Brzeg

Brzeg stands on the left bank of the Oder, where a trading and fishing settlement grew into a fortified Silesian town. First mentioned in 1234, it received Magdeburg rights in the thirteenth century and became a residence of the Piast dukes. The river, the market and the castle made Brzeg a focal point of the lands between Wrocław and Opole.

The ducal residence acquired particular splendour under George II in the sixteenth century. He transformed the Gothic castle into a Renaissance palace, drawing inspiration from Wawel in Kraków. Its monumental gateway, built in 1550–53, proclaimed the lineage and authority of the Silesian Piasts. George also founded a gymnasium and rebuilt the town hall, making the ducal town a place of learning as well as government. The local Piast line came to an end with Duke George William's death in 1675, and Brzeg passed to the Habsburgs. During the First Silesian War, Frederick II of Prussia besieged the town in 1741; the castle was damaged in the fighting. Prussian rule followed, bringing the long age of the dukes of Brzeg to a close.