Sochaczew Castle, Medieval castle ruins in Sochaczew, Poland

Sochaczew Castle is a ruin of a three-winged castle on a hill above the Bzura River. Its surviving walls, built of brick on stone foundations, date from the early Baroque rebuilding after 1608, when three rectangular wings were erected on a horseshoe plan using parts of the Gothic walls. The entrance lies on the east side, and a chapel occupies the polygonal tower beside the gate.

A wooden-and-earth stronghold of the Mazovian Piasts stood here from the 13th century; in the second half of the 14th century Siemowit III and his successor Siemowit IV rebuilt it in brick. In 1377 the castle hosted the assembly that adopted the Sochaczew Statutes, the first written law code for all of Mazovia. After 1476 it became the seat of the starosta. Around 1500 the northern slope gave way, collapsing the north curtain wall, and the entrance was moved east. After 1608 Stanisław Radziejowski began an early Baroque rebuilding for Sigismund III Vasa, left unfinished at ground-floor level; Swedish troops burned the castle around 1657, and Kazimierz Walicki restored it after 1786 before damage in the 1794 Kościuszko Uprising.

The castle's name recalls the Mazovian dukes who ruled here until 1476. In 1377 it hosted the assembly that adopted the Sochaczew Statutes, the first written legal code for all of Mazovia. The Gothic gate tower later served as the archive for the region's land registers.

The ruins are open to visitors throughout the year and can be explored from ground level. Wear sturdy footwear as the terrain is uneven and archaeological work may be ongoing on the site.

The Gothic north gate tower, 7.5 by 11.5 metres with external buttresses, was walled up after the northern slope slid away and then served as the archive for the district's land registers. The later entrance was moved to the east side, where the gate chapel still stands in a multi-sided tower.