Castles

Tworków Castle

In the northern part of Tworków, among the trees of the former park, rises the tower of the palace — today an extensive ruin topped by a viewing terrace. The first castle was probably raised here in the 14th century, and the shape visible today is the sum of three successive rebuilds.

From the Wiskotas to the Saurmas

In the 16th century Kasper Wiskota von Wodnik had the stronghold thoroughly remodelled; it later passed to the Reiswitz family. In 1872–1874 the von Saurma-Jeltsch family gave the residence its neo-renaissance look, adding a neo-gothic tower in the east wing and arcades around the courtyard.

Two fires

In 1931 the palace burned almost to the ground — the glow was visible from about 60 km away, and gossip blamed an insurance arson that never paid off. Reconstruction never came; the Second World War brought a second fire. After 1945 the building escaped demolition.

Practical

The ruin belongs to the municipality of Krzyżanowice, entry is free all year round, and the tower forms part of the cross-border Silesianka Trail — a network of 34 towers and viewing platforms on both sides of the border. Nearby stands the baroque church of St Peter and Paul with its crypt of 17th-century coffins.