The Lanckorona castle was built before 1359, during the reign of Casimir the Great. Previously, there was a watchtower on this site due to the good visibility that the watchtower provided over the surrounding area. The Lanckorona castle was surrounded by a moat, had a drawbridge, and probably had three stone towers. For centuries, it was of strategic importance due to its location. Lanckorona starosts resided there, including the most famous one, Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, the founder of the nearby Kalwaria Zebrzydowska. According to legend, his wife Dorota saw three crosses over the Żarek Mountain from the windows of the Lanckorona castle, and it was there that the Kalwaria Monastery was built. The castle was a stronghold of the insurgents during the Bar Confederation rebellion between 1768 and 1771. After the confederation was defeated, the castle passed into the hands of the Austrians, who organised a prison and barracks there. After the Austrians left it, the castle succumbed to increasing disrepair. Medieval cobblestones were uncovered during construction work carried out in 2017 in the courtyard of Lanckorona Castle.