Pszczyna Castle (formerly Pless Castle), is located in the town of Pszczyna, just 37km south of Katowice. A castle has been on this site since the 13th century, however, it has undergone extensive rebuilding, first in the 17th century to be a Renaissance castle, and then again in the 18th/19th centuries, when it was updated to a Baroque-classical design, making it look more like the palace we see today. Interestingly, it contains 80% of its original interiors from the 19th & 20th centuries, despite the hardships the area saw through the wars. Throughout its history, the castle was once a residence of Silesian and Polish Piast nobles, then the Promnitz family and later the von Pless family, to which the town and castle owe its original name. The castle has been state-owned since 1936 after the death of the last Prince of Pless, Hans Heinrich XV. In 1946 it was turned into a museum, and has been open to the public ever since. The castle and park are definitely worth a visit, as is the nearby Polish Bison Farm.
