After almost 70 years, the Knights’ Hall, once the most representative space adorning Schaffgotsch Palace in Kopice, has regained its ceiling. A new concrete structure connected the levels of the former ballroom on the first floor and the main kitchen located directly below it. This is one of the most symbolic moments in the ongoing restoration of the palace, led by Mariola and Joachim Wiesiollek since February 2023.
The owner of the building has published photographs on social media showing the construction team standing on the newly poured ceiling. For many lovers of the monument, this is eloquent and moving evidence of the scale of positive change that is finally taking place in the ruined palace. The Knights’ Hall had remained floorless for decades, leaving the entire structure vulnerable to progressive degradation.
The Knights’ Hall is coming back to life
The Knights’ Hall was designed as a virtually windowless interior, not counting the ornate bay window. The room was formerly illuminated by a partially glazed roof. It is currently unknown whether this characteristic element will be restored. It is up to the owner to decide, and further work on the restoration of the room is expected to start soon.
Kopice Palace – progress
The completion of the reconstruction in the Knights’ Hall is only part of the wider process of saving the monument. Other work is being carried out in parallel, which has already restored, among other things, most of the palace’s missing ceilings and floors and filled in many of the defects in its walls. The two towers (the high one by the chapel and the lower one over the moat) have also been given new, hitherto missing storeys. The colonnade, which had not been seen for decades, returned to the vestibule, which is really encouraging. All this work was preceded by painstaking documentation and obtaining the necessary conservation permits.
Funding from the state and the region
The renovation of the palace is also supported by public funds. The Ministry of Culture and National Heritage has allocated PLN 500,000 for the reconstruction of the ceilings and roofing, and the Marshal’s Office of the Opole Province has donated PLN 200,000 for work on the Schaffgotsch mausoleum.
Opening and public engagement
The palace has been partially open to the public since spring 2025. Guided tours are taking place to popularise the history and restoration of the mansion, and interest from tourists and architecture enthusiasts is gradually growing. Support for further work can also be provided through the Kopice Palace Foundation.
Further plans
The consequent reconstruction is being carried out in stages, in the style already known from the Wiesiollk’s earlier realisations. In Żyrowa, for example, thanks to the couple’s commitment, the magnificent Baroque residence of the Żyrowski family is being restored to its splendour. The just-completed ceiling in the Knights’ Hall of the Kopice mansion is a great step and an important symbol of change. In the following months, it will be crucial to restore the roof structure, which will protect the palace from the further impact of atmospheric conditions, currently the main enemy of the building.
Kopice Palace in 1940 and 2021. Photo: kopice.org
The square in front of the palace in 1902 and 2021. Photo: kopice.org
Kopice Palace – an outline of the history
The Neo-Gothic residence in Kopice was built in the middle of the 19th century on the initiative of Count Hans Ulrich von Schaffgotsch, the husband of Joanna Gryzik von Schomberg-Godulla – heiress of the estate of the industrialist Karol Godula. At the time, the palace was one of the most impressive magnate residences in Silesia, surrounded by a picturesque landscape park with numerous sculptures, ponds and romantic garden buildings. After World War II, the building was abandoned and from the 1950s it fell into disrepair. The residence’s fate was sealed by a tragic fire in 1956, which destroyed the roof and greatly accelerated the process of deterioration. Over the following decades, the deteriorating palace changed owners and its condition improved little. It was not until 2023 that the first real work to restore it began.
Source: Kopice Palace, kopice.pl
Read also: Villas and residences | Architecture in Poland | History | Renovation | Palace
The Knights’ Hall in 1945, 2021 and 2025. Photo: PAŁAC Kopice and kopice.org
