Main Page

About
Festival

V Summer Festival of Mysteries 2025 at Książ Castle
August 2-3, 2025

Greetings, adventure seekers and mystery explorers! This year, during the jubilee V Summer Festival of Mysteries, we will relive the action surrounding the legendary "Golden Train" – it’s been 10 years since that event. What attractions have we prepared for you? Get ready for unique meetings with the initiator of the action, who will share how it all began. We’ll invite researchers to explain where and why they searched. On the castle courtyards, there will be demonstrations of exploration equipment – how does a georadar work? What do the castle’s underground levels at -50 look like on it? Let’s find out!

Inside the castle, extraordinary exhibitions await, including the "Fortress of Codes" – unveiling the secrets of espionage, and for history enthusiasts, "Golden Train 2015 – Let’s Relive It." A surprising highlight will be an exhibition of human-sized railway lamps.

Since it was all about gold, a special addition will be the "Amber Room" exhibition (guided tours only). We’ve also planned plenty of attractions for families with children – on August 2-3, we’ll create three creative spaces where you can build your own paper trains and construct wooden structures with Castorama’s Majsterkowo. No one will leave empty-handed!

Evening activities are also on the schedule – this year, we’ve planned two editions of Ghostly Night Tours: "Haunted Train" for families with children and "Specter" for adults.

And that’s not all! The V Summer Festival of Mysteries program is bursting at the seams – more details coming soon.

Please note that ticket pre-sale is now open at www.bilety.ksiaz.walbrzych.pl.

 

Ticket
prices and opening hours

We would like to inform you that the area of the Summer Mystery Festival, taking place on the 2nd and 3rd  of August 2025 (Saturday-Sunday), includes Książ Castle, terraces, and the outer bailey with a courtyard. Therefore, on the mentioned days, admission to the outer bailey will require a ticket.

Opening hours on the following days 02-03.08.2025 r.
Opening hours of ticket offices.  09:00 - 18:00 
Festival visiting hours  09:00 - 19:00 
  Normal (zł) Reduced (zł) 2

Festival ticket 1
Entry from 9 AM to  7 PM

 69 59

Festival ticket after 4 PM1
Entry from 4 PM to  7 PM

 59 59
Additional Ticket  (festival ticket is required)
Underground Route 3 40 min
tour with a guide		 39 34
Grundmann Secrets  - hidden treasures4 ok. 20 min
tour with a polish speaking guide		 15 10
Separate tickets  (festival tickets is NOT required)

Książ by night with ghost for families" 5

tour with a polish speaking guide

 76 68

Książ by night with ghost for adults" 5

tour with a polish speaking guide

 79  

Tickets can be purchased through the castle’s online ticketing system at: bilety.ksiaz.walbrzych.pl (event: "Castle Visit on August 2-3, 2025 - Summer Festival of Mysteries") or at the castle ticket offices during their opening hours. Tickets purchased via the electronic system can be presented to security in digital or paper form.

1 Festival Tickets: Valid for a single entry on either August 2 or 3, 2025, for individual castle tours with an audioguide (approx. 40 minutes), courtyards, and terraces. Festival tickets also grant access to all attractions, lectures, workshops, demonstrations, and other exhibitions included in the program on the chosen day, except for the Underground Tour (45 minutes, guided only, additional fee), Amber Room Exhibition (guided only, additional fee), and Night Tours (evening attraction, separate ticket required, festival ticket not needed). Festival tickets do not include entry to the Wałbrzych Palm House.

2 Discounted Tickets: Available for children aged 4+, school students up to 19, university students up to 24, group chaperones for schools, preschools, or youth groups (1 chaperone per 10-person group enters free), disabled persons and their caregivers (for significant disabilities), pensioners, retirees, and individuals over 65. Discounted tickets require prior presentation of a valid document verifying eligibility. Group tour guides, professional guides, and children under 4 enter free (except for organized children’s groups and special services like "Castle Through the Looking Glass," "Fairytale Książ," or Night Tours).

3 Underground Tour (approx. 40 minutes): A half-kilometer route 50 meters below the courtyard, showcasing a massive concrete hall, corridors carved in raw rock, and side bunker chambers. The tour, guided only, lasts 40 minutes at a specific time on the chosen day (as indicated on the ticket). An additional ticket is required for the Underground Tour (entry is within the festival area, so a valid festival ticket for the same day is also needed). More information about the underground is available here, and important visiting details here.

4 Amber Room Exhibition (approx. 20 minutes): An additional guided tour of an exhibition in the medieval part of the castle. The "Amber Room" tells the story of an 18th-century masterpiece, created in Prussia and gifted to Tsar Peter the Great, adorned with amber and gold in the Catherine Palace. Stolen by the Nazis in 1941, it vanished in 1945 after the bombing of Königsberg, and its fate remains a mystery. Guided tours reveal the room’s history and theories about its hidden bunkers; groups are formed on-site near the Ballroom. An additional ticket is required (along with a valid festival ticket for the same day). More details about the exhibition are available here.

5 Night Tours: A special evening event during the festival, featuring two unique editions: "Haunted Train" for families with children (entries until 8:30 PM) and "Specter" for adults (entries from 9:00 PM). Night Tours require a separate ticket (festival ticket not needed), are held only on August 2 (Saturday), and last 90 minutes. Groups enter at fixed times (every 15-30 minutes), with the entry time indicated on the ticket. A detailed description of the Night Tours is available here.

Tickets can be purchased through the castle’s online ticketing system at: bilety.ksiaz.walbrzych.pl (event: "Castle Visit on August 2-3, 2024 - Summer Festival of Mysteries") or at the castle ticket offices during their opening hours. Tickets purchased via the electronic system can be presented to security in digital or paper form.

  1. Festival Tickets: Valid for a single entry on either August 2 or 3, 2024, for individual castle tours with an audioguide (approx. 40 minutes), courtyards, and terraces. Festival tickets also grant access to all attractions, lectures, workshops, demonstrations, and other exhibitions included in the program on the chosen day, except for the Underground Tour (45 minutes, guided only, additional fee), Amber Room Exhibition (guided only, additional fee), and Night Tours (evening attraction, separate ticket required, festival ticket not needed). Festival tickets do not include entry to the Wałbrzych Palm House.
  2. Discounted Tickets: Available for children aged 4+, school students up to 19, university students up to 24, group chaperones for schools, preschools, or youth groups (1 chaperone per 10-person group enters free), disabled persons and their caregivers (for significant disabilities), pensioners, retirees, and individuals over 65. Discounted tickets require prior presentation of a valid document verifying eligibility. Group tour guides, professional guides, and children under 4 enter free (except for organized children’s groups and special services like "Castle Through the Looking Glass," "Fairytale Książ," or Night Tours).
  3. Underground Tour (approx. 40 minutes): A half-kilometer route 50 meters below the courtyard, showcasing a massive concrete hall, corridors carved in raw rock, and side bunker chambers. The tour, guided only, lasts 40 minutes at a specific time on the chosen day (as indicated on the ticket). An additional ticket is required for the Underground Tour (entry is within the festival area, so a valid festival ticket for the same day is also needed). More information about the underground is available here, and important visiting details here.
  4. Amber Room Exhibition (approx. 20 minutes): An additional guided tour of an exhibition in the medieval part of the castle. The "Amber Room" tells the story of an 18th-century masterpiece, created in Prussia and gifted to Tsar Peter the Great, adorned with amber and gold in the Catherine Palace. Stolen by the Nazis in 1941, it vanished in 1945 after the bombing of Königsberg, and its fate remains a mystery. Guided tours reveal the room’s history and theories about its hidden bunkers; groups are formed on-site near the Ballroom. An additional ticket is required (along with a valid festival ticket for the same day). More details about the exhibition are available here.
  5. Night Tours: A special evening event during the festival, featuring two unique editions: "Haunted Train" for families with children (entries until 8:30 PM) and "Specter" for adults (entries from 9:00 PM). Night Tours require a separate ticket (festival ticket not needed), are held only on August 2 (Saturday), and last 90 minutes. Groups enter at fixed times (every 15-30 minutes), with the entry time indicated on the ticket. A detailed description of the Night Tours is available here.

Program

Visiting the castle with an audio guide during the festival.

Visiting the castle with an audioguide is available as part of festival tickets, audioguides can be picked up on the first floor of the castle (just follow the tour route).

Are you coming to the festival, but would like to learn about the history of the castle as well? With tourists in mind who wish to explore the history of Książ, we will launch a special audioguide tour where you will see the most beautiful baroque rooms, including the famous Maximilian Room, the best-preserved baroque representative room in Lower Silesia, and the exhibition "Książ from the Kitchen", showcasing the castle at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Duration of the tour: 30 minutes. We will start our adventure with this year's festival in this way. First, we will introduce you to the extraordinary world of the castle, and then we will immerse you in a passionate, artistic, and technological revolution event.

 

 

PRO Zone

An attraction available with a festival ticket.
 

PRO Zone – this is where enthusiasts of the subject, amateurs of exploration, discoverers of the secrets of World War II meet, and they can expect: lectures – meetings with authors and explorers, a cinema with screenings of films from exploration operations, a thematic book fair, souvenir gadgets.

 

 

Children's Zone

Attractions included in festival tickets.
 
 

 

This year, the children's zone will simply delight you! Searching for lost treasures with metal detectors, Thomas and Friends for the youngest, a huge model and modeling workshops, model trains, something for young DIY enthusiasts - simply lots of fun for all ages!

 

 

 

 

The Amber Room - guided tour with a special route

Extra ticketed attraction, meeting point: in front of the Ballroom, groups will be formed on a ongoing basis. Festival ticket is also required.
The Amber Room – this is an additional exhibition arranged in the oldest, medieval part of the castle. During the joint journey with the guide, you will learn when and for whom the famous Amber Room was created, what it looked like and whether it could have actually ended up in Książ at some point?
 
Important information:
  • Approx. 20 minutes of tour time
  • The number of places in groups is limited!
  • The tour is possible with extra tickets (festival ticket is also required and must be valid on the same day).
 
 

The Secret of Courtyard

Did you know that at the end of World War II, an elevator shaft was dug under the Courtyard of Honor to connect its interior with level -50? Using ground-penetrating radar, we will see before your eyes what the space under the Courtyard looks like today and what was used to fill this huge crater.

 

Underwater robot – specialists from Odkrywca will demonstrate the operation of an ROV, a remotely controlled underwater vehicle, which enables the study of sunken wrecks. What if the robot dived into a 40-meter-long castle well? See what objects it will discover during this underwater journey!

 

Model 3D – can a train enter the castle courtyard? Yes – if a large, precise model of the castle hill appears with it. See the castle in miniature and check the accuracy of the modelers' reproduction of details.

 

A wiretapped castle

A wiretapped castle – a true cipher fortress. How does wiretapping work? How to obtain information from distant locations without being noticed? How to defend yourself and jam wiretapping devices? You will learn all this from a specialist in this field during demonstrations in the lecture hall on the third floor of the Castle.

 

It was August… - The Exhibition

It was August… – this is an exhibition prepared by Odkrywca magazine, which will take us back 10 years. Remember? It was a hot August, and all TV and radio stations around the world (literally!) were talking about only one thing – in Wałbrzych in Lower Silesia, an armored train loaded with gold was discovered! Let's recall those days.

Night tour with ghosts - family and adults edition.

Evening Attraction on Saturday, August 2, 2025

  • Requires a separate ticket (festival ticket not required).
  • Meeting point: In front of the ticket office.

➤ Date: Saturday, August 2, 2025
➤ Guided tour with a (brave) guide
➤ Duration: 90 minutes, including access to exclusive areas (e.g., the 4th and 5th floors of the castle).

As darkness falls, we invite you to an extraordinary and thrilling adventure in the shadows. After the daytime attractions, it’s time for "All Aboard the Ghosts" or the eerie "Phantom Train"! Not afraid? Then join us for an exciting, spooky, and adventurous experience... for the brave, as after dark, it’ll be just you in the castle ;) (well, almost). And, of course, the specters of the night. We offer two editions:

  • Night Tour for Families with Children – "All Aboard the Ghosts" (entries until 9:00 PM)
    More details [here] – riddles, mysterious characters, and a night full of adventures.
  • Night Tour for Adults – "Phantom Train" (entries from 9:00 PM)
    More details [here] – plenty of adrenaline and screams from the darkness, a night full of thrills.

TICKET PURCHASE:
Tickets can be purchased online at www.bilety.ksiaz.walbrzych.pl.
(Event: Castle Tour – August 2-3, 2025 – Summer Mystery Festival / then: Festival – Night Tour (separate ticket))
Note: Limited number of spots! Purchasing a ticket implies acceptance of the tour regulations.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

  • Tickets are separate (they do not include entry to the festival grounds; the service takes place after the festival closes). The Night Tour is a special service, so discounted tickets do not apply.
  • On August 3, the hotel parking will be closed. Night Tour participants are requested to park at the Main Parking in the park (parking included in the ticket price) and walk to the castle via the concrete path through the park (approx. 10 minutes). Meeting point: In front of the ticket office. Punctuality is required!
  • During the Night Tour, you may visit areas not accessible during the day, which may involve architectural challenges, e.g., tunnels, narrow stairs, or terraces. Please wear appropriate footwear (no high heels) and warm outer clothing.
  • The Night Tour is a special service aimed at adults, featuring elements unsuitable for those with weak nerves. Minors may participate only under the supervision and responsibility of an adult.
  • Książ Castle reserves the right to refuse entry or presence on its premises to individuals: visibly under the influence of alcohol, narcotics, psychotropic substances, or similar; behaving aggressively, provocatively, or otherwise posing a threat to safety or the order of the tour.
  • Have questions? Contact us at nocne@ksiaz.walbrzych.pl (we respond very quickly!).

.

Map
with Directions

  1. Information for visitors arriving by car
  
  1. Information for tourists arriving by public transit or on foot

The address of Książ Castle in Wałbrzych is ul. Piastów Śląskich 1,  and the Palm House is at ul. Wrocławskiej 158.

DIRECTIONS FOR DRIVING TO KSIĄŻ CASTLE:
Those arriving on route 35 from Wroclaw and Swidnica should look for parking on ul. Piastów Śląskich (see the map) by the Stallion Stud Farm or in the Central car park “in the park”. It is suggested that tourists arriving from the direction of Legnica, Jawor and Strzegom, travelling via Świebodzice, continue on route 5 after Strzegom toward Jelenia Góra, turning left at Dobromierz to route 34, which leads to Świebodzice. All drivers are recommended to leave their car in one of the the car parks, either on ul. Piastów Śląskich, the Stallion Farm, or in the central park (see map).

PARKING AT KSIĄŻ CASTLE (paid):
- Parking for hotel guests is available by the hotel buildings, directly beside Książ Castle at ul. Piastów Śląskich 1.
- Parking for handicapped visitors: in the parking area near the gate building, ul. Piastów Śląskich 1, several places are designated for handicapped visitors.
- Parking for other visitors: There is a Central car park in the castle park (see the map), about 500 metres from Książ Castle (the walk from the central parking area to the castle goes beside the lookout point). A further visitor car park is in the meadow area by the Stallion Stud Farm (about 300 metres from the castle), open during the high tourist season (June to September).

Parking rates:
Parking near "the Stallion Stud Farm":
Passenger cars: 10 zł/ 24 hours
Central car park "in the castle park":
Passenger cars: 10 zł/24 hours
Mini-buses (vehicles with more than 7 places): 15 zł/24 hours
Buses (with more than 20 places) and lorries: 35 zł/24 hours

  

The address of Książ Castle in Wałbrzych is ul. Piastów Śląskich 1, and the Wałbrzych Palm House is located at ul. Wrocławskiej 158.

KSIĄŻ CASTLE – getting there by public transit
Visitors not arriving by car are kindly informed that only Bus Number 8 travels near the castle. Before boarding Bus 8, be sure that its final destination (displayed on the front of the bus) is "Jeździecka - Zamek Książ". (If the Bus Number 8 that you see is marked “Lubiechów”, it does not go near the castle.)
Those arriving in Wałbrzych by train may get Bus 8 across from Wałbrzych Miasto
train station, at the “Armii Krajowej – Dworzec Miasto” stop.

It is also possible to take a more frequent bus, Number 12. Be sure that its final stop (displayed on the front of the bus) is at “Wrocławska – Szczawienko”. From this stop, it is a 15-20 minute walk to the castle. Those arriving in Wałbrzych by train may get Bus 12 at the stop across from the Wałbrzych Miasto train station (at the “Armii Krajowej – Dworzec Miasto” stop) as well as on ul. Wrocławska, the main road near the Wałbrzych Szczawienko train station, at the „Wrocławska – Stacyjna” stop.
You may find a complete schedule of Wałbrzych buses at this address:

http://rozklad.zdkium.walbrzych.pl/