Wroclaw: Ksiaz Castle & Project Riese Underground Tour

Inside the Owl Mountains: Ksiaz Castle and the Tunnels Hitler Never Finished

You're picked up from your Wroclaw hotel and driven to Ksiaz Castle, where you explore over 400 rooms of a fortress that belonged to one of Europe's richest families before the Nazis seized it. Then you descend into Project Riese, an underground complex the Germans carved into the Owl Mountains between 1943 and 1945 but never completed. Entry fees, transport, audio guides, and hotel drop-off are included. The full day takes 8–10 hours.

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Ksiaz Castle and Project Riese

• Travel from Wroclaw to Ksiaz Castle
• Explore Ksiaz Castle and learn history
• Visit Underground Town Osowka (Project Riese)
• Explore underground caverns and tunnels

The experience

Your driver picks you up from your Wroclaw hotel in the morning and you head south toward the Owl Mountains, about an hour's drive. The route takes you through the kind of Polish countryside that doesn't photograph well but stays with you: flat fields, small towns, the landscape gradually rising. When you arrive at Ksiaz Castle, the scale hits you first. Over 400 rooms spread across a hilltop, and for more than 400 years it belonged to one family, the Hochbergs, who were among the richest in Europe by the late 1800s. They owned land, industry, mines. Then the Nazis confiscated it in the early 1940s and gutted it to turn it into one of Hitler's residences. The castle you walk through now is partly restored, partly still bearing the marks of that occupation and the war that followed.

After Ksiaz, you move on to Project Riese: the codename for an underground construction project the Nazis started in 1943 and never finished. The site you visit is called the Underground City, and it's a network of caverns carved into the mountains, each one in a different state of completion. Some tunnels are barely begun. Others stretch deep into the rock. Your audio guide (provided on-site, usually available) walks you through what the Germans were building and why they abandoned it. The temperature down there stays around 10 degrees Celsius year-round, so bring a jacket even if it's warm outside. The air is still, the stone is cold, and the scale of the work, the sheer ambition of it, makes you understand why this place matters to historians.

The whole day runs 8 to 10 hours depending on how long you spend at each site. You're in a private minivan with air conditioning, which matters on the drive back to Wroclaw when you're tired. Bottled water is included. The pickup and drop-off at your hotel means you don't navigate Polish roads yourself or hunt for parking. Both sites have audio guides, so you're not dependent on a live narrator. You move at your own pace and stop when something catches your attention.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Wroclaw, entry fees to both Ksiaz Castle and Project Riese, private transport in an air-conditioned minivan, bottled water throughout the day, and audio guides at both sites. The tour runs 8–10 hours total.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

GroupPrivate

Audio guideEnglish and German

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Wratislavia Tour

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see two major historical sites in one day without arranging your own transport or navigating Polish roads: the private pickup and fixed itinerary handle the logistics, leaving you to focus on the history.

Traveler reviews

4.82★★★★★★★★★★

11 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

How far is Ksiaz Castle from Wroclaw?

About an hour's drive south toward the Owl Mountains.

What is Project Riese?

A Nazi-era underground construction project from 1943–1945 consisting of seven structures in the Owl Mountains. The site you visit, called the Underground City, is a network of caverns in different states of completion.

How many rooms does Ksiaz Castle have?

Over 400 rooms. It was the third-largest castle in Poland and belonged to the Hochberg family for more than 400 years before Nazi confiscation in the early 1940s.

What should I bring for the underground tunnels?

A jacket. The temperature in Project Riese stays around 10 degrees Celsius year-round, regardless of the season outside.

Are audio guides provided?

Yes, audio guides are usually available at both sites and are included in your tour.

How long is the full day?

8–10 hours, including drive time, exploration at both sites, and return to your hotel.

Is this tour suitable for children?

Yes, but children must be accompanied by an adult.

What's included in the price?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, entry tickets to both sites, private air-conditioned minivan transport, bottled water, and audio guides.