when you look closely you can see new double glazing window frames with expensive lace curtains on the inside and other hints of a very nice interior. Under the old communist regime it was not advisable for you to have the outside of your house looking attractive otherwise it may have been confiscated. Perhaps this custom has just been continued with the emphasis being on the interior of the house.  

Started the day with a traditional Polish poppyseed pastry .... 

... and ended it with some Polish sausage!