Cieszyn Old Town

The old town of Cieszyn spreads across a hill on the Polish bank of the Olza river, which now marks the border with the Czech Republic. Its sloping market square is framed by pastel townhouses and a town hall, while a hilltop castle complex preserves a rare Romanesque rotunda, one of the oldest stone buildings in the country. Cieszyn was long a ducal seat, and its lanes hold Gothic and Baroque churches and a historic well thought to give the town its name. Visitors climb to the castle tower for views over both countries.