OPPERSDORFF CASTLE IN GŁOGÓWEK

The castle in Głogówek is a former ducal and knightly residence built by the Opole Piasts in the 13th century. Since1561, it was owned by the Oppersdorff family.

This beautiful, impressive building is not in the best condition today; it is owned by the city and is not open to tourists and the museum that used to be located here has been moved to the nearby Prison Tower.

The castle is divided into lower and upper parts, decorated with corner towers, stone portals, sculptural decorations and a chapel with polychrome by Franciszek Sebastini. The entire complex is surrounded by a historiacal park.

In 1655, King John II Casimir stayed here with his court of 1,800 people (the town had a population of 1,100 at the time), seeking refuge from

the Swedish invasion.

During the king's stay, the town hosted Hetman Stefan Czarnecki, poet Jan Andrzej Morsztyn and Jakub Sobieski, father of the future king. The outstanding German composer Ludwig van Beethoven also stayed here, working on the completion of his Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, which he dedicated to Count Franciszek Joachim Oppersdorff.