Tarnowice Stare Castle

For decades under communism, the Renaissance castle of the Wrochem family in Tarnowice Stare served as the headquarters of a state farm and decayed so badly that the town struggled for years to find a buyer. In 2000 it was bought by Krystyna and Rajner Smolorz, who spent ten years restoring it. Today it is a Centre for Art and Historic Crafts with a restaurant and hotel – a fine example of a historic building brought back to life in Tarnowskie Góry.

History: from a knight's stronghold to the Donnersmarcks

Tarnowice was once an independent village and is now a district of Tarnowskie Góry. In the Middle Ages a knight's seat stood near the parish church, and a small mound marks the spot today. In the second half of the 15th century the village passed to the Wrochem family, and on Piotr Wrochem's initiative a Renaissance castle was built on a new site between 1520 and 1570. It had three wings, a tower in the south-east corner and an arcaded courtyard open to the north.

In the early 17th century the Wrochems sold the estate to Baltazar Ohm Januszewski, a district governor in Bytom, who was murdered in 1643 by Swedish troops plundering the town. Through his daughter the estate passed to a Scottish nobleman, Kasper Hunter of Grandon. In 1822 the castle and its lands became the property of the Henckel von Donnersmarck counts, who held them until 1945. Over the centuries the building was altered many times: the arcades were bricked up, the entrance hall rebuilt and the north wing enlarged.

Decline and revival

After the Second World War the castle was nationalised and handed to a state farm, which meant decades of neglect. After 1989 the ruin belonged to the municipality of Tarnowskie Góry, which took a long time to find a buyer. The new owners finished the restoration at the end of 2010, including the orangery and the barn, and in June 2011 the Centre for Art and Historic Crafts opened here.

What to look for

• The projecting central bay of the west wing, crowned by a gable with three cartouches: the large coat of arms of the Duchy of Bytom and the arms of the Wrochem and Donnersmarck families.
• A Renaissance portal dated 1545, set into the west wing, brought from the palace at Płonina in Lower Silesia.
• A garden pavilion in the castle park, also from Płonina.
• Interiors with displays on traditional crafts.

Did you know?

According to local legend, the ghost of the murdered governor Januszewski wanders the castle at night, accompanied by the penitent spirits of Swedish soldiers. It is only a legend, but it captures the turbulent 17th-century history of Upper Silesia well.

Tripto tip

The castle has a restaurant, "Gospoda u Wrochema", and a hotel, so a visit easily combines with a meal. Check the opening times of the exhibitions directly with the castle before you go. The castle fits nicely into a day trip around Tarnowskie Góry together with the Historic Silver Mine and the Black Trout Adit.