Czocha Castle — known in German as Tzschocha and in Latin as Caychow — is a defensive fortification perched dramatically on gneiss rock in the village of Sucha, Lubań County, in southwestern Poland's Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Situated on the shores of Lake Leśnia near the Kwisa River in the Polish part of Upper Lusatia, its oldest surviving element is a medieval keep to which successive housing structures were added over the centuries. Dr. Charlie Hall, a leading authority on Nazi technology whom Gates meets at the castle, describes it as "a proper medieval castle built in the 13th century by a Bohemian king" — and Gates' first impression on crossing the bridge says it all: "This place is insane." During World War II the castle fell within German territory and is believed to have housed a German military intelligence cryptography school, with top Nazi rocket scientist Wernher von Braun also thought to have stayed there at some point. Gates traveled to Czocha for Season 15 of Expedition Unknown to examine a recently surfaced artifact discovered during renovations — and to ask what the father of Nazi rocketry was doing so far from his V-2 launch sites.
Castle constructed on gneiss rock by a Bohemian king; the keep forms its oldest surviving element, according to Dr. Charlie Hall on camera.
Castle falls within German-occupied territory during World War II; believed to have served as a German military intelligence cryptography school, with Wernher von Braun reportedly among those who stayed there.
During renovations, a component believed to be part of a Messerschmidt Me 163 Komet rocket engine is reportedly discovered hidden in the castle's attic.
Josh Gates visits Czocha Castle in Season 15, Episode 1 of Expedition Unknown, "Hitler's Amerikabomber," to examine the recovered artifact and review wartime documents with Nazi technology historian Dr. Charlie Hall.
Dr. Charlie Hall, the Nazi technology historian Gates consults on camera, provides the historical scaffolding for why Czocha Castle matters to this particular investigation. Hall notes that the castle served as a German military intelligence cryptography school during the war and that Wernher von Braun — whom the episode describes as 'the top rocket scientist of the Third Reich' and designer of the V-2, 'the world's first long-range, guided ballistic missile' — is believed to have stayed there. The episode takes care to note that von Braun's Nazi Party membership did not prevent him from later working in the American space program, where he contributed to the Apollo lunar effort.
The artifact at the center of the investigation — reportedly a component of a Messerschmidt Me 163 Komet engine found hidden in the attic during recent renovations — is significant if authenticated. The Me 163 Komet is generally regarded as the world's first operational rocket-powered fighter aircraft, and its presence in a castle associated with von Braun would raise pointed questions about what research or planning was underway at that location. The episode frames this find as a potential material link between the castle and Nazi Germany's broader ambitions to strike the American mainland, known in historical literature as the Amerikabomber program.
Mainstream historians broadly accept that Nazi Germany explored transatlantic bombing concepts — including long-range aircraft designs and intercontinental ballistic trajectories — though whether any such program advanced beyond theoretical planning remains genuinely debated. The documentary evidence Gates reviews in the episode, including an alleged Nazi bombing map of New York and Albert Speer's diary references to Hitler's desire to bomb America, is consistent with what is already known about Hitler's interest in projecting power across the Atlantic, but the significance of any single artifact or document depends heavily on provenance and expert authentication.
Gates' episode contributes a vivid on-the-ground examination of the castle and the newly surfaced artifact, but the episode's framing — 'might shed some light on what he was doing here,' in Hall's careful phrasing — wisely stops short of definitive conclusions. As is often the case with Expedition Unknown, the value lies in the questions the evidence raises, not in settled answers.
Czocha Castle is built on a foundation of gneiss rock — a metamorphic stone that gives the fortification its dramatic, craggy profile above Lake Leśnia.
The castle carries three distinct names depending on language: Czocha in Polish, Tzschocha in German, and Caychow in Latin, reflecting the region's complex Central European history.
The castle sits in what is now the Polish portion of Upper Lusatia, a historically contested region that changed hands between German and Polish administration following World War II.
Wernher von Braun, who is believed to have stayed at Czocha during World War II, later became a key figure in NASA's Apollo program — one of history's more remarkable postwar career transitions.
Czocha Castle is generally accessible to visitors and operates as a tourist destination in southwestern Poland, offering both guided tours and, at certain times, immersive historical events. Travelers should check current opening hours and seasonal schedules directly with the castle, as availability and programming can vary.
Jelenia Góra is the nearest sizable city, approximately 40–50 kilometers to the southwest.
Late spring through early autumn (May–September) tends to offer the most favorable weather for exploring the castle's exterior, grounds, and lakeside setting. Summer can bring organized historical events that make the visit particularly memorable.
Wrocław (Breslau)
Wrocław (Breslau) is a major city in the same Lower Silesian region of southwestern Poland and shares deep ties to the German wartime history that Gates investigates at Czocha.
Normandy Beaches, France
The Normandy Beaches anchor the Western Front narrative of World War II that provides essential context for Gates' Amerikabomber investigation — the war Germany was fighting when these plans were conceived.
Berlin
Berlin was the political and strategic center of the Nazi regime whose ambitions Gates traces through documents and artifacts at Czocha, making it a natural companion site for any serious WWII investigation.
Historical data sourced from Wikipedia