Raciborz and its historical attractions

Sacral buildings are the oldest structures found in Raciborz. Just near the market square, there is St Blessed Virgin Mary’s Church, built in 1205. However, the architectural form that can be admired today is dated to the early 19 th century, and was rebuilt in the Gothic style after the fire.

Not far away from the church, there is another Gothic form – St Jacob’s Church, mentioned for the first time in 1285. Its present form was built in 1655. Inside, there is an interesting piece of the Baroque style, the Gaszyn’s Chapel, built between 1637 and 1665.

The Chapel of St Thomas in Ostrog, a part of the castle, is said to be the pearl of Silesian Gothic. It was founded in 1287 by the Duke of Raciborz, Przemysl. At present, it is being renovated, as well as the castle itself.

The north wing of the castle houses a still working brewery. The first mention of the brewery appeared in historical records in the year 1567.

A few dozen metres from that place, there is a yacht marina, designed by Paul Lachmann, built around 1913. Today it is a restaurant called ‘Galeria’.

In the vicinity of the castle, there is a neo-Gothic church, St John the Baptist’s Church built in 1855.

The last Piast, Leszek put a lot of effort into the building of the Holy Spirit’s Church, a seat of Dominican nuns. It was erected in 1327. During Leszek’s reign the church was enlarged and consecrated again in 1335. There was also a churchyard, where the dukes were buried. Last excavations in the central part of the church, revealed a tomb of Walenty, the last Przemyslid. He died in 1521. Today, the church houses a museum while the monastery - an Economic School.

Just next to the museum, there is an eclectic building of Bank Ludowy, built in the 1870s. Today, it is a seat of PTTK.

The existence of defence walls was recorded in the Przemysl’s documents dated back to 1290. A historical donjon (called prison’s donjon) erected in the 16 th century, as well as the remnants of the fortified town walls are in Dlugosz Square.

The St Mary’s Church was built in the late Baroque style, between 1723 and 1736. The altar is decorated with a medieval votive painting, presenting Mary and the Infant Jesus. The church was mentioned for the first time on 15 th April, 1445. At that time it was made of wood.

Close to the donjon, in Nowa Street there is a late Classicist edifice of the District Court,
a former Higher Court, built between 1823 and 1826, according to the design prepared by Karol Fryderyk Schinkle. Just behind on the right the tourists can find a historical building of a former Regional Medicinal Institute, built in 1802.
On the right, there is a former seat of a Court of the First Instance, built in the Dutch neo-Renaissance style. Today it houses a borstal.

One of the most characteristic historical structures is Virgin Mary’s column, situated in the market, built between 1725 and 1727 by John Melchior Oesterreich. This late Baroque stone monument is richly decorated with sculptures, including the effigy of St Marcel, the town’s patron. It was erected as a thanksgiving for saving the town from the outbreak of cholera.

St John Nepomucen, a Czech martyr, was greatly worshipped in Raciborz. His stone figures stand, for instance, in Dlugosz Square (late Baroque form from the first half of the 18 th century), in Ostrog (late Baroque, the second half of the 18 th century), near the façade of St. Jacob’s Church (Baroque, 18 th century), at 24 Starowiejska Street (Rococo, 18 th century), in Londzina Street (Baroque, the first half of the 19 th century), near the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church (first half of the 19 th century) and in Marianska Street (a folk figure with baroque features from the 19 th century).

Worth seeing is also a house, situated in Londzina Street, built in the 18 th century, one of the very few from that period of time. It was probably an inn.

Other tenement houses date back to the first half of the 19 th century. The most interesting of them include the buildings in the western frontage of the town, decorated with Renaissance ornaments as well as Secessional buildings situated in Staszica, Sienkiewicza, Stalmacha, and Londzina, Ogrodowa, Opawska, Solna and Wilenska Streets. All of them were built in the second half of the 19 th century, and decorated with sophisticated stucco work.

At the corner of Glubczycka and Mikolaja Streets there is The Statue of Concord, commemorating the agreement reached between Silesian duke, Henry IV Probus and a bishop Thomas II Zaręba from Wroclaw.

Not far away from that, there is St. Nicholas’ Church, rebuilt from red bricks between 1899 and 1902 in the neo-Gothic style. The first mention of it appeared in records of the year 1287.

In 1911 the National House ‘Strzecha’ came into use. Since 1945 it was a centre of the Polish minority in Raciborz. The edifice was destroyed during the Second World War, rebuilt in 1958. Today, it is a seat of a Community Centre ‘Strzecha’.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Church represents a highly original shape. It was erected between 1934 and 1935. This rotunda shaped church with a dome built of concrete ribs is the main decoration of Warszawska Street. Later a sacristy and chapels built on semicircle plan and a tower were added.

The town has also got numerous memorials built after the Second World War. The most important of them are the following: the Red Army Memorial (1946), situated on the Odra River; the Silesian Uprisings Memorial (1958), situated on the right bank of the river; Stanislaw Moniuszko Memorial (1961) situated in the park in Nowa Street; ‘Matka Polka’ Memorial (1973), Arka Bożek Memorial (1980) near Opawska Street, and finally Joseph von Eichendorff Memorial (1994) in Mickiewicza Street.

The most important of them are the following:

the Red Army Memorial (1946), situated on the Odra River;
the Silesian Uprisings Memorial (1958), situated on the right bank of the river;
Stanislaw Moniuszko Memorial (1961) situated in the park in Nowa Street;
Matka Polka’ Memorial (1973);
Arka Bożek Memorial (1980) near Opawska Street;
finally Joseph von Eichendorff Memorial (1994) in Mickiewicza Street.;

For further information about historical monuments and places worth seeing, please see the walking routes.