Wrocław Bishops' Castle in Ujazd

On a hill above the small town of Ujazd in Opole Province stand brick walls that changed with their owners for eight centuries: from the stone tower of the Bishops of Wrocław, through a Renaissance palace, to the seat of the Hohenlohe princes, who bore the title "Dukes of Ujest". Burnt out in 1945, the castle was off limits for decades. Today the ruins have been secured, and from a terrace at the level of the former first floor you can look out over the town and St Andrew's Church.

History: from a bishop's tower to a ducal palace

Ujazd appears in the records as early as 1155, in a bull of Pope Adrian IV listing the possessions of the Bishopric of Wrocław. The fortress began as a stone residential tower, a keep about 8.5 m square, surrounded by a wall, palisades and a moat. In the 13th century a Bishop's House was added, and the bishops often stayed in Ujazd, the centre of their estates in the Duchy of Opole. In the 14th century the castle was rebuilt in Gothic style. Around 1365, during a dispute between Bishop Przecław of Pogorzela and Duke Bolko III of Opole, extra fortifications were built; in 1370 Emperor Charles IV ordered them torn down.

In the 15th century the castle changed hands repeatedly: in 1428 the bishops pledged it to Duke Bernard, and in 1430 the Hussites captured Ujazd. In 1524 the bishop sold the estate to the Dluhomil family of Bierawa, and around 1580 Kaspar Dluhomil turned the fortress into a Renaissance palace with a round stair tower. The rebuild was so expensive that he had to mortgage the estate. In 1838 August zu Hohenlohe-Öhringen bought the castle for 150,000 thalers, and in 1861 the King of Prussia gave his son Hugo the title Herzog von Ujest, Duke of Ujazd.

What to see

• The Hohenlohe coat of arms above the former gate – the original survived only in fragments and was replaced by a copy in 2016.
• The viewing terrace at the level of the former first floor, built when the ruins were secured.
• The cleared cellars and courtyard – you look into the former rooms through empty window openings.
• An educational trail around the hill, with panels on the history of the town and castle.
• St Andrew's Church right next door – in the 16th century, after the Dluhomils became Protestants, it was taken over by Protestants around 1570.

Interesting facts

In December 1536 Ottheinrich of Wittelsbach, Elector Palatine, stopped at the castle on his way to Kraków. His court painter drew a panorama of Ujazd, and the sheet from his travel album survives to this day. The end came on 23 January 1945, when the Red Army entered Ujazd. About 70 per cent of the buildings burned, including the town hall and the castle, which Prince Hans zu Hohenlohe-Öhringen had already abandoned.

Tripto tip

In 2016 the state Agricultural Property Agency secured the walls, cleared the cellars and built the terrace, and in 2019 the municipality spent about PLN 1 million on paths, greenery and the educational trail. Allow 30–45 minutes to walk around the ruins, climb to the terrace and follow the trail. We could not confirm opening hours or prices on an official website, so it is worth checking access with the municipal office before you go. Ujazd combines well with a trip to St Anne's Mountain (Góra Świętej Anny) in the same county.