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Wałbrzych
Stary Książ lies in Wałbrzych on a rocky spur above the Pełcznica stream, less than a kilometre from the far larger Książ Castle. It is the remnant of a medieval stronghold, turned in the 18th century into a romantic ruin, a fashionable feature of a landscape park. The approach leads along forest paths of the Książ Landscape Park.
The castle was raised in the time of Duke Bolko I of Świdnica and Jawor, who moved his seat here at the end of the 13th century. After the duchy passed under Bohemian rule the stronghold lost its importance, was captured and served robber knights, until it was destroyed in the 15th century. In the 18th century the Hochberg family had the remaining walls rebuilt into a picturesque ruin.
Visible are the walls of the main building with a readable division of rooms, fragments of the tower, two Renaissance portals and part of the wall of the former passage to the chapel. There are no floors, so the uneven ground calls for care, but the view of the valley and of Książ rewards the walk.
