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Poland’s top administrative court has rejected a legal challenge against permission for the construction of a controversial private residence built in the style of a medieval castle and located on a lake in a protected and sensitive natural area. The ruling ends one long-running dispute over administrative approval for the project. However, parallel criminal proceedings involving alleged document falsification and environmental offences are still ongoing.

Meanwhile, construction of the building has continued and appears near completion. Zamek w Stobnicy zostaje, nie będzie zburzony.https://t.co/Btz3I3A1af — tvn24 (@tvn24) April 14, 2026 The case concerns the “Stobnica Castle” development, which is located on an artificial island in a lake in Noteć Forest, an area home to several nature reserves and which is protected under the European Union’s Natura 2000 network. It first drew national attention – and much public anger – in 2018, when images were published of the large castle-like structure emerging amid the forest.

The investor, Poznań-based firm DJT, received a building permit in 2015 from local authorities in Oborniki county, north of Poznań. It also obtained environmental approval that year, despite the project being located within a protected site. However, in 2019, the environmental approval was revoked by the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection (RDOŚ) after authorities determined that the construction area was more than 2 hectares, exceeding the 1.7 hectares for which permission was granted.

The General Directorate for Environmental Protection (GDOŚ) confirmed RODŚ’s decision a few months later. Click here to help us continue providing news free from paywalls and ads Despite this, work on the castle continued as the investor appealed against the decision to the court. In 2020, the provincial administrative court in Warsaw overturned the revocation of the environmental approval.

GDOŚ then filed an appeal with the NSA. Such procedures allow a higher court to review whether a lower court correctly applied the law without reexamining the facts of the case, meaning that cases where a final ruling has been issued can be reopened. The NSA has now dismissed the appeal.

In an oral justification, judge Jerzy Stelmasiak said the legality of the original administrative decision must be assessed separately to how the project was later carried out. “The fact that the company did not carry out the project correctly does not mean that the decision subject to review was flawed for that reason,” Stelmasiak said, quoted by news website Onet. “It was only as a result of the project’s implementation that the authority determined that the converted area was larger than two hectares.” The judge said a case can only be reopened if important facts already existed when the original decision was made but were unknown to the authorities at the time – a condition he said was not met.

Poland’s top administrative court has rejected a final appeal against the issuing of a building permit for an enormous private residence in the style of a medieval castle that has controversially been built on a lake in an EU-protected natural area https://t.co/4m11mVNDL7 — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) March 18, 2025 In March 2025, NSA also dismissed appeals in a separate administrative strand of the case, including those filed by the chief inspector of building control. A lawyer for the investor said the latest ruling means that all administrative proceedings related to the project have now been concluded and that no decisions remain that could halt construction.

However, parallel criminal proceedings are ongoing. In late 2020, prosecutors charged six people – including officials and representatives of the investor – with offences including falsifying documents, making false declarations about property rights and carrying out activities that could harm the environment. Prosecutors allege that the lead architect provided inaccurate information about the size of the area to be developed, while the building inspector failed to fulfil duties by not halting construction despite irregularities and by making a false statement in an inspection report.

Their trial began in November 2023. Seven people, including local officials, have been detained over the construction of a medieval-style castle in a protected forest in Poland Environmental permission for the residential development was withdraw last year, but construction continued anyway https://t.co/lEcqMwsLjU — Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) July 17, 2020 Construction of the building appears largely complete from the outside. However, it remains unclear what stage interior works h