Brieg: Piast history and routes through the city

The chapel, town hall and church architecture

The Chapel of St Hedwig at Brzeg Castle is a burial place where at least 43 members of the ducal family are interred. At Brzeg Town Hall, it is worth looking at the great hall on the first floor of the south wing: its impressive larch-wood ceiling dates from 1646. The town hall itself is a well-preserved Renaissance building. Together, these two structures show different facets of the city’s history, from a ducal memorial to the furnishings of a historic town hall chamber.

The Church of the Holy Cross also has a history at the same site: it was built from 1734 to 1739 on the site of a Dominican monastery that existed until 1545 and already had a Church of the Holy Cross. Its history can thus be traced across several centuries, and the city’s present-day sights are not confined to a single period.

City routes with different points of interest

Walking and cycling routes for tourists pass through Brieg. The Brzeski Polychrome Trail highlights sights featuring Gothic wall paintings. The first tourist route passes, among other places, by the amphitheatre, through Central Park and alongside the “Brat Ledy z łabędziem” fountain. Other listed stops include St Nicholas’s Church, the town hall, the Church of the Holy Cross and the castle. To find your way around, you can choose between a themed focus on wall paintings and a route taking in several different sights. For route changes, it is worth checking local information.

The wider destination of Brzeg

In the wider destination of Brzeg, the Old Town offers another historical setting. It is considered a well-preserved example of a town founded in the mid-13th century under Magdeburg or Środa law, and is entered in the monument register of Opole Voivodeship. The listed decisions are No. 132/54 of 23 October 1954 and No. 622/59 of 13 November 1959. Preserved street and pavement surfaces, including granite and basalt paving, give the urban landscape a tangible material dimension.

The Castle of the Silesian Piasts in Brzeg is a Renaissance residence with origins in the 13th century, extensively remodelled in the 16th century. The richly articulated façade of the gatehouse is considered a high point of Silesian Piast art; in 2018, the castle complex was declared a Historic Monument. At the Museum of the Silesian Piasts, the permanent exhibition “Kresy. Ocalone wspomnienia” brings together more than 2,500 objects preserved by donors and commemorates the eastern borderlands of the former Polish Republic. 1,000 objects are on display. The collection also includes Silesian sacred art from the Gothic to the Baroque period, including paintings by Michael Leopold Willmann.

Parks, nature and other experiences in Brzeg

Brzeg has six parks covering a total area of more than 90 hectares, including four parks in the city centre. Around 150 tree and shrub species from Europe, Asia and North America grow in the parks. Juliusza Peppela Park, formerly called Freedom Park, was established between 1901 and 1905 and is the city’s largest park. The parks are open to visitors; modernised paths can be used by wheelchair users, scooter riders and cyclists, and some paths are lit at night. As path conditions can change, check local information before visiting.

Cormorants, grey herons, mute swans, goosanders and kingfishers can be observed year-round along the urban stretch of the Oder in Brzeg. For more water-based and leisure activities, the aquapark has slides and hydromassage facilities. Marina Brzeg has a passenger area for small tourist boats as well as a canoe and yacht area for small-scale tourist traffic. The Brzeskie Cultural Centre operates a cinema, a contemporary art gallery and an arts education programme; the programme may change.

Choose a focus for your holiday apartment

When searching for a holiday apartment, it helps to decide first which experiences you want to shape your stay. Architecture, churches and the city routes described here form one focus in Brieg. Parks, wildlife watching, the museum and other cultural or water-based activities are part of the wider destination of Brzeg. Choose your location according to the mix of themes you are looking for, and check the information for the activities you plan to visit.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Sulisław, Kopice, Grodków, Pisarzowice, Borkowice.

Back to the main travel overview: Brzeg.