Czocha Castle began as a stronghold, on the Bohemian-Lusatian border. Its construction was ordered by
Wenceslaus I of Bohemia, in the middle of the 13th century (1241–1247). In 1253 castle was handed over to Konrad von Wallhausen,
Bishop of Meissen. In 1319 the complex became part of the dukedom of
Henry I of Jawor. After his death, it was taken over by another Silesian prince,
Bolko II the Small, and his wife Agnes (see
Duchy of Silesia). The origin of the stone castle dates back to 1329. In the mid-14th century, Czocha Castle was annexed by
Charles IV,
Holy Roman Emperor and King of Bohemia. Then, between 1389 and 1453, it belonged to the noble families of von
Dohna and von Kluks. Reinforced, the complex was besieged by the
Hussites in the early 15th century, who captured it in 1427, and remained in the castle for unknown time (see
Hussite Wars). In 1453, the castle was purchased by the
Nostitz family, who owned it for 250 years, making several changes through remodelling projects in 1525 and 1611. Czocha's walls were strengthened and reinforced, which thwarted a Swedish siege of the complex during the
Thirty Years War. In 1703, the castle was purchased by Jan Hartwig von Uechtritz, influential courtier of
Augustus II the Strong. On August 17, 1793, the whole complex burned in a fire. In 1909, Czocha was bought by a cigar manufacturer from
Dresden, Ernst Gutschow, who ordered major remodelling, carried out by Berlin architect
Bodo Ebhardt, based on a 1703 painting of the castle. Gutschow, who was close to the
Russian Imperial Court and hosted several
White emigres in Czocha, lived in the castle until March 1945. Upon leaving, he packed up the most valuable possessions and moved them out. After World War II, the castle was ransacked several times, both by soldiers of the
Red Army, and Polish thieves, who came to the so-called
Recovered Territories from central and
eastern part of the country. Pieces of furniture and other goods were stolen, and in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the castle was home to refugees from Greece (see
Greek Civil War). In 1952, Czocha was taken over by the
Polish Army. Used as a military vacation resort, it was erased from official maps. The castle has been open to the public since September 1996 as a hotel In 2012, the castle was voted as one of the "New Seven Wonders of Poland" in an annual
National Geographic Poland plebiscite. Since 2014 the castle is also used as a setting for College of Wizardry, a
live action role-playing game (LARP) that takes place in their own universe and can be compared to Harry Potter. There was a hiatus in 2019 after ongoing issues within its founding organization threatened to end the series. However, a crowdfunding action saved the LARP and a new organizing team has continued organizing events at the castle. It has also been used as the site for the
EU4 Grandest Lan 2023 event, officially hosted by
Paradox Interactive. ==In the media==