History

It is believed to have been built in years 1360-1365, when, at the request of king Casimir the Great, the newly created town was fortified, and in its southern corner a building was erected that was to be used as a residence of state officials bearing the title of the staroste. It is not known how exactly it looked like. What is known is that it was built on a floor plan approximating the shape of a rectangle. In the western corner, there was a tower, and the main entrance was probably located in the north-eastern section. In its original form the castle had not survived long - first, it was burned down during a town fire in the 15th century, and was rebuilt thereafter in the early 17th century only to be destroyed by the Swedes in 1655. From that time until the 19th century, it remained in a state of ruin. The current form of the building dates back to 1874, when the castle was rebuilt on its old foundations, and in 1927, detailing reminiscent of the Renaissance style was added (roof parapet, portal). The castle served various state institutions; from 1976 onwards, it houses the Regional Museum.

Description

The castle is located in the centre of Opoczno, to the south from the Old Market. It is a two-wing, two-storey building, on a plan similar to a reverted “L”, made of limestone and topped with a parapet reminiscent of Renaissance.

Most of the interior came into being at a later date than the date of construction, and individual rooms are separated with brick walls. Three rooms on the ground floor are an exception - the much more massive walls present there may be a relic of town walls and the old castle building. They are covered with groin vaults with lunettes. The roof structure is made of wood, with multi-pitched roofs. All façades are covered with plaster. The main entrance to the building (from the north-west) is accentuated with a decorative rusticated portal, over which coat of arms Odrowąż is embedded. From the south-west, on the ground floor, there is an arcaded passageway, and in the eastern façade, a brick veranda.

The museum is open all year round, from Monday to Friday, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., and between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

compiled by Anna Michalska, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Łódź, 06.10.2014.

Bibliography

• Red. Meducka M., Opoczno. Studia i szkice z dziejów miasta, Kielce 2003.
• Kajzer L., Kołodziejski S., Salm J., Leksykon zamków w Polsce, Warszawa 2007
• B. Guerquin: Zamki w Polsce, Warszawa 1984