The Great Pretender: 15-story Stobnica Castle in Poland that caused a stir

One summer morning in 2018, things got crazy. A bunch of posts by eco-activists about a huge and unknown structure being built in the EU's protected Polish Notecka Forest near Poznan flooded social media. The activists were on to something. They were protesting the construction of a medieval-style castle in the shape of a high-rise building in the middle of a protected area close to the village of Stobnica.

The regional environmental protection agency and the public prosecutor's office got involved, and a massive scandal ensued. They made arrests and started legal proceedings, but the construction continued. Now, visitors can check out the site, take a boat trip to see the castle, and even go on a forest educational trail.

It's pretty amazing that this castle is the youngest one of its kind in all of Europe. From the start in 2015, the goal was to build a residential building that would look like a medieval Gothic castle typical of this area of Poland. The residence will have 46 apartments to accommodate 100 people, served by a staff of 10. As of March 2025, the exterior was finished, but the interior was still a work in progress.

The 15-floor castle is over 70 meters high and about 200 meters long. It's on a man-made island in a lake surrounded by dense forest. Each of the 15 floors is twice as high as in a typical apartment building. The keep of the castle is 90 meters high and it also has an enormous ballroom.

It's thought that DJT Company from Poland developed the project, and they'd had their eye on the land since the 2010s. It's still unclear how they got permission since the area is protected.

"This unusual building, as well as the area around it, is the result of the work of a group of people fascinated by castle architecture, who created a residential building with such unusual architecture in modern times. An entire body of water surrounding the castle with a natural shoreline and numerous islands was also created," runs the project's description on the Stobnica website.

Waldemar Szeszuła, the architect of the castle [link], says the idea was to create a historic town with streets, courtyards, and alleys. "It took a total of five years to develop, and at times some 30 designers were involved. The design did not contain any repetitive elements. It is difficult to compare it with contemporary standard designs for residential, office and other buildings.

It contains a lot of detailed detailing, much of it based on stonework, requiring detailed drawings. All this to result in an object that imitates or is a form of a real medieval castle as closely as possible,” he went on to say as quoted by Whitemad. I also tried to get an interview with Waldemar Szeszuła, but he never got back to me. They estimate the cost of the project to be around €85.75 million.

Now, there's this huge castle near Poznan that you can check out if you get the chance. You can even take a boat cruise to get a different view of the impressive building. The organizers say they'll tell "fascinating stories about the castle and its surroundings" and reveal "the secrets of the castle up close." I wonder what secrets they might reveal, like the ones about getting approval for a large-scale development project in a nature reserve? Hmm?

The cruise lasts about 30 minutes, and the boat can fit up to 11 people. There's also an educational 2.2km long forest trail that you can walk (it takes about 3 hours). There are a few ticket options for visitors. As of now, the entrance fees are as follows:

• Full price ticket: $13
• Discounted ticket: $9
• Discount for those 65+: $11
• Сhildren under 3: FREE

All photos belong to Zamek Stobnica