The duke's castle

Location: Racibórz-Ostróg, ul. Zamkowa
Bicycle trails: 2, 356
Tourist route:

www.raciborz.pl
www.mci.raciborz.pl

It was probably one out of five towns belonging to the Golężyce tribe, mentioned in the Geograf Bawarski. In 1108, according to the Kronika by Gall Anonim, the city was conquered by Polish king, Boleslaw Krzywousty. Archeological research proves the fact, that as early as in the 50s of the 13th century, embankments made of wood and soil, were partially substituted with battlements, which inspired the conversion of the town into a Gothic castle. Between 1285 and 1287 the town-castle sheltered the bishop of Wrocław, Tomasz II, who at the time came into conflict with duke Henryk II Probus. The conflict, according to Jan Długosz, was successfully resolved. And so the bishop founded Thomas Becket’s chapel, as a vote offering. The chapel, built presumably in the 80s of the 13th century, often referred to as the pearl of Upper Silesian Gothic architecture. The castle was then taken over by the Piast and Przemyślidzi tribes. At the beginning of the 16th century, the castle was owned by a Czech king and was later given as collateral to the Brandenburgian count – Jerzy Hohenzollern, the brother of Albrecht – the last great master of the Teutonic Knights in Prussia. In 1416 the chapel was moved to the Assumption of St. Mary church in Racibórz. In the 50s of the 19th century the castle belonged to the von Ratibor dukes, who rebuilt the castle brewery (mentioned in 1567), which is still operating and is known to be the oldest one in Upper Silesia.