History of the castle begins in the first half of the 12th century when the Pope handed the Otmuchow lands, with the existing castle, into the possession of the bishops from Wroclaw. It became a site of great importance as it became the bishop’s treasury. Hence, in its history are times of expansion and times of destruction. Particularly heavy losses resulted in wars starting with the Hussite War, through to the Thirty Year War and the Silesian War. The castle in Otmuchow was captured and looted many times by foreign armies. The time of greatness came during the time of Bishop Andrzej Jerin (1585-1596), a known patron of the arts in Silesia. His ambitions turned the castle into a proper Renaissance residence. In turn Bishop Franciszek Ludwik turned it into a stately Gothic abode. During his time the so called horse’s steps were added, which enabled a horse to be ridden into the castle. These unique stairs have survived to this day. After the end of the Silesian Wars, the castle was no longer the bishop’s residence. The Hohenzollern family gave it to the Baron von Humboldt who demolished part of the castle. The last owner, Bernard von Humboldt, sold the castle to the city and it has since been converted into a hotel. Otmuchow Castle (woj. Opolskie) www.zamek.otmuchow.pl