Proskau: History, Blacksmithing and Nature

If you are planning a stay in Proskau, you can choose from several clearly distinct themes: church and castle history, blacksmithing, and nature at the arboretum and Staw Nowokuźnicki. The church, castle and blacksmith’s workshop are in Proskau; the nature reserve is nearby, in Nowa Kuźnia. The municipality also invites visitors to take a cycling tour of crosses and chapels. These destinations therefore offer different starting points for your planning.

Church and castle: history in buildings

The first brick church in Proskau, Kościół św. Jerzego, was built in 1578. During the Thirty Years’ War, troops under Field Marshal Lenart Torstensson burned the church down in 1644. Reconstruction was completed in 1687, giving it a Baroque form.

The castle in Proskau is a four-winged building with a rectangular courtyard, bastion-like corners and two towers on the front façade. Among the surviving details are the coats of arms of the Prószkowski family, dating from 1563, on the exterior façade. The knights’ hall features stucco decorations with ceiling panels; in the courtyard stands a marble fountain basin from the 18th century.

Blacksmithing in Proskau

At the Kuźnia w Prószkowie, you can see a blacksmith’s workshop in a condition comparable to that of workshops 100 to 150 years ago. The Muzeum Kowalstwa presents demonstrations of traditional blacksmithing techniques. During workshops, participants can touch objects made there. Demonstrations and workshops offer different insights: the focus is on demonstrating the techniques in one, and on touching the workpieces during a workshop in the other. If you are planning to attend a demonstration or workshop, check the options with the operator in advance.

Arboretum and nature nearby

The arboretum park in Proskau was established in 1866–1867. Today it covers about 15 hectares and contains a collection of around 46 oak species. Specimens of trees come from China, Manchuria, Japan and Europe.

A different natural highlight awaits you at the Staw Nowokuźnicki nature reserve in the nearby village of Nowa Kuźnia. A wooden boardwalk several hundred metres long runs along the eastern shore. At its end stands an observation tower, with a view of the densely overgrown pond. While tree species and their origins are the focus at the arboretum, here the shoreline and the view of the pond shape the description of the place.

Cycling tour of crosses and chapels

The municipality of Proskau also invites visitors to take a cycling tour of crosses and chapels. These are spread across the municipality’s villages, fields and meadows. This makes the tour different in terms of location from the buildings and blacksmith’s workshop in Proskau: it takes in the municipality, with its various places and landscapes. You can consider this option when planning your trip, alongside the cultural-history and nature themes.

Discover more destinations: Chronstau, Niemodlin, Ochotz, Grabin, Sławice, Tarnau, Comprachtschütz, Szczedrzyk.

Go to the overview of the wider region: Opolski.