Szlaki województw śląskiego i opolskiego

The Palace in Kamień Śląskiis the former residence of the Odrowąż family, a powerful clan originating from Moravia. Around 1660, the Renaissance fortified manor passed into the hands of Balcar Larisch – a representative of a noble family originating from Ireland, to whom Kamień Śląski owes the period of its greatest splendor. The new owner commissioned the reconstruction of the facility in the Baroque style, and a chapel dedicated to St. Hyacinth Odrowąż (Św. Jacek), who was born in the palace in 1183, was created in its tower. From the beginning of the 18th century, thousands of pilgrims began to arrive at the sanctuary every year. In the first half of the 19th century, the rule in Kamień Śląski was taken over by the family of Count Hyacinth von Strachwitz. The new owners rebuilt the palace according to the design of the famous Wrocław architect Karl Lüdecke, and on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of St. Hyacinth's birth, they also restored the chapel. During World War II, the residence was partially transformed into a military hospital. After the entry of the Red Army in 1945, the residence, including St. Hyacinth's chapel, was looted and destroyed. After the end of the war, an orphanage was established in the palace. In 1958, the edifice was militarized by Soviet troops, and the former palace chambers were designated as apartments for the military. In 1970, the property was destroyed and then set on fire. Currently, the palace – next to the sanctuary of St. Hyacinth Odrowąż – also houses the Center for Culture and Science of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Opole, as well as a hotel and sanatorium with a salt cave. The whole is surrounded by a vast landscape park with a belfry. Practical information: Paid sightseeing. Parking spaces directly in the vicinity of the palace.