Chudów ([ˈxuduf], German: Chudow, Chutow) is a village in Poland, located in Gliwice County, within the municipality of Gmina Gierałtowice, Silesian Voivodeship, in the historical region of Silesia.

The village was first mentioned between 1295–1305 as Cudow, attested in the Latin manuscript Liber fundationis episcopatus Vratislaviensis (Tithe Register of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Breslau).

These changes reflected the region's strategic importance, the shifting political landscape, and the evolving cultural influences of Central Europe throughout history.

Over the centuries, the village has been known by various names, including Cudow, Hudow, Chudoba, Khudow, Kudow, Chudow, Chutow, and finally Chudów.

[2] According to historical sources, the first confirmed owner of Chudów was the nobleman Johannes de Hodow,[3] who appears as one of the judges in a record dated 15 October 1434.

[5] Documents from 1459 mention the nobleman Jan Sudiss von Khodow as the owner of the rural village estate when Chudów was part of the Duchy of Bytom.

[4] The domain of Chudów was an allodial estate purchased in 1532 by the Roman-German Silesian House of Saszowski, who bore the Saszor coat of arms and were recognised as one of the most eminent and affluent noble families in Upper Silesia.

[4] The lordship remained part of the House of Saszowski estates for over a hundred years and served as a residence for multiple generations of its branch scions, known as Geraltowsky von Geraltowitz (in Polish: Gierałtowski z Gieraltowic).

[9][10] Historical sources say it was one of the most magnificent castle residences in Upper Silesia, hosting many banquets and sport hunting activities attended by the aristocracy.

By 1687, it was listed as the property of Baron Jerzy von Welczek, governor of the Duchy of Opole and Racibórz (Herzogtum Oppeln und Ratibor).

[2][3][4][9][10] Von Bally lost his assets as a result of bad investments related to the exploration of hard coal deposits, and in 1844 his estates were transferred to auction.

[4] The castle suffered severe fire damage in 1875, and its last owner, Graf Hans Ulrich Gotthardt von Schaffgotsch, left it as a picturesque ruin.

It depicts the castle after several alterations made by Alexander von Bally in the first half of the 19th century, which changed its original Renaissance form.

[9][10] In a restored tower, there is a small museum showcasing one of the most interesting exhibitions of ceramic medieval Gothic cocklestove tiles found in Poland.