Places with character
a brewery in the former castle of the Dukes of Racibórz, with a brewing tradition reaching back to the 16th century
Mountains
a yellow walking trail through Racibórz following the sites of Polish minority schools
Places with character
the main square of Racibórz with a Baroque Marian column, rebuilt after the destruction of 1945
Places with character
bridge over the Odra beside Racibórz Castle, on a crossing known since 1299
Places with character
square on the site of the former Great Gate with natural monuments and eclectic tenement houses
Viewpoints
viewpoint in the Racibórz arboretum overlooking Markowice and the Łężczok ponds
Places with character
a square by the station with a post office from 1889, a hotel from 1850 and the “Halinka” steam locomotive
Places with character
a square with Arwiński tenement houses from the early 20th century and a Neo-Gothic care home
Things to do as a couple in Racibórz: old squares, a brewery at the castle and the view from the Markowice Panorama. Eight places to choose from.
Racibórz on the Oder suits an outing for two: the centre has several squares within walking distance of each other, a brewery operates on the grounds of the former castle, and a viewpoint waits on the edge of town. The places below run from the centre outwards.
The easiest plan is to walk four squares: the Market Square, Freedom Square, Władysław Jagiełło Square and Station Square. Each has different buildings, so the walk does not grow dull after the first block.
The Market Square is a large rectangle that opens on its northern side towards Ostróg. What sets it apart is the Marian column of 1725-1727, and the whole space was rebuilt after 1945. Freedom Square, some four hundred metres from the market, covers roughly sixty-five ares and has several natural monuments growing on it. The Great Gate stood here until 1818. Beside Jagiełło Square are two Art Nouveau tenement houses designed by Herman Arwiński in 1906-1909, and the neo-Gothic St Notburga House of 1892.
Station Square is triangular. It is ringed by the railway station, the post office of 1889 and the Polonia hotel of 1850, and in its southern part a steam locomotive, the Tw53, stands as a monument. It is a place for a short stop rather than a long stroll.
At Zamkowa 2 you will find the Castle Brewery, open to visitors, and next to it the Castle Bridge over the Oder. The two combine easily into one walk.
The brewery occupies the site of the old castle of the Racibórz dukes. Beer has been brewed beside the castle since the early 1500s, though the buildings you see were put up in the 1800s after a fire. The earliest written notes on brewing in the town are from 1293. The article Beer from open vats covers the brewing method, and the fortress itself is the subject of the castle in Racibórz and the legend of the stone head. The Castle Bridge is a crossing on the Oder mentioned as early as 1299; today's bridge was rebuilt after 1945 and carries provincial road 935, so it is noisier than the rest of the route.
The Markowice Panorama is a viewpoint at the border of the Moravian Gate Arboretum, in the Markowice district. Below you spread the roofs of Markowice with the neo-Gothic St Hedwig church, then the woods of the Łężczok reserve and the Racibórz Basin. If you want something longer, take the Polish Minority Schools Trail, a waymarked yellow path created in 1985, around eighty-five kilometres long, which runs through Racibórz. In one afternoon you will of course cover only a part of it.
Walk the Market Square and the neighbouring squares, visit the Castle Brewery and finish at the Markowice Panorama. It adds up to a few hours without long distances.
Yes, the Markowice Panorama. It lies in the Markowice district, at the edge of the Obora city forest beside the Moravian Gate Arboretum. Entry is free.
Yes, the Castle Brewery at Zamkowa 2 is open to visitors.
See the Racibórz section and the For couples page.
