Iłża

Iłża stands on the Iłżanka south of Radom. From the twelfth century until 1789 it belonged to the bishops of Kraków, who made it an important centre of their estates. Bishop Jan Grot built a stone castle around 1340, later enlarged by his successors; Polish kings were among its visitors. The town also lay on a trade route toward the Vistula ports and became known for its pottery.

In the sixteenth century Iłża prospered, with a town hall built in 1576 and a variety of skilled craftsmen. The Swedish and Transylvanian invasions of the mid-seventeenth century devastated both town and castle. Potters nevertheless continued their work, sending wares toward Kraków and other towns, from which vessels carried them along the Vistula to Gdańsk. Iłża became state property in 1789.