Trip to The Cistercian Abbey and The Palace Complex in Rudy Located on the European Cistercian track, it is one of the most valued monuments of the Upper Silesia region. The monastery was built in 1252. The monks came from Jędrzejów in Lesser Poland to an undeveloped land in the valley of the Ruda river. The duke Władysław Opolski gave the biggest economic privilege to Rudy in 1258. The goods that were granted to the Cistercians were free of tribute and all other taxes. Just after the Cistercians had come to Rudy they started to colonize the area. Monks dealt with fish farming, brewing, apiculture, production of charcoal and tar and since the 16 th century also with forging. The monks were ordered to leave the monastery in 1810 because thePrussian government secularized all monasteries in Prussia There was an army hospital in the abbey in the years 1813-14. In 1820 the estates of Racibórz, including the he former estates of the abbey in Rudy, were given to landgrave Victor Amadeus von Hessen-Rotenburg who became one of the biggest land owners in Upper Silesia. He chose the post- monastic complex in Rudy for his residence. The residence must have been truly impressive if the emperor of Russia Alexander I visited this place twice – in 1820 and in 1822. The buildings of the monastery and of the palace were adapted to a new function and their surroundings were converted into an impressive park. During the last days of the World War II the fire destroyed the church and the residence. .After the war the church has been renovated but the rest of the complex has been left as a ruin. A new stage of the post-cistercian complex started with passing the buildings and the park to a diocese of Gliwice. It was done in