KOPICE PALACE RUINS

It is called the "Silesian Cinderella Palace", or the "Palace on the Water", because its breathtaking view is reminiscent of French castles on the Loire River. Kopice has been known since the Middle Ages, but owes its current palace to the Schaffgotsch family. It was Joanna Gryzik von Schomberg-Godulla – known as the "Silesian Cinderella" – who, together with her husband, purchased the palace in 1859 and greatly expanded it on a grand scale.

The palace survived the war in very good condition, but was nonetheless converted into a grain warehouse in the 1950s. In 1956, the palace was set on fire, with looting and the ravages of time adding to the destruction. Subsequent owners proved to be insolvent investors, and the palace remains in ruins to this day. It is currently fenced off and cannot be entered. You can see it from the pond and stroll through the historic park, which was once home to as many as 300 sculptures! Today not a single one remains, but one can see the ruins of other buildings, the gate and the Schaffgotsch Mausoleum. The estate gives one a faint idea of the splendour that could once be admired there.