Trail of the Eagle's Nests

The castles date mostly to the 14th century, and were constructed probably by the order of King of Poland Casimir the Great.

[1][dubious – discuss] The trail has been named the "Eagles' Nests", as most of the castles are located on large, tall rocks of the Polish Jura Chain featuring many limestone cliffs, monadnocks and valleys below.

They were built along the 14th-century border of Lesser Poland with the province of Silesia, which at that time belonged to the Kingdom of Bohemia.

[2] The Eagles' Nests castles (Polish: Orle Gniazda), many of which survived only in the form of picturesque ruins, are perched high on the tallest rocks between Częstochowa and the former Polish capital Kraków.

The castles were built to protect Kraków as well as important trading routes against the foreign invaders.