Market Square in Niemodlin

The market square in Niemodlin is neither square nor rectangular – it is spindle-shaped, widening in the middle and narrowing at both ends. Its sides are lined with town houses mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, and a Gothic church and a ducal castle stand close by. This is the heart of a small town that received its town charter in 1283.

History: a town of dukes and counts

The settlement already existed before 1224, and medieval documents use both its Polish name and its German one, Falkenberg. In 1313 Duke Bolesław, son of Bolko I of Opole, built a brick castle here, and the town became the capital of the Duchy of Niemodlin until 1460. From 1779 until the end of the Second World War it belonged to the counts von Praschma. The old town hall that once stood in the middle of the square was replaced in the early 19th century by a building on the frontage – today a residential house at number 51.

What to see

• Church of the Assumption (Rynek 29) – Gothic, with a Baroque interior; it was a collegiate church from 1389 to 1810. Its tower is 62.7 m tall. The chancel keeps Gothic sedilia, probably from the 14th century.
• The town houses – many of them, including numbers 1, 2, 3, 10, 18, 20 and 34, are on the list of historic monuments.
• The ducal castle on the east side of town – one of the largest in Poland, open to visitors, with arcaded galleries, a chapel and cellars.
• Remains of the 15th-century town walls in the southern part of town; most of the fortifications were pulled down in 1860.

Good to know

National road 46 from Opole to Nysa and the Czech border runs right through the middle of the square. The town and its residents have long campaigned for a bypass to take heavy lorries off the historic square. Niemodlin is also known for its carp – fish farming here goes back to the 14th century, and a regional Carp Festival is held every autumn.

Tripto tip

A walk round the square and a look inside the church take 30–45 minutes, but it is worth staying longer for the castle and the arboretum in nearby Lipno, founded in 1782. The square is open at all times. Traffic on road 46 can be heavy, so cross only at the pedestrian crossings.