Oporów Castle

Oporów, Poland

Oporów Castle is built of bricks in the Gothic architectural style in between 1434–1449 in the village of Oporów  The castle was raised by the Deputy Chancellor of Poland (1429-1434), and highly regarded religious leader Władysław Oporowski.

The first wooden stronghold located in Oporów was recorded in the fourteenth century. The castle is said to have been raised by Mikołaj Oporowski and his son Władysław Oporowski, a highly regarded political and religious leader in the Kingdom of Poland, which in 1428 took on the estate as his own. Up until the eighteenth century the castle was owned by several families: House of Sołołobów, Korzeniowski, Pociejów and the House Oborski. The residence had only once ever been hit by any sort of devastation - in 1657 the castle's top levels caught fire - however, all of the castle was reconstructed. In 1930 the castle was transferred to the Society of the Credit of Land in Warsaw (Polish: Towarzystwo Kredytowe Ziemskie w Warszawie). After World War II the castle was nationalised and reconstructed. In 1949 the castle began housing a museum.

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Oporów, Poland
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Details

Founded: 1434-1449
Category: Castles and fortifications in Poland

More Information

en.wikipedia.org
medievalheritage.eu

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Mr RW (2 years ago)
Nice place in the middle of nothing. In winter looks especially charming as hunted house with many black birds in the park. Great !!
W RR (3 years ago)
Prime medieval castle off the track in pretty park
W RR (3 years ago)
Prime medieval castle off the track in pretty park
Muhammad Mahfuzur Rahman (3 years ago)
A little nice castle out of nowhere. About one and half hours drive from Warsaw. The 14th century main building is very nicely maintained. Red brick facade, Gothic-styled roof and parapet, narrow strip of water-body around the plinth, and a large forest like park around the castle make the area stunning. There is not much to do here other than seeing some exhibits inside the castle. Some furniture and paintings are nice. It would have been better if there could be something more either in the park or around the complex to make it more feasible for the tourists to spend a day or half.
Muhammad Mahfuzur Rahman (3 years ago)
A little nice castle out of nowhere. About one and half hours drive from Warsaw. The 14th century main building is very nicely maintained. Red brick facade, Gothic-styled roof and parapet, narrow strip of water-body around the plinth, and a large forest like park around the castle make the area stunning. There is not much to do here other than seeing some exhibits inside the castle. Some furniture and paintings are nice. It would have been better if there could be something more either in the park or around the complex to make it more feasible for the tourists to spend a day or half.
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The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.

In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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