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A small town in Poland has extended an ambitious invitation to Elon Musk
imploring the world's richest man to establish his European headquarters in its 13th-century castle
Residents of Głogówek—population 5,592—want the billionaire entrepreneur to invest part of his $426 billion in renovating the structure. Mayor Piotr Bujak said Tuesday that he posted the offer on X
and sent formal letters to Musk's companies advocating for the move
Newsweek has reached out to Musk via email for comment
Musk has been reported to be searching for a castle to serve as a hub for his European operations. Media speculation suggested Italy as a possible location
but Bujak believes Głogówek's accessibility––close to major cities like Berlin
Vienna and Prague––could sway Musk's decision
The site also has enough space to accommodate a helicopter landing pad
While his companies have yet to comment on Głogówek's offer, Musk's involvement in European affairs remains a subject of scrutiny
is in need of a private investor to fund extensive renovations
The investment would not only restore the medieval structure but also repurpose it into a state-of-the-art facility for Musk's enterprises
Musk's history of bold projects aligns with the challenge of transforming the historic castle. However, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO's recent actions in Europe––such as supported Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) party—drew backlash from European leaders concerned about extremism and misinformation on X
Głogówek Mayor Piotr Bujak: "We do not feel worse than Tuscany
We have a perfect climate and this is the best place on Earth
The castle has a very good vibe and is a perfect location for great things."
Bujak remains hopeful that Głogówek could become the site of Musk's next project
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This photo released by Glogowek Town Hall shows Glogowek Castle in Glogowek, Poland, Aug. 5, 2022. (Glogowek Town Hall/Stanislaw Stadnicki via AP)
Elon Musk speaks as part of a campaign town hall in support of Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump in Folsom, Pa., Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
This photo released by Glogowek Town Hall shows Glogowek Castle, top right, in Glogowek, Poland, Aug. 5, 2022. (Glogowek Town Hall/Stanislaw Stadnicki via AP)
This photo released by Glogowek Town Hall shows the gate and coat of arms at the Glogowek Castle in Glogowek, Poland, Sept. 10, 2021. (Glogowek Town Hall/Jaroslaw Jurkowski via AP)
No price tag has been announced, and Musk hasn’t responded to the offer so far.
Bujak told The Associated Press that he saw media reports in Europe suggesting that the U.S. tech billionaire is looking for a sizeable location, possibly a castle in Italy, as a hub for his operations on the continent.
The Glogowek castle in southwestern Poland boasts a rich history going back to the Middle Ages, briefly serving as Poland’s capital in the 17th century. It has also hosted composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who wrote music there.
“The castle has a very good vibe and is a perfect location for great things,” Bujak told the AP.
“We do not feel worse than Tuscany. We have a perfect climate and this is the best place on Earth,” Bujak said.
Glogowek’s picturesque location is within traveling distance of European capitals Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Warsaw. There is room for a helicopter landing pad too.
The castle requires thorough renovation and needs a private investor, but offers vast spaces for living and business purposes. It belongs to the town.
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Glogowek is encouraging Elon Musk to buy its vast 13th-century castle
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Elon Musk has been encouraged to buy a vast 13th-century Polish castle and turn it into his European headquarters
The mayor of Glogowek, Piotr Bujak, posted an invitation on X for Musk to buy the castle
as well as sending letters to his companies
There is no price tag attached and Musk is yet to respond to the offer
Bujak said he saw media reports in Europe suggesting the US tech billionaire was looking for a sizeable location, possibly a castle in Italy
as a hub for his operations on the continent
Glogowek castle in southwestern Poland boasts a rich history going back to the Middle Ages, briefly serving as Poland's capital in the 17th century
It has also hosted composer Ludwig van Beethoven
“The castle has a very good vibe and is a perfect location for great things,” Bujak said
We have a perfect climate and this is the best place on Earth,” Bujak said
Glogowek's picturesque location is within traveling distance of European capitals Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Bratislava and Warsaw
There is room for a helicopter landing pad too
The castle requires thorough renovation and needs a private investor
but offers vast spaces for living and business purposes
Meanwhile in China, TikTok has said reports it could sell its US business to X owner Elon Musk are “pure fiction”
According to Bloomberg News, officials in China – the home of TikTok’s parent firm ByteDance – are weighing up a possible sale to the billionaire X owner if it can not overturn an impending US ban
a TikTok spokesperson said: “We can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction.”
TikTok is facing a ban in the US from January 19 over US national security concerns about China and what it believes is its possible influence over TikTok – something the company has always denied.
ByteDance has been told to either sell TikTok’s US business or face the app being banned in the United States.
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govt and politics/politics"},{"score":0.551619,"label":"/business and industrial/business news"},{"score":0.547209,"label":"/law
Jan 14, 2025 | Business, History
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The mayor of a small Polish town has made an ambitious pitch to Elon Musk
proposing that the billionaire acquire a historic castle as his base in Europe
Recent media reports have suggested that Musk – currently ranked by Forbes as the world’s richest man
with a $421 billion fortune – has been considering buying a castle in Italy
says he can “offer a much better location”
the media was abuzz with the news that Elon Musk is looking for a castle in Europe to become the coordinating centre for the development of his rapidly expanding companies on the Old Continent,” wrote Bujak in posts on social media
“Although he is focusing on Italy for now
today we decided to bravely offer him a much better location – the municipality of Głogówek,” he continued
adding that an email extolling the virtues of the town’s castle has been sent to Musk’s team
Głogówek’s castle (pictured above), which is owned by the municipality, dates back to the Middle Ages. It belonged to the Opole Piasts, a local line of Poland’s first ruling dynasty
after which it served as a residence of the Oppersdorffs
Among the castle’s notable guests were Polish king John II Casimir Vasa in 1655 and German composer Ludwig van Beethoven
who stayed there in 1806 while fleeing Napoleonic troops
a website dedicated to Poland’s historical sites and run by the National Heritage Institute
the last of the Oppersdorffs left the castle
which has since had several owners and served various functions: a youth hostel
the castle has fallen into a state of disrepair and requires significant investment – estimated at over 100 million zloty (€23.4 million) – that the local authorities cannot afford
With budgets squeezed by the coronavirus crisis, a town in Poland has been forced to mortgage a 12th-century castle, one of the oldest in the country, in order to pay for a new sewage systemhttps://t.co/ucMnwzfRK2
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 15, 2020
is looking to buy a castle in the country to act as his European base
argues that Głogówek offers similar charms
who praised the surrounding area as “a veritable paradise” similar to northern Italy
Bujak highlighted the town’s lavender fields
The mayor also emphasised that Głogówek has advantages of its own that make it a perfect base
including proximity to two airports and six European capitals
with which the region is connected by a network of motorways
Is Elon Musk about to conquer Tuscany? If rumors are to be believed, he’s not just after revolutionizing transport and communication—he might also be plotting to add “Tuscan castle lord” to his already flamboyant resume.https://t.co/pcyNCNJK2y pic.twitter.com/TsMyILkRGh
— Florence Daily News (@newsflorence) January 8, 2025
Main image credit: Sławomir Milejski / wikimedia.org (under CC BY-SA 4.0)
Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist
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gained attention due to the bold move made by its mayor
After media reports revealed that tech giant Elon Musk is looking for a new European headquarters for his ventures
the local politician decided to entice the U.S
today we boldly offered him a much better location – Głogówek Municipality," Piotr Bujak wrote on social media
explaining that historical sources often refer to this region as the "Italy of the North."
which dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries
was originally a fortress for the Piast dynasty of Opole
and for centuries it served as the residence of the aristocratic Oppersdorff family
During Napoleon Bonaparte’s conquest of Europe
Ludwig van Beethoven is said to have sought refuge at the castle
he allegedly dedicated one of his famous symphonies to the host
Historic castle in Poland: A timeless gem for a tech billionaire
"The castle's history dates back to the Middle Ages
though it was repeatedly rebuilt and modernized by successive owners
Polish King Jan Kazimierz stayed here with his court
and Beethoven lived and composed in this very castle," the Polish mayor explained in an email to the American billionaire
there are the capitals of six European countries
and the castle’s 3,000 square meters can be utilized in many ways," Bujak added
The fact that the town is the sole owner of the property could facilitate the transaction
Local politician gains national attention with castle proposal for Musk
The unconventional initiative of a politician from a small Polish town has received significant attention from national media
all of Poland (and a bit of the world) has heard about our Głogówek Municipality
Let’s all keep our fingers crossed that our castle initiative brings the best results," the mayor shared on Facebook
proudly showcasing numerous publications about the campaign he started
Wszyscy jesteśmy dumni z naszego dziedzictwa
Dziś cała Polska (i trochę świata) usłyszała o naszej..
Source: Facebook.com/Piotr Bujak/YouTube.com/Janusz Kukieła
RESIDENTS of a tiny town have invited Elon Musk to buy their medieval castle and use it as his European HQ
The town of Głogówek, south-west Poland
wants Musk to invest some of his $426 billion fortune in renovating the castle and then use it however he wishes
revealed yesterday that he had written formal letters to Musk’s companies to encourage the move
and had also reached out to the billionaire on X
Musk has been reported to be on the hunt for a castle somewhere in Europe which could serve as a base for his operations in the continent
Bujak said he read that Tuscany, Italy was being considered
but thought his own town’s 13th-century fort would be the perfect fit
The town’s castle hosted the famous German composer Ludwig van Beethoven
and belonged to the Opole Piasts - part of Poland’s first ruling dynasty - until the 1500s
However, the crumbling building now needs a cash injection to fund the extensive renovations that are required
If Musk rustled up the money, he would be encouraged to not only renovate but also refurbish the vast property into a state-of-the-art facility that suited his needs.
“We have a perfect climate and this is the best place on Earth.”
He said the town would be a great location for Musk to set up shop as it is within easy travelling distance of lots of European capitals including Berlin
There is also room for a helicopter landing pad
which is likely to be an essential for Musk
Musk has increasingly turned his attention to Europe
He has waged digital war against the British PM amid reports he is planning to oust Starmer before the next election
The world's richest man has also been vocal in his support for certain political parties across Europe - notably Alternative for Germany (AfD)
There are also reports that Musk is "in talks" to buy TikTok from China in order to divert the impending US ban on the platform
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Outrageous latest developments coming out of Poland suggest that a Mayor of a miniscule town with only 6000 inhabitants has offered its 16th century castle to American billionaire Elon Musk
so the CEO can utilise it as his European base
contains a dossier of the surrounding area and its promises
as well as the many supposed benefits the castle and its new ownership will bring to Musk
who is reportedly actively seeking a base in Europe to work from and reside
The mayor informed media outlets that Musk’s team has been sent an email with the full offer detailed in its contents
the media was abuzz with news that Elon Musk is looking for a castle in Europe to become a coordinating centre for the development of his rapidly expanding companies on the old continent”
which is a social media platform owned by Musk
today we decided to bravely offer him a much better location – the municipality of Głogówek.” The mayor clearly has high hopes for welcoming the richest man in the world to his humble town
Italian media reports that Musk has plans to relocate to Italy in the near future, amid blossoming allegiances between himself and the Italian government. Giorgia Meloni
is known to be very fond of the CEO’s interests
as both have keen aims to broaden the world’s awareness of the promises far-right governments can bring to the population
The castle in Głogówek is owned by the municipality
and dates all the way back to the middle ages
the Local Line of Poland’s first ruling Dynasty
the castle has come into a severe state of disrepair and will need massive investments
in the region of 100 million zloty (23.4 million euros)
to resurrect the historical landmark and return it back to an abode fit for a royal – or an American businessman
Bujak argued in his post that the castle has an abundance of charms and similarities to the Italian castles Musk is currently eyeing up
maintaining the many correlations the ‘veritable paradise’ of Głogówek has to Tuscany
He also insisted that the castle has its own pros
including a close proximity to two major airports and six European capitals
in which the region boasts a strong motorway-connecting network
Musk is a man who has been dominating conversations throughout Europe and the rest of the world recently, as he has publicly come out to lambast many EU member states
citing poor governmental decisions among other claims
many of which are not publishable due to their crude nature
The billionaire is looking for a place to call home in Europe, and with two options seemingly standing out, it doesn’t take an expert to predict which he will go for. Poland ceased their far-right governance in 2023, and is now fully pro-Europe
as Italy seeks to build bridges with America as part of their nationalist plans
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A Polish town has invited Elon Musk to purchase its historic 13th-century castle for his European headquarters
A town in Poland has extended an invitation to Elon Musk to purchase its historic 13th-century castle
to transform it into his European headquarters.
shared that he recently reached out via Musk’s social media platform
and sent formal letters to Musk’s companies
urging him to consider acquiring the property
The price of the castle has not yet been disclosed
and Musk has yet to respond to the proposal.
Bujak explained that he had seen reports suggesting Musk was on the lookout for a large property
to establish a base of operations in Europe
has a rich historical heritage dating back to the Middle Ages
It served as the capital of Poland briefly in the 17th century and has hosted famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven
The surrounding area is renowned for its long-standing tradition of winemaking
Situated within convenient reach of major European capitals—Berlin
and Warsaw—the town offers excellent connectivity
there is space available for a helicopter landing pad
While the castle requires significant restoration and investment from a private party
it provides ample space suitable for both residential and commercial purposes.
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