Piast Castle in Gliwice

Despite its name, Piast Castle was never a ducal residence. The building on Pod Murami Street in Gliwice grew out of two medieval town-wall towers, served for centuries as an arsenal, prison and farm, and today houses a branch of the Gliwice Museum – with an exhibition on the city's history and an unexpected collection of Japanese armour.

History: from towers to museum

It was built in the mid-14th century together with the town walls, as two square towers joined by a wall and a wooden gallery. In 1558–1561 the town's leaseholder Friedrich von Zettritz built a two-storey house between the towers – hence its old name, Zettritz Court (Dwór Cetrycza), used until 1945. From the 16th century to the 1920s the building was mainly a prison.

After the war locals called it the "little castle", and the name Piast Castle was given in 1983. The real ducal castle probably stood elsewhere, near the Racibórz Gate, and in 1430–1431 was the seat of the Hussite leader Sigismund Korybut. The building has belonged to the museum since 1959 and was thoroughly restored in 2005–2008.

What to see

• "Gliwice – a City of Many Cultures" – prehistory of the area and the city's history: 17th–18th-century guild objects, the Silesian Uprisings, the 1921 plebiscite and the Union of Poles in Germany.
• Archaeology – pottery, tools and ornaments from the Lusatian culture cemetery at Świbie, plus finds from Gliwice's old town, the castle hill in Toszek and the hillfort at Pławniowice.
• Far Eastern arms – Japanese armour and samurai swords, as well as Chinese and Korean swords.
• A section of the town walls – built into the structure.

The square outside has a statue of King Stefan Batory, a 2014 gift from the Hungarian town of Salgótarján.

Tripto tip

The castle is open Tuesday to Sunday (Tue and Fri 11:00–16:00, Wed–Thu 11:00–18:00, Sat–Sun 10:00–17:00). A standard ticket costs PLN 20, reduced PLN 10; PLN 40 buys a 10-day pass to all museum branches, including the Gliwice Radio Tower. About an hour is enough. The castle stands by the old walls, a few minutes from the Market Square.