Piast Castle (Opole)
The Opole Piast Castle (Polish: Zamek Piastowski ) was the former residence of the Dukes of Opole in their residence city of Opole . It was on the headland of the island of Pascheke . Demolished between 1928 and 1931, only the Piast Tower remained .
history
Residence of the Dukes of Opole
The construction of the Opole Piast Castle was started under Duke Casimir I of Opole-Ratibor . He came from the Silesian Piast dynasty and presumably resided as the first duke in Opole. Already before 1217 he called immigrants ( hospites ) from the west to his domains, to whom he granted certain privileges and rights under German and Flemish law. After his death in 1230, the palace was completed by around 1260.
Under Duke Boleslaus I , who, together with his brothers, turned politically to Bohemia , the palace was rebuilt from 1283 onwards. The preserved to this day round tower was completed in 1300, the consecration of the chapel took place in 1307. Duke Bolkos son of the same Bolko II. , Who also resided in Opole, his country assumed on April 5, 1327 as a fief under the crown of Bohemia .
Castle as the seat of government
When the Opole branch of the Silesian Piasts expired with the death of Duke Johann II in 1532, his duchy fell by reversion to the Crown of Bohemia, which the Habsburgs had held since 1526 . During the subsequent pledging of the Duchy of Opole, the castle probably remained uninhabited. Later it served as the seat of the governor or governor. From 1557–1566 it was renovated and rebuilt by the imperial governor Johann von Oppersdorf . The castle was probably fortified during the Thirty Years War .
After the First Silesian War , the castle and the heir principality of Opole fell to Prussia in 1742 . From 1816 it served as the seat of the administrative district of Opole . In 1860 it was rebuilt and in 1885/86 the north wing was extended, and in 1904/06 another wing was built in the neo-renaissance style based on a design by architect Paul Kieschke . The palace park was opened to the people of Opole as early as 1893.
Demolition of the Piast Castle
With the exception of the round tower, the castle, which no longer met the technical requirements of an administration building, was demolished in 1928–1931 and a modern government building was built in its place for the district government in 1931–1933 based on a design by architect Friedrich Lehmann.
The Gothic Piast Tower , which has been preserved to this day, was originally located within the protective walls at the entrance gate of the Piast Castle. It is a brick building, the crown of which has been redesigned several times. In 1934 the round tower was given a blind arcade. After the transition to Poland as a result of World War II in 1945, it was renovated in 1962, with a new pointed helmet.
Web links
literature
- Dehio Handbook of Art Monuments in Poland. Silesia. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich et al. 2005, ISBN 3-422-03109-X , pp. 704f.
- Hugo Weczerka (Hrsg.): Handbook of the historical places . Volume: Silesia (= Kröner's pocket edition . Volume 316). Kröner, Stuttgart 1977, ISBN 3-520-31601-3 , pp. XVII, XXXV, XLIV, XLVIII and LVI as well as family tables on pp. 596–597.
- Ryszard Emmerling, Urszula Zajączkowska: Opole Travel Guide , Silesian Publishing House ADAN, ISBN 83-915371-6-1
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 50 ° 40 ′ 1.8 ″ N , 17 ° 55 ′ 9.9 ″ E