Piast Tower in Opole

The Piast Tower in Opole is a Gothic brick castle tower on Ostrówek island – one of the oldest monuments of defensive architecture in Poland and a symbol of the city, whose outline appears in TV broadcasts of the song festival from the nearby amphitheatre. It is the only surviving part of the Piast Castle, demolished in 1928. Climb more than 160 steps to a terrace with views over Opole, the Oder valley and, on a clear day, even the Opava Mountains.

History: from Piast castle to city symbol

The tower stands on Ostrówek, where a stronghold of Mieszko I's state already existed around 990. It was long attributed to Duke Bolko I and the late 13th century, but recent research points rather to the mid-14th century. It is about 35 m tall, about 42 m with its spire. In the lower section the walls are up to 3 m thick, the fieldstone foundation reaches 6 m deep, and the original entrance was 9 m above the ground, reached by a wooden gallery from the castle walls.

The tower survived the great fire of Opole in 1615, but in the fire of 1739 its original conical roof burned and was replaced with battlements. In the early 20th century the Prussian authorities judged the castle of little use and costly to maintain. Fierce protests by Polish townspeople and activists of the Union of Poles in Germany saved only the tower – in 1928 the castle was demolished and the tower was incorporated into the new regional government building, now the seat of the Voivodeship Office. In 1962 a spire with a Piast eagle was added. Because the foundations settled unevenly, the tower leans slightly.

What to see

• Multimedia exhibitions on the history of Opole, the Piast Castle and the tower itself.
• Bare brick interiors and wooden stairs leading up.
• Viewing terrace with a panorama of Ostrówek, the amphitheatre, the old town with its town hall and the Oder valley.

From June 2011 to June 2014 the tower was closed for a thorough renovation, after which modern exhibitions were installed. When the nearby amphitheatre was built, traces of Slavic settlements from the 10th–11th centuries were found.

Tripto tips

The tower is visited with a guide – a tour takes about 40 minutes and includes the history talk and the climb to the terrace. It is open Monday to Friday 9:00–17:00 and Saturday and Sunday 10:00–17:00; from July 2026 weekend hours were extended to 18:00. A standard ticket costs PLN 20, reduced PLN 15, a family ticket (min. 4 people) PLN 13 per person, with the Large Family Card PLN 10. Because demand is high, it is worth phoning ahead to book: 77 441 50 20.

The tower is at ul. Piastowska 14, a few minutes' walk from the market square across the Młynówka canal. Only stairs lead to the terrace, so you need to be reasonably fit. Nearby are the Millennium Amphitheatre with the Museum of Polish Song and the Upper Castle – the other surviving part of Opole's Piast fortifications – easy to combine in a half-day walk.