There are many legends connected with the ruins of Olsztyn castle. Its story was indeed very turbulent…
If you decide to walk around the castle during dark, windy night you may meet the ghost of Maciej Borkowic. Maciej was a powerful nobleman living during the reign of king Casimir the Great. Unfortunately for him, he was never agreeing with king’s politics and decisions. And moreover – he was brave enough to speak about it loudly. At first king convicted him for exile but after four years Maciej came back and continued conspire against the monarch. For Casimir that was too much… This time the royal court condemned Maciej to death. He got closed in the Olsztyn castle’s tower without food or drink… It took him forty days before he starved to death… And his ghost is being seen around the tower until today…
If being near to the castle just after the sunset you hear the baby’s crying and you see the shadow of tall, strapping man appearing on the ruins’ walls, it might be the ghost of Kacper Karlinski suffering from the death of his only son… Kacper was a commander of Olsztyn fortress at the end of XVI century. In 1587 prince Maximilian Habsburg decided to invade Poland in order to get Polish crown. He was just a step ahead achieving his goal, the only big fortress on his way to Cracow was Olsztyn… Kacper knew he could not lose this battle… But Maximilian was very cunning… He sent his troops to the nearby Karlin, Kacper’s hometown and residence of his family. He ordered to kidnap Kacper’s new born son… Just few weeks old baby. After that Maximilian’s army started their march towards Olsztyn’s castle with little baby and his nanny at the front of his troops. Maximilian was sure that at the moment Kacper sees his baby, he stops the defensive battle and surrenders the castle. Way to Cracow, to Poland’s capital city would be open… But Kacper never gave up, never surrendered the fortress… Maximilian’s army was defeated, Cracow was saved but Kacper’s son died. Legends says that after that Kacper broke down and spent the rest of his life between monks at Jasna Gora monastery in Czestochowa. Only after his death he is coming back to Olsztyn trying again and again to save his baby…
The last legend originates from XIX century, when the medieval fortress was already in ruins. The meadows on the castle hill were the place where local shepherd’s boys were coming with their cows. The grass there was always so luscious… One of the boys, smaller and weaker than the rest, was always teased and bullied by the rest of the group. One day the biggest of the band took little shepherd’s old cap and threw it to the castle’s pit. Poor, little boy, although really scared, got inside dark, cold tunnel to take back his property… His was terrified but he continued forward as he did not want to be laughingstock again… Suddenly he saw the light at the end of the dark corridor. He continued towards it and after some meters discovered a room full of gold and jewels. The treasure was guarded by a huge dog which was having boy’s cap in the mouth. The dog gave the cap back to the horrified kid and said with the human voice: “Don’t be afraid. You may take your cap back and as I see you are a good person, you may fill it full with gold and jewels before you go. But remember never come back here and say to the others they also shouldn’t dare”. The boy took as much gold as he managed to fit in the cap and ran back. Although he repeated word by word what the dog told him, his colleagues decided to risk and enter the pit … The first one went in but never came back… Some people say that you may hear his crying for help during quite nights until today…