Kopice – Church, Palace History and Motte

Church and Palace: Different Historical Periods

The parish Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was built between 1802 and 1822 in the neoclassical style. The church preserves two works of art from different periods: a Regency pulpit from the first half of the 18th century and an altarpiece depicting the Crucifixion, dating from 1822. The pulpit therefore predates the church building, while the altarpiece dates from 1822. Anyone interested in architecture and religious art will find a tangible reason here to consider the building’s history and surviving furnishings together.

The palace’s history unfolds in several distinct stages. It was originally built between 1783 and 1786 as a neoclassical residence. From 1863, it underwent extensive alterations under the direction of Carl Lüdecke and later Carl Heidenreich. A fire in the late 1950s completely destroyed the palace; it subsequently fell into ruin. Thus, the village’s history has distinct chapters: the neoclassical beginnings, later structural changes and destruction. For visitors interested in historic buildings, this sequence offers a different perspective from the church’s surviving works of art.

The palace’s romantic park included a pond, an artificial island, a Temple of Diana, and Greek and Chinese pavilions. The park also contained artificial ruins of a “medieval” castle. These ruins were therefore part of a designed parkland and should not be confused with an actual surviving medieval castle. The contrast between the pavilions, island and artificial castle illustrates the variety of the park’s surviving features without conflating them with Kopice’s historic motte.

Mausoleum and Archaeological Heritage

The Schaffgotsch family mausoleum was built in the second half of the 19th century as a neoclassical structure in the form of a Greek temple. It became the burial place of Joanna Schaffgotsch in 1910 and of Hans Ulrich Schaffgotsch in 1915. Its architecture and burial history give the building a distinctive historical significance. Together with the church, the mausoleum is also a landmark on Cycling Route No. 4: the section passing through Kopice goes by both buildings.

The late-medieval conical motte represents a different historical period. The site is an archaeological monument; its landform, clearly visible in the landscape, is one of the few sites of its kind in Silesia. As a significant archaeological monument, the motte offers insight into late-medieval residential and defensive structures. Those more interested in archaeological landscapes than church art or neoclassical architecture can take this focus into account when choosing where to stay.

Cycling Through Kopice

Official Cycling Route No. 4 leads from Grodków to the area around the Nysa Kłodzka River and passes through Kopice. The section through the village goes by the Schaffgotsch family mausoleum and the historic Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The route description thus combines cycling with two specific historic buildings. If you enjoy planning your days around cycling, this route may be a helpful consideration when organising your trip; those focusing mainly on the palace’s history or the motte will find other historical points of interest in Kopice to help guide their visit.

For more ideas in the area, you can also explore Brieg, Pisarzowice, Grodków, Sulisław and Borkowice.

For the broader travel overview: Brzeg.