[2][5][6] The Latin work Commentarius belli adversum Turcas ad Viennam... by Wespazjan Kochowski, which discusses John III Sobieski's expedition to Vienna, describes the 24th of August, the day when the king arrived at the Racibórz Castle, as follows:[6]From Tarnowskie Góry through Gliwice and Rudy, marching along the road amidst forests to Racibórz, where once was the capital of the Quadi, and later the seat of Polish princes of royal blood, where after passing through, heavy troops were left under the care of Hetman Jabłonowski, and the king, along with a strong army, swiftly entered Austrian territory.

[5][7][8] Władysław K. Zieliński also mentions this in his work Szląsk (pruski) słowem i ołówkiem na podstawie najnowszych źródeł przedstawiony published in 1889:[5][8]According to Count Larisch, Racibórz was already known as Eburium under Ptolemy, as the capital of the Buri of the tribe of the Suevi [which was the name for the Quadi who invaded Italy and Spain].

According to Gallus Anonymus:When Bolesław was guarding the country and striving with all his might for the glory of the homeland, it so happened that the Moravians appeared, wanting to preoccupy the Koźle stronghold in secret from the Poles.

Karol Maleczyński dates the founding of the stronghold to the second half of the 10th century, which was corroborated by archaeological research conducted in the castle courtyard.

[3]During the reign of Mieszko IV Tanglefoot, a mint producing bracteates with the inscription MILOST (meaning honor or respect) has been operating in the castle since around 1200.

[10] Sources indicate a strong fortification of the stronghold, surrounded by a wooden-earth rampart, additionally bordered by the Oder river from the south and its branches from the other sides.

[16][24][25][26][27][28] This event was described by Jan Długosz in the Chronicles of the Famous Kingdom of Poland:[24]Having gathered a great army consisting of both his own soldiers and mercenaries hired for a monetary contribution, which he exacted as a punishment from the Wrocław church, he militarily invaded the lands of Duke Casimir of Opole and besieged the city of Racibórz due to the presence of Wrocław bishop Tomasz and his clergy therein.

Moved by this, Bishop Tomasz, known for his great kindness, which he allegedly always displayed, said: "Rather let me and my clergy fall into the hands of the tyrant than these innocents perish from hunger.

And so, in his liturgical vestments and with episcopal insignia, he left the city with all his clergy in exile and proceeded to the tyrant's camp to appease his wrath with the greatest humility.

The property of the Racibórz chamber was managed by the imperial councilor and starosta of our duchy, George von Oppersdorff, first on account, later as a pledge for a certain sum loaned to the emperor.

[37] In 1604, the Duchy of Racibórz, including the castle, came into the hands of the barons Baltazar and Jerzy von Mettich [pl] as a pledge for the sum of 116,000 thalers.

[38] Subsequent owners of the castle included George Frederick, Jan Zygmunt Batory, and, as a result of the Thirty Years' War, from 1622, Gabriel Bethlen, the Prince of Transylvania.

[23][41] In March 1656, King of Poland John II Casimir Vasa appointed Count Franciszek Euzebiusz von Oppersdorff as the governor of the Duchy of Racibórz and Opole.

[43] In 1670, the castle and town were visited by Empress Eleonora Gonzaga, who was traveling to Częstochowa for the wedding of her daughter to the King of Poland Michał Korybut Wiśniowiecki.

The passage through Silesian lands was supervised by Prince Christian of Brzeg, appointed by Count Franciszek Euzebiusz von Oppersdorff, starosta of the Duchy of Racibórz.

Count Oppersdorff notified the magistrate that the empress and her entourage would also stay in the city on their way back, this time in three buildings between Panieńska and Rzeźnicza streets.

[41] Sobieski even mentioned his stay in Racibórz in his letters to Marie Casimire Sobieska:[21][45]The people here are incredibly kind and bless us, and the land is wonderfully cheerful.

She has two or three daughters: the eldest married to Mr. von Prazmo, lively and quarrelsome with her husband; the younger, a maiden, charming, similar to the marshal's wife.

[37] In 1712, Franciszek Euzebiusz II von Oppersdorf put Racibórz Castle and its adjacent estates up for sale[9][40] due to the lack of an heir and the need to make large payments to his sisters.

[47] Count von Plettenberg-Wittem ruled Racibórz Castle until 1805, when it was taken over by the Prussian minister and chamberlain Wilhelm Ludwig Georg, Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein.

[49] On 9 June 1821, he received an edict from King Frederick William III of Prussia, elevating the Racibórz estates to the status of a mediate duchy (German: Mediatherzogtum), with the right to a separate vote in the Silesian Landtag.

According to his will, the Duchy of Racibórz and Corvey (which he also received in 1820), as well as the Sośnica and Zębowice estates, were inherited by his wife's nephew, Victor Maurice von Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst.

Victor III died on 11 November 1945, and his successor was Franz-Albrecht Metternich-Sándor [pl], who, however, did not inherit the Racibórz Castle as it became the property of the Polish state.

Therefore, the county office, as the owner of the castle, received 300,000 PLN from the Silesian Voivodeship Marshal to clear the corridor of debris and prepare it for tourist visits.

[63] The castle was built on the site of an ancient stronghold located on a natural island surrounded by wooden-earth ramparts, a mill channel, and the main stream of the Oder river and its tributary.

[64] Initially, the rampart surrounding the stronghold had a timber-frame structure, which in the first half of the 13th century was reinforced with earth masses and used as a foundation for the construction of a brick wall.

[26] It is built on a rectangular plan measuring 8.5 by 13 meters,[70] is oriented, made of brick in a Wendish brickwork, plastered, and adorned with dimension stone details.

Currently, only ruins of the structure remain, which was originally two stories high, built on a plan similar to a rectangle, with a slightly indented eastern side.

The beer was present in factory canteens, at the stations in Racibórz and Kędzierzyn, in the princely inn in Sławięcice, as well as in Wrocław in a restaurant on Nowoświdnicka Street.

[30][73] Archaeological research conducted at the beginning of Bosadzka Street confirms the existence of hollowed-out wooden logs, which archaeologists believe to be part of a water supply system from Obora.