Silesian Culture Centre in Nakło Śląskie

The white Neo-Gothic palace with a tall tower in Nakło Śląskie looks more like a Tudor-era English residence than a typical Silesian palace. It was built in 1856–1858 by Count Hugo I Henckel von Donnersmarck, one of the richest industrial magnates in Silesia, and since 2013 it has housed the Silesian Culture Centre. A visit combines the story of one of the region's most famous families with exhibitions, concerts and a walk in the park.

History: 90 years of the Donnersmarcks, 60 years of a school

The palace was meant as a summer residence – Hugo I's main seat was Wolfsberg Castle in Carinthia – but his descendants settled here for good. The designers are unknown; similarities with the remodelled castle in Wolfsberg point to the Viennese architects Johann Romano von Ringe and August Schwendenwein von Lanauberg. After Hugo I died in 1890, the palace was altered and the tower raised. From 1905 it was the seat of Lazarus IV, founder of the Nakło branch of the family. After 1921 the family stayed in the Polish part of Silesia and became known as the 'Polish line'; the last owner, Lazarus V, left for Switzerland ahead of the front but never took German citizenship. From 1945, for sixty years, the palace housed an agricultural school, and the former chapel was turned into washrooms. After the interiors were renovated in 2010–2012 (cost about PLN 7.7 million), the Centre opened to visitors on 2 May 2013.

What to see

• Palace interiors – the restored staircase with wooden balustrades, the panelling at the entrance, a ceiling painting discovered by chance on the ground floor and the famous Donnersmarck safe.
• Coats of arms on the façade – of the Donnersmarck and von Kaszonyi families, partly preserved. Legend says Hugo built the palace for his second wife, Laura von Kaszonyi, but it was completed a year after his first wife's death, so the story is probably just romance.
• Permanent and temporary exhibitions – on the Henckel von Donnersmarck family and the history of the palace; check the programme before you go.
• Palace park and tower – the tower was renovated in 2021, and the park received new lighting in 2019.

Tripto tips

The palace is closed on Mondays. From May to September it opens Tue–Sun 11:00–18:00 (last entry 17:15), from October to April Tue–Sun 11:00–17:00 (last entry 16:15); it also closes on some holidays. A standard ticket costs PLN 20, reduced PLN 15, family PLN 45, and the app-based audio guide PLN 5. A private guide (PLN 80 in Polish, PLN 100 in English) must be booked by phone in advance. Enter from ul. Główna through the gate by the former guardhouse; next to it is a car park for several dozen cars and coaches. You can also take bus line 5 from Katowice. Allow 1.5–2 hours for the palace and park.