Baranów Sandomierski Castle

About

The Baranów Sandomierski Castle is a Mannerist castle located in the town of Baranów Sandomierski in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship, south-eastern Poland. It is one of the most important Mannerist structures in the country. The castle is commonly known as the "little Wawel". Originally a residency of the Lubomirski family, it now serves as a historical museum, hotel and conference centre.

History: The castle was built around the years 1591–1606 in the style of Poland's Mannerism with richly decorated attics, side towers and an arcade courtyard for Andrzej and Rafał Leszczyński (1526–1592) of the Wieniawa coat of arms. It is believed to be the work of a famous Italian architect, Santi Gucci, the court artist of king Stephen Báthory. In about 1620 the castle was surrounded by bastion fortifications and in 1625 its chambers were adorned with early Baroque decorations executed by the eminent stucco decorator Giovanni Battista Falconi. By the end of the 17th century, the castle came into the possession of the Lubomirski family through marriage. Prince Józef Karol Lubomirski wedded its owner, Princess Teofila Ludwika Zasławska in 1683, and rebuilt her principal residence by way of commissioning...