The fortified building was erected by order of King Casimir the Great already in the 14th century. It gained its Renaissance character more than 200 years later thanks to its owners, the Szafraniec family. They followed the verified example of Wawel. Architects brought from Italy raised the arcaded courtyard, while the clock tower was given a helmet similar to that from the towers of the Royal Castle. Next to the castle, the masters from Italy erected an architectonic gem: the arcaded loggia. Later they designed an Italian garden located on the terrace above the precipice. Today, the castle houses a museum presenting style changes in European art and Poland’s biggest gallery of English painting.