The first records of the castle date back to 1177. The town was destroyed by the Tatars in 1241 and reconstructed in subsequent years, with a fortified stone tower built on the castle hill. The medieval castle was destroyed in a fire in 1503 along with the parish church and a large part of the town. The castle was rebuilt within 5 years at the request of Alexander Jagiellon. The work on the reinforcement and reconstruction of the walls lasted until 1534. There is a fragment of the defensive wall with a bastille and the southern part of the contemporary castle building left from that period. The castle was captured and burnt down by the Swedes during the Swedish invasion. It had gradually fallen into disrepair since then. In the 1^st half of the 19^th century, the Austrian authorities planned to demolish the castle but Kajetan Russocki bought it back. He established a dominion office and a post office. In 1904, the next owner Karol Kaszny renovated the buildings. In 1926, the Poviat Department in Biała Krakowska bought the castle and its renovation and reconstruction took place in 1928-1931. A two-storey building with an avant-corps topped with an attic was built between the tower and the castle. This was the seat of the German occupation authorities during the World War II and of the Oświęcim city council after the war. In 2004-2006, the Oświęcim city council completed a major renovation of the castle with the help of EU subsidies. The Castle Museum in Oświęcim has been located here since January 2010.