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ul. Basztowa, Wieś Ryczów
The watchtower ruins in Ryczów stand on the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, in the Zawiercie district, atop a tall limestone outcrop towering over the village. The structure was raised at the end of the 14th century and belonged to the chain of Jurassic strongholds guarding the western border of the country. Fragments of walls and an earthen rampart survive to this day.
The watchtower was probably a single tower on a quadrangular plan, merged with the rocky massif. It was abandoned as early as the 15th century and gradually fell into ruin, and in the interwar period part of the walls collapsed together with a section of the rock. In the 1960s the remains were partly secured. Climbing the rock itself without mountaineering gear is practically impossible, so the ruins are viewed from below.
The blue Trail of the Eagles' Nests fortresses runs through the area, and around it spreads the cluster of outcrops known as the Ryczów Rocks, popular with climbers. It makes a good starting point for a longer hike across the less crowded part of the Jura.
