Moszna Castle (Poland) - a castle of a million stars

Moszna Castle is one of the most beautiful and best known architectural buildings in Poland. The building in a small town in Opole was erected in the middle of the 17th century. For over 300 years it was used by distinguished noble families. The greatest contribution to the shape and appearance of the castle had the Tiele-Winckler family, which ruled the estate from 1866 to 1945.

In 1896 a fire broke out in the castle, destroying the central part of the building. In the same year the destroyed walls and interiors were rebuilt and the residence was extended. By 1900 the eastern wing was built in Neo-Gothic style, and between 1911 and 1913 the western part was added in Neo-Renaissance style.

In 1945 the Tiele-Winckler family was forced to leave the mansion, which was taken over by the Red Army. Soviet troops devastated the interior of the castle, stole works of art, paintings and sculptures, but there was no major damage to the exterior.

After World War II, the building changed hands and was mainly used by various institutions. From 1972 to 2013, the castle housed the Neurosis Therapy Center. Currently, it is managed by the local government, the Marshal's Office in Opole.

The distinctive features of Moszna Castle are its numerous towers, peaks and spires, of which, according to legend, there are exactly 99, and apparently 365 rooms, as many days in a year.

Since 1998 the castle has been open to tourists. Currently the facility has an extensive hotel and catering facilities. Nearby there is a large park, horse stable and cemetery, where members of the Tiele-Winckler family are buried.

The interiors, which date from many periods, represent different architectural styles, such as Art Nouveau (the coffee room), which is combined with Baroque (the dining room), Renaissance (the library), Neo-Gothic (the chapel, now the concert hall) and Rococo (the library drawing room). A staircase leads from the baroque dining room to a huge classical orangery.

The glass orangery adjoins the east wing of the palace, giving a certain air of lightness to the whole building. Mostly fresh, exotic and thermophilic plants grow there, but there are also plants planted about 70 years ago.

The over 200 hectare park is the attraction of Moszna. Impressive avenues of red oaks, chestnut trees and hundred-year-old azaleas, as well as numerous ponds, canals, bridges and rhododendrons greet the tourists already at the mighty gates.

There are several legends about the castle, one of which is connected with the original building. According to it, the main builder of the castle, Franz Hubert Tiele-Winckler, had to be very careful that there were exactly 99 towers, because if there were 100, he would have had to maintain a garrison of troops.

The second legend says that the family had 99 estates and the count decided to express this in the number of towers. Like any decent castle, this one also has its white lady. The apparition that appears at night is most probably a governess unhappily in love with the Count, who took her own life for love. One of the towers is reserved for a skeleton. It is possible that this is a reference to the haunting of the castle by the spirit of the unfortunate woman.

The name of the building is very controversial. Most often it is called Moszna Castle, however, according to the definition it should be called a palace, because a castle is a building with a dominant defensive function, and Moszna Castle had mainly residential functions. The term Moszna Castle is also in circulation and this is how we call the residence of the Tiele-Winckler family.

The castle resembles Hogwarts, which is why rallies of Harry Potter fans are organized here. The castle also hosts camps for children, during which they take part in classes in herbalism, divination and even quidditch.