A Renaissance castle perched on a granite cliff since 1580, wrapped in a 13-hectare park with seven ponds and a century-old beech avenue – this corner of Lower Silesia is one of the region's most atmospheric hidden gems. Today it is also home to the Uroczysko 7 Stawów hotel, spa and restaurant, making it a perfect base for an overnight escape.

The castle's facade is adorned with sgraffito decorations and a stunning portal bearing the coats of arms of old Silesian noble families. In the inner courtyard a 300-year-old linden tree still stands, rooted in the same ground that has seen centuries of history. The park below the castle hill is a remarkable green world: over 1,600 trees of 36 species from around the globe, watered by a river that feeds seven ponds one after another. The highlight is the ancient beech avenue that stretches from the castle gates down to the 'Seven Ponds Sanctuary' – a place with a genuinely enchanting, almost fairy-tale atmosphere. Spring fills the park with birdsong, summer turns the ponds into mirrors of green, and autumn transforms the beech avenue into a tunnel of gold and copper.

• Gola Dzierżoniowska is located approx. 45 km south of Wrocław and about 10 km from Niemcza — easiest to reach by car; parking is available at the castle.
• From Dzierżoniów the area can be reached by local transport or by bicycle along rural roads.

• The castle houses the Uroczysko 7 Stawów hotel, spa and restaurant (open since 2013).
• The 13-hectare park with 7 ponds and a beech avenue is open to visitors.
• The castle is a protected heritage monument; major restoration work was carried out from 2000 onwards.

The foundations of the castle rest entirely on solid granite bedrock — and an inscription above the main entrance still reads, in 16th-century German, that Leonard von Rohnau laid the first stone on 23 February 1580, 'in the name of God'.