Szlaki województw śląskiego i opolskiego

The Castle of the Silesian Piasts in Brzegis a residence of the Silesian Piasts established at the beginning of the 14th century. During the expansion in the second half of the 14th century, the Gothic Chapel of St. Hedwig was erected next to the castle, becoming a collegiate church and burial place for rulers. In the mid-16th century, the facility was rebuilt in the Renaissance style, modeled after the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill. The most valuable element of the castle's architecture is the gatehouse, whose decorative facade belongs to the best-preserved examples of Renaissance sculptural art in Poland. It depicts life-size statues of George II and his wife Barbara of Brandenburg, along with accompanying ancestral cartouches. Above the ducal couple, busts of twelve rulers of the Polish kingdom and Silesian dukes were placed in two rows. Currently, the castle is the seat of the Museum of the Silesian Piasts in Brzeg. In addition to the ducal sarcophagi with epitaph plates dating from the 16th-17th centuries presented in the castle cellars, the museum collection includes, among others, a collection of medals of the Brzeg-Legnica Piasts from the 16th-17th centuries, as well as a collection of sacred sculpture and Silesian portrait iconography and a fragment of a 16th-century gymnasium library. Practical information: The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Sightseeing time: 1-2 hours. Paid admission. Paid parking on Oławska Street (paid parking zone). Facilities for people with disabilities: no.