Brzeg Town Hall

Brzeg Town Hall (say "BZHEG") is one of the finest Renaissance town halls in Poland and, together with the Piast castle a few streets away, the reason to stop in this small Silesian town on the Oder. Built in 1569-1577 by the Italian masters Jakub Parr and Bernard Niuron, it has a five-arch loggia framed by two towers, ornate gables and gray-and-white sgraffito. After a major restoration its wood-ceilinged halls can be visited for free with a municipal guide.

Where it is and how to get there

Brzeg lies in Opole Province, about 45 km southeast of Wrocław and a similar distance from Opole. Regional trains from Wrocław take roughly half an hour, and the Market Square is about a 15-minute walk from the station. Drivers can use the A4 motorway; parking is around the square and nearby streets (paid zone). Wrocław is the closest airport.

History in brief

A town hall stood here by 1358. After a fire in 1569 destroyed much of the town, Duke George II of Brzeg, who had already employed Italian masters of the Parr family on his castle, commissioned a new one from Jakub Parr and Bernard Niuron. The palace-like main block was ready in the early 1570s and the clock tower was finished in 1577. A larch ceiling was added to the Great Hall in 1646 and a Baroque Councillors' Hall in the 1740s; in 1926 a Renaissance doorway from a local townhouse was set into the south wall. The building came through World War II largely intact. Between 2016 and 2022 it was thoroughly restored for over 20 million złoty (PLN), with new roofing, a renewed clock and bells, recreated sgraffito and conserved interiors.

What to see

• The west facade: two square towers with lantern domes, a two-level arcaded loggia and three decorated gables.
• The clock tower: square at the base, octagonal above, topped by a double lantern.
• Sgraffito: 17th-century decoration recreated during the restoration.
• The interiors: the Great and Small Ceiling Halls, the Mirror Hall, the Councillors' Hall, the treasury and a medieval room in the tower.
• The narrow courtyard enclosed by the horseshoe-shaped wings.

Tours and opening hours (as of October 2026)

The building no longer houses the city offices, though the council still meets here, and it now works as an informal town museum. The municipality offers free tours with a guide or an audio guide; book by phone at +48 538 280 500. Independent guides mention regular tours Tuesday to Sunday at 9 am and 3 pm; call first to check. There is a tourist information point inside (+48 77 416 00 40). English-language tours are not advertised; ask when booking. Allow about an hour for the interiors.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, if you like Renaissance architecture: the facade alone justifies a detour from Wrocław or Opole, and the free tour is a bonus. Pair it with the castle for a half-day trip.

Nearby

The Castle of the Silesian Piasts, often called the "Silesian Wawel" and home to a museum, is a few minutes' walk away. St. Nicholas' Church and the Baroque Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross are also close. The romantic palace ruin at Kopice is about half an hour's drive south.