Opole, zamek górny, Gothic castle tower in Opole, Poland
The Upper Castle tower is a rectangular defensive structure measuring approximately 10 by 8 meters with window openings, arrowslits, and decorative pointed blind niches. The structure displays typical features of late medieval fortification design.
The castle was built between 1382 and 1387 by Władysław Opolczyk, Duke of Opole, on a limestone hill near the Gosławice Gate as part of the town's defences. It was first mentioned in 1387 and damaged by Polish troops in 1396. After a fire in 1615 its remains were demolished in 1637; only the tower survived.
The name Upper Castle distinguishes it from the Lower Castle on Ostrówek, across the Oder. Since 2018 the tower has housed a permanent exhibition on the castle's history, and a glass-balustrade footbridge links it to Kopernikus Square.
The tower is located within a school complex and access may be limited depending on educational activities. It helps to check ahead or inquire whether visits are possible on specific days.
The tower's only reliable early depiction is a set of drawings made by building inspector Krüger in 1844, the year a fourth storey with neo-Gothic battlements was added. A 19th-century drawing long thought to show the castle actually depicts another castle, as its caption names Józefa Czott.
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