TRAIL OF CASTLES AND PALACES AROUND OPOLE

Route 2: The trail of castles and palaces around Opole. An easy route, 52 km, travel time approx. 4–5 hours

Opole city centre – Opole Sławice – Żelazna – Niewodniki – Narok – Skarbiszów – Karczów – Dąbrowa – Chróścina – Opole.

Attractions along the way:

Niewodniki – a palace built in 1872 by Julius Wichelhaus; an example of residential architecture combining French Baroque and Neo-Renaissance styles; now privately owned.

Narok – a palace built in the second half of the 18th century; in 1858, it was purchased by Friedrich von Wichelhaus, who rebuilt it in the Anglo-Byzantine style; now privately owned.

Skarbiszów – a manor park revitalised in 2019, featuring swings, slides, various types of climbing nets, a sandpit and an outdoor gym.

Karczów – a Baroque palace from 1791, rebuilt several times; in 1998, it was donated to the Opole University of Technology; now privately owned.

Dąbrowa Castle – built between 1615 and 1617 on the orders of Joachim von Tschetschau-Mettich; its original spiral chimneys are a curious feature; the castle's original furnishings have not survived; now owned by the University of Opole.

Chróścina – a manor house modelled on a Swiss chalet, built around 1889 for the then owner, Tadeusz Szymoński; since 1950 a school, then a Vocational School Complex; now owned by the Dąbrowa Municipality. Also noteworthy are the Church of St Peter and St Paul, built in 1792–1793; the church bell tower, the lower part of which dates to the 15th/16th century; and the ruins of a 19th-century wooden windmill.