Otmuchów Castle

Bishop Philipp von Sinzendorf suffered from gout, so he had a staircase rebuilt to let his servants carry him upstairs in a sedan chair — this is how the famous "horse stairs" of Otmuchów Castle came about. It is just one detail of a fortress that served as a residence of the bishops of Wrocław for more than five centuries. The castle stands on a granite hill above the town and today houses the "Zamek" Cultural Centre, with a visitor route and a viewing tower.

History: the bishops' castle

The castellany stronghold at Otmuchów is already listed in a bull issued by Pope Adrian IV in 1155 — the oldest papal document concerning Silesia. The castle finally passed to the bishops under the will of Duke Henry IV Probus in 1290, ending his long dispute with Bishop Thomas II. The main building work was carried out under Bishop Przecław of Pogorzela in 1341–1376. Because the bishops' treasury was kept here, the castle was attacked many times; in the 15th century it was seized by the Hussites, who left only after receiving a ransom of 1,100 threescore groschen.

Bishop John IV Roth modernised the defences in 1484–1485, and Andreas Jerin turned the fortress into a Renaissance residence with arcaded galleries and sgraffito portals in 1585–1596. After damage in the Thirty Years' War, the castle was rebuilt in 1625–1665 by Bishop Charles Ferdinand Vasa, and under Franz Ludwig of Neuburg the so-called Lower Castle was built below (1706–1707). Following the secularisation of church property in 1810, the castle passed to the Prussian state and was then granted to Wilhelm von Humboldt. He had the south and west wings demolished to use the material for repairing the best-preserved section, and laid out a garden in the space. In 1929 the town bought the castle.

What to look for

• The tower with machicolations — square and medieval; its north wall bears Bishop Jerin's coat of arms flanked by St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist.
• The "horse stairs" — wide, shallow steps in a round pavilion on the courtyard side.
• The starvation cell and the trapdoor — according to tradition, condemned prisoners were told "Go, you are free", and as they walked towards the door the floor opened over a deep drop.
• The hilltop garden — according to tradition, the owner's brother, the naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, sent exotic trees for it.
• The courtyard well with a 19th-century cover resembling a gazebo.

Tripto tip

Allow 1–1.5 hours for the castle, tower and garden. Opening times and ticket prices are published by the "Zamek" Cultural Centre (ul. Zamkowa 4) — check before you go, as tours are sometimes guided. The tower offers views over the town and surroundings, and afterwards it is worth walking down to the market square and town hall. Otmuchów is known as the region's flower capital, and a few kilometres away lie Lake Otmuchów and the town of Nysa with its churches and fortifications.