Hi Everyone !
I’m
writing this post to tell you something more about the Castle and the Museum of the Silesian Piasts in Brzeg. I
have learned many times that such small cities, often poorly known or
unknown, are real gems when it comes to history, architecture or
interesting places. In
this small town there is an object that in 2013 in the National
Geographic plebiscite was considered as one of the 7 new wonders of
Poland!
The Silesian Piast Castle
is called
the "Silesian Wawel".
Who
are these ''Silesian Piasts''?
As
we remember, the Piast Dynasty is the first house that
once ruled Poland. There
was no democracy then, so one of the sons of the deceased ruler come
into power. Mieszko I, Bolesław Chrobry or Bolesław Krzywousty come
from the dynasty of the Piasts.
Bolesław Krzywousty,
who divided Poland into individual districts, so that each of his
sons would receive their principality. And so, Władysław II
Wygnaniec, who received Silesia from his father, initiated
the Piast dynasty of Silesia.
Now,
I would like to tell
you the history of the Castle. The
castle in Brzeg appears in the 13th century. In the Middle Ages, the
castle church named after St. Jadwiga Śląska was
added. Anyway, Saint. Jadwiga, although of German origin, belongs to
the Piasts of Silesia family. The mentioned church eventually became
the burial place of the Dukes of Brzeg-Legnica. The current form of
the castle was created in the 16th century, when the princes
Frederick II and his son Georg II rebuilt the castle in the
Renaissance style. At that time, an entrance gate was created.
It was created during the reconstruction of the castle in the sixteenth century. At the top there is the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Poland. This sign shows that although local Silesian princes did not formally belong to the Kingdom of Poland, they still felt strongly attached to it. This is also confirmed by the sculptures: in the next rows we have Polish rulers, and lower Silesian princes. We will find there the legendary Mieszko I, Bolesław Chrobry or Henry the Bearded.
In 1675, after the death of the last representative of the Piast dynasty, the castle passed into the possession of the Austrian state. During the bombing of the Brzeg by the Prussian army, the monument was significantly destroyed.
The
Prussians used it as warehouses. In the twentieth century warehouses
were finally closed down. At present, here is the Museum of Silesian
Piasts.
The legend of the Castle
By
the time the midnight hits the clock, the full moon appears in the
sky, then the quiet howling of the dog comes from the side of the
courtyard. In the glow of the fullness, on the wall you can see a
shadow moving quickly. In the castle's courtyard, the dog's spirit
takes place, which was the beloved favorite of Prince George II
Piast. Rumor
has it that this gentleman was a great lover of horses and dogs. He
had a dog he brought up from a puppy, and the dog accord attachment
to his lord. It was enough that the prince left, and the dog was sad,
did not want to eat, and lay motionless for hours. Once upon a time
Georg II went hunting and he did not come back for some time. The
dog suddenly heard the voice of the master returning from the hunt
and in joy, jumped through the balustrade into the courtyard and fell
so unhappily that it broke its bones and died. The prince lamented long and instructed to carve a statue of his pupil and set at the entrance to the bedroom where the dog liked to stay.
http://zamek.brzeg.pl/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/zamkek-brzeg-wspolczesnie-galeria-168.jpg
Museum
at the castle – sightseeing
The
museum presents a rich permanent exhibition including family trees,
documents and magazines from a few centuries ago, and above all a
large collection of sarcophagi from the Piasts of
Silesia.
On
each of the sarcophagi is a sculpture of a given person, and with
various interesting details, for example Henryk Pobożny has
a Mongolian warrior under his feet (a reference to the Battle
of Legnica).
In the further part of the museum you can see period costumes, antique furniture and court costumes from the 13th-17th century.
A
separate exhibition, on the first floor, is "Silesian Art
XV - XVIII Century". These are very old sculptures and paintings.
The
last and at the same time the latest exhibition is "The
Glow of the Oil Lamp". Of
course, it presents oil lamps as well as interiors from the 19th and
early 20th centuries.
What is more...
Opening hours:
from Tuesday to Sunday
10.00-17.00
from Tuesday to Sunday
10.00-17.00
(last entry is at 16.00).
Tickets:
10 zlotys - normal ticket
6 zlotys – concessionary ticket
(Children under 7 years are entitled to free admission.)
(Children under 7 years are entitled to free admission.)
"MUSEUM
FOR ONE ZLOTY" PROGRAM has introduced an admission ticket for
PLN 1 for children and young people under 26. The purchase of a
ticket is possible upon presentation of a school or student ID card.
You can also take part in educational activities if you like know something more about the history of the city, the Piast history of Silesia. The fees
for the lesson is PLN 2.
I hope you enjoy it !
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