WROCŁAW - In Your Pocket

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SILESIAN CHURCHES OF PEACE
Książ Castle
Książ Castle (Zamek
Książ) ul. Piastów
Śląskich 1, Wałbrzych,
tel. (+48) 74 664 38 34,
www.ksiaz.walbrzych.
pl. Legend has it that the
original castle at Książ was
built at the end of the 13th
century by Bolko I, Duke of Świdnica and Jawor, but it is
best known as the fiefdom of the Hochberg family, who
purchased it in 1508 and owned it until 1941.
The castle we see today took shape during the 16th
century, when the central tower, walls and ramparts were
added to the original building of the ducal seat, which was
itself greatly extended. Though the Thirty Years War saw
the castle suffer invasion and conquest (first by Saxons,
then Swedes), it survived intact under the masterful
stewardship of young Hans Heinrich Hochberg (the same
Hochberg who donated trees from the Książ forests to
build the Świdnica Peace Church) who at war’s end would
redefine the castle, making it more of a stately home than
a fortress: much of the defensive wall was taken down,
and landscaped gardens replaced ramparts.
The transformation from Gothic to Baroque was carried
out by Conrad Maximilian Hochberg during the early
part of the 18th century, when the Baroque east wing
(including the Maximilian Hall, the finest part of the
castle) was added, the Summer Pavilion erected, the
main tower remodelled and the gardens extended. The
Neoclassical western and northern wings were added
in the 1910s, much to the whims of Maria Teresa Olivia
Cornwalis-West, or Daisy, as she was known. An English
aristocrat (whose brother would later be stepfather
to Winston Churchill), Daisy married Hans Heinrich XV
Hochberg in 1891.
Debt was to be their - and the castle’s - undoing. Owing
a fortune in tax the German state seized much of the
Hochberg estate in 1937. The castle itself was taken in
1941, partly to pay taxes, partly as punishment for the
perceived treason of Hans Heinrich and Daisy’s eldest
children: one served in the British army, the other the
Polish. After the war the castle was neglected and lay
partly in ruin for many years until a limited renovation in
1956; full rebuilding work did not commence until 1972.
The latest period of restoration was completed only in
2005. Much of the castle is open to visitors, including
the Maximilian Hall, the Games Salon and the exquisite
China Salon, with its delightful murals. [The main tower,
with its amazing views of the grounds and gardens, is
only open to those who sign on for a guided tour.] Best of
all, however, is simply exploring the multi-level gardens
and terraces, amongst the finest in Poland. If time allows,
you should also visit the stables of the castle’s famed
stud, which puts on dressage shows and rents horses
for riding, as well as offering riding lessons. The castle
is 70km from Wrocław, just past Świdnica. You need to
take a local train from Świdnica to Wałbrzych, and bus
No. 8 (towards Książ) from there. The bus stops at the
castle gates in the morning and evenings, and about 250
metres away during the day. Q Open 10:00 - 17:00. From
October open 10:00 - 17:00, Sat, Sun 10:00 - 18:00.
Closed Mon. Last entrance 1 hour before closing. Admission
to castle, terraces and stables 23/16zł; castle
and terraces only 18/13zł; terraces only 10/7zł. Guided
tours 30/25zł per person (with an opportunity to visit
the Tower for an extra 10/7zł).
Wrocław lost half of its population. So great was the human
cost that population growth in the region was stunted for
two centuries afterwards: it only really began to recover in
the latter part of the 19th century.
Though the Hapsburgs allowed Wrocław to retain its religious
privileges and to remain a protestant town, throughout the
rest of Silesia they quickly began to evict protestant priests,
confiscating their churches. However, Swedish diplomats had
inserted a clause into the Peace of Westphalia that granted
three Silesian towns - Świdnica, Jawor and Głogow - the right
to retain a protestant church, provided it was built beyond the
city’s walls, and that the Emperor personally grant permission.
Obtaining this permission took years, cost a fortune in tributes,
and required skilful diplomacy. Finally, in 1651, three plots - one
in each of the three cities - were designated as suitable for
the building of the churches, and Emperor Ferdinand III gave
his seal of approval for the construction of the first, at Głogow.
The first thing that strikes the visitor to either of the surviving
churches is that they do not look all that much like churches.
This - if you’ve been keeping up at the back of the class - was
very much the point. The rules for their construction - as written
into the Peace of Westphalia - were strict, and broken only
on pain of death. Not only did they have to be built beyond the
city walls, they had to be built of wood. They were not allowed
to have bell towers or spires and they were to be paid for by
the local communities themselves. (As the whole of Silesia
was still recovering from the ravages of the war, there was no
money for construction: it was eventually raised by appealing
to protestant communities all over Europe).
No restrictions, however, were placed on interior decoration
(this is often thought to have been an oversight), and
as a result the architect of the three churches, Albricht von
Sabisch (1610-88) - as any jaw-dropped visitor to Świdnica
or Jawor will testify - went seriously bananas. Both churches
were later fur ther embellished with towers and spires (by
which time Silesia was firmly part of the very protestant
Kingdom of Prussia), resulting in the extraordinary monuments
we view today.
The first Church of Peace to be built was that at Głogów,
105 kilometres northwest of Wrocław, where work got
under way in October 1651; the first service took place on
October 25th 1652. The church was not lucky: it fell down in
high winds in 1654, though was quickly rebuilt. It then burnt
down in 1758 (local legend states it was struck by lightning)
and was replaced by a brick church. A bomb destroyed that
during World War II, leaving just a shell which was pulled down
in the 1950s by Poland’s communist government. A sketch
of the church (the only one in existence) can be seen in the
similar-looking, though much smaller church in the village of
Pogorzeliska, 40 kilometres south.
Peace Church in Jawor, Adam Kumiszcza, pl.wikipedia.org
Wrocław In Your Pocket wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
Found some 160km northwest of
Wroclaw, the town of Żagań was the
site of one of the most celebrated
prison breakouts of all time.
Immortalised in the 1963 Hollywood
blockbuster The Great Escape, the
daring break from the Nazi prisonerof-war
camp Stalag Luft III has since
been ingrained into English and
Commonwealth culture. Opened in
1942 outside the German town of
Sagan (now Polish Żagań), the camp
was designed to hold thousands of
captured allied airmen, including the
moviegoods.com most persistent escapees inside
Copyright: MGM the Reich’s network of prisons.
Undeterred by tight security a hardcore band of 250 POWs, led
by Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, planned to tunnel out of the
complex before setting off independently for neutral territory.
Even though the chances of success were slim, Bushell hoped
that the very notion of 250 allied airmen loose inside the Third
Reich would be enough to create an internal security headache,
hence diverting important Nazi military resources.
Having assembled a team of forgers, craftsmen, tailors and
engineers, Bushell’s ‘escape committee’ spent months building
a trio of tunnels, all the time averting detection in what
was to become a game of cat and mouse with the camp
guards. Using improvised materials as diverse as tables,
water cans and spoons, the men created tunnels that were
a triumph of ingenuity. Prisoners moved underground on
trolleys, having entered through a concealed access point
in a shower drain. The tunnels were fitted with electric light,
ventilated by air pumps and shored up using approximately
4,000 bed boards stolen from around the camp.
Displaying a meticulous attention to detail, Bushell and his
cabal ensured escapees were provided with civilian clothes,
forged papers, currency and maps. Around 200 tonnes of
sand and earth were excavated, then carefully deposited in
the exercise yards by POWs with long bags hidden inside their
trouser legs, or inside the two other storage tunnels.
The tunnel was completed on March 24/25, 1944, but
unexpected air raids and tunnel cave-ins allowed only 76
men to make it through before camp guards uncovered the
escape. Those who did make it through set off on foot or by
rail, though poor directions and pitch darkness meant many
escapees hoping to catch trains couldn’t find the station until
daybreak - by which time the dye had been cast. In total only
two Norwegians and one Dutchman made it to safety.
On hearing of the escape a fuming Hitler initially ordered all
escapees to be shot upon recapture, as well as the camp’s
architect, security officer and the guards on duty at the
time. The Geneva Conventions prevented this original order
from being carried out, however 50 of the escapees were
executed, 17 were returned to Sagan, four were sent to
Sachenhausen and two were delivered to Colditz.
Hollywood’s Take
Film buffs should take into account that the screen version of
events took several artistic liberties - much to the irritation of
many survivors. The film is actually a highly fictionalized recounting
of the more famous of two escapes from the camp.
For those familiar with the film there wasn’t a motorbike chase
(actor Steve McQueen, a motorcycle fanatic and accomplished
rider requested it be added), nor were any Americans involved; all
U.S. prisoners had been moved to another camp several months
earlier. Inexplicably, the Bushell character was renamed Bartlett
in the film (he’s played by Richard Attenborough), a fact visitors
should keep in mind if you find yourself visiting the graves which
are in Poznań since “Bartlett” won’t be found.
wroclaw.inyourpocket.com
THE GREAT ESCAPE
What to See
Museum of the Prisoner of War Camps (Muzeum
Obozów Jenieckich) ul. Lotników Alianckich 6,
Żagań, tel. (+48) 68 478 49 94, www.muzeum.zagan.
pl. If you’re a fan of the movie “The Great Escape” or even
if you are just a fan of WWII flicks, Zagan will be a real treat.
The infamous Stalag Luft III which is situated out in the
woods on the outskirts of the town housed Allied prisoners
of war. The camp is only a few kilometres from the city
centre and manages to pay tribute both to the actual March
25th, 1944 escape, and to the movie, despite the fact that
their stories differ considerably. The Museum of the Prisoner
of War does a fine job recounting and recreating the
camp conditions and the escape (also paying tribute to the
film). We recommend that you first of all visit the museum
before exploring the surrounding area. You’ll find a number
of recreations meticulously constructed to reproduce the
camp in all its particulars. The watch-tower and barracks
replicas are a bit chilling as are the guard posts and signs
that read “Warning!! Upon entrance of this zone guard will
shoot”. The “Harry” Tunnel (the one used during the Great
Escape) has an impressive recreation in the front courtyard
completed by young engineering students sponsored by
the EU. The two prominent memorials in front will bring a
sober reminder of the true purpose and symbolism of the
camp. The first is a small memorial to the “Long March”
in which the surviving prisoners were brutally forced to
march through the snow west into Germany to evade the
Russian advance. The second is a huge and heart-breaking
sculpture of an emaciated starvation victim curled in the
foetal position having succumbed to the deprivations of
the camp’s environment. For those who haven’t seen the
film, all but three of the escapees were recaptured and
most were summarily executed. So, while it is an amazing
and inspiring film and place to visit, don’t expect a happy
Hollywood ending.
While you’re in the area, the town of Żagań itself has a few
sights of its own including the Augustine Monastery and
complex, the ancient city walls, the Town Hall and a slew of
old churches. Take a stroll before heading back to the train
station and lighten your mood with a little sight-seeing before
saying goodbye to living history. QOpen 10:00 - 16:00, Sat,
Sun 10:00 - 17:00. Closed Mon. Admission 5/3zł. Guided
tours 30zł per hour (regardless of number of people). Guided
tours in English should be booked in advance.
Getting There
To reach the camp by train you will need to make a change
en-route. A train departs Wrocław Główny train station
at 07:09 arriving in Zagan at 09:36, but you have to
manage a quick change in Legnica (26.50zł). From Żagań
train station take a local bus from the stop in front of the
station in the direction of Iłowa or Gozdnica and get off at
‘Modernbud’; this puts you 300 metres from the camp. Alternatively,
take a bus in the direction of Wesoła getting off
at ‘Staszica’ and you’re about the same distance. Tickets
cost 2zł. For later train departures to Zagan from Wrocław
Główny, the advantages of which are debateable, check
the English version of www.rozklad.pkp.pl.
To return to Wrocław on the same day there is a direct
train from Zagan at 15:46 (22zł), which arrives in Wrocław
at 18:20. Miss that and you’ll need to catch the 17:14,
which again changes in Legnica, arriving in Wrocław at
20:10 (22zł).
September - December 2012
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