Żary is a city that in the Middle Ages was located on the Salt Trail leading from Leipzig to Wrocław. It developed on the borderland, often being the target of invasions and many times changing its nationality. Currently, you can see some interesting monuments from the Middle Ages and Baroque periods.
The city was founded in the 13th century and was owned by important German magnate families. A memory of those times is the castle complex consisting of several buildings from different eras. The oldest one is the gothic castle in Żary, in a state of permanent ruin, belonging to the Dewin-Biberstein families. In the 18th century, the Promnitz family built a late Baroque palace next to it. In the area surrounding the palace there is also a garden with a palace called the Knight's Academy and a former farm with outbuildings.
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which is one of the few elements of the Old Town destroyed at the end of World War II, has also been preserved from the Middle Ages. Fragments of the city walls and the outline of the old urban layout have also survived.
The attraction of Żary is the historic observation tower located on the outskirts of the city, on Góra Żarska. It was built in the 19th century at the behest of the Promnitz family. From this neo-gothic building you can admire the panorama of the area.
