Książ

Over 200 ‘intensely private’ letters found at auction reveal fascinating private life of last owner of Książ castle

Written between 1953 and 1970 by Prince Jan Henryk XVII (otherwise known as Duke von Pless, Count von Hochberg or the Baron of Książ), most of the letters were addressed to Mary Minchin, the Irishwoman that the aristocrat would eventually marry – and later divorce. Zamek Książ/ TFN

Written between 1953 and 1970 by Sir Winston Churchill’s nephew Prince Jan Henryk XVII (otherwise known as Duke von Pless, Count von Hochberg or the Baron of Książ), approximately 150 of the letters were addressed to Mary Minchin, the Irishwoman that the aristocrat would eventually marry – and later divorce.

Special development: photo exhibition of Książ shows castle in all its former glory

Pictures, many seen for the first time in public, reveal in detail just how the castle looked before the war.

Webber gets intrepid in gold train territory

A bumbling interview, in which Webber blurted out that Wałbrzych was his favourite place in Poland, got our explorer thinking – and by Jove, he’s come up with some dynamite reasons to claim so.

Treasure under wraps in Nazi diary?

The location of 28 tonnes of Nazi-era gold hidden by the Waffen SS in the dying days of World War Two has been pinpointed to an aristocratic palace in Lower Silesia.

New book explores the life and times of the English princess who once graced Zamek Książ

Ahead of her times in many ways, Princess Daisy von Pless’s legacy still resonates in south-west Poland.

Could 16th century palace be hiding 28-tonnes of Nazi gold? SS diary reveals palace is one of five secret locations where Germans stashed WWII treasures

The gold worth billions of euros as well as other valuables are said to be 60 metres underground at the bottom of a disused well in the grounds of the Hochberg Palace in Roztoka, near Wałbrzych. The claim comes from a 75-year-old diary which describes the operation to hide treasure controlled by SS chief Heinrich Himmler.

Back home again: three paintings returned to Castle Książ after almost 100 years

The paintings belong to the old German aristocratic family that once owned the mighty castle in south-west Poland.

A story with a bit of bite: did a vampire once prowl the night and bring horror to a sleepy Silesian village

TFN explores the legend of a vampire that terrorised a village in the shadow of Castle Książ over 300 years ago.

On Halloween’s ‘night of the dead’, TFN’s Alex Webber delves into the ghoulish mysteries surrounding Książ castle

Viewed in the vampire fog of autumn, there is a magic here that awes and inspires in equal measure. As curious stories unfold, ‘ghosts’ drift out of the darkness to lightly brush against the shoulder or cackle in the ear before retreating in the shadows and vanishing from view – immersed in the intensity of this spooky castle, the effect is surprising in the genuine depth of its hair razing terror.

Beautiful Renaissance paintings found hidden behind crude Nazi wall plastering

The designs painted in a polychrome technique of patterned curtains and forest motifs were found at the magical 13th century Książ Castle.

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