he oldest mention of the village comes from a document by
Henrik the Bearded (d. 1238) issued in 1209 for Abbot Witosław, the superior of the monastery of the Virgin Mary in Wrocław. It names the oldest owner of the settlement known to us, comes Stephanus de Wirbna (Stefan the Old, d. 1241) and his cousins comes Johannes de Wirbno (Jan from Wierzbno, d. 1266) et frater eius Nicolaus (Mikołaj from Wierzbno, d. 1209). Presumably, the family seat was established in this place during the reign of
Bolesław the Tall (d. 1201) after the duke granted these lands to the noble elite of Silesia of that time, to which the Wierzbno family certainly belonged. However, the problem is the location of the first stronghold, because during archaeological works the remains of as many as three brick objects were discovered in the village, at least two of which were characterized by fortified features. Perhaps even these places functioned for some time simultaneously as a complex consisting of a church, a manor house and a fortified settlement built on a nearby hill called Skałka. In any case, some historians present a view that probably the watchtower on Skałka dating back to the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries is the oldest fortified building in Wierzbna.
VIEW OF THE PALACE FROM THE EAST, ON THE LEFT THERE IS A BAROQUE GATE LEADING TO THE MONASTERY
The Wierzbno family could have originated from the Lis family from Małopolska, whose representatives came into conflict with duke Casimir the Just, as a result of which they were forced to move permanently to Silesia, where they received significant land grants from Bolesław the Tall. The first member of the family mentioned in documents was Andrzej, castellan of Głogów, mentioned in 1202. His son Stefan the Old was killed in a memorable battle at Legnica in 1241, where grandson Andrzej, castellan of Niemcza and Bolesławice, also died. Andrzej's brother, Jan from Wierzbno, was initially to go to Paris to study, and then to carry out his priestly ministry. In the face of family tragedy as the head of the family, however, he had to give up his church career, thanks to which he was remembered as a close advior to Henry III the White and the father of the "most outstanding" representative of the family - Henry, who in the years 1302-19 served as the Wrocław bishop, as well as the founder of the inquisition tribunal chasing heresy and imposing death sentences by burning at stake.
Over the centuries the family has branched out and its members have acquired numerous estates in Silesia, Bohemia and Moravia, among others in 1505 they inherited the town of Bruntal, from which they took their surname. However, at the end of the 13th century the family line connected with Wierzbna lost its strong position at the ducal court, which was caused by the creation of a new Duchy of Świdnica and Jawor and the preferential attitude of Bolko I to the incoming Czech and German knights. Seeking to improve their material situation, almost all the male members of the family chose a priestly career, which naturally led to the termination of the family in the middle of the 14th century.
ABBOTS' PALACE IN WIERZBNA, SOUTHWESTERN VIEW
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he castle on Skałka probably existed until the beginning of the 14th century, when it was - perhaps as a result of some military actions - destroyed by fire and then demolished. The end of its functioning was connected with the extinction of the Wierzbno male family line. In consequence the owner of the village changed, and in 1366 it belonged to Konrad von Rohau. In a popular but not unanimous opinion, the representatives of this Silesian knightly family in the second half of the 14th century erected a residential tower, the relics of which can be found in the palace. The tower (called then gemawerte Hof) and all the local heritage, was sold in 1403 by Hans von Rohau to the Cistercian Abbey of Krzeszów. This way, the friars became the owners of a large part of the village, but not of the church and the lands belonging to it, because these were kept the Cistercians of Kamieniec Ząbkowicki. The two communities did not like each other, so there were conflicts, quarrels over borders, authorities and influences.
RUIN OF A MONASTERY BUILDING
CENTURIES AGO, THIS WAS THE PLACE WHERE MONASTIC LIFE FOCUSED
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uch a situation lasted until 1585, when the Cistercians from Kamieniec Ząbkowicki decided to get rid of the parish in Wierzbna and after seven years of negotiations sold it to the Cistercians from Krzeszów. Under the management of the latter, the institution was first transformed into a parish, and in 1680 converted into a convent. The growing importance of this location led to some investments: on the initiative of
Bernard Rosa (d. 1696) a magnificent monastery was built near the church, and next to it - using the walls of a medieval tower - in the 1680s a palace was erected to serve as a summer residence for the abbot himself. The work begun by Rosa Abbot
Innocenty Fritsch (d. 1734) continued. He extended the church but did not complete its modernisation due to more urgent expenses, which were the construction of
monumental Baroque foundation in Krzeszów.
A VIEW OF THE CISTERCIAN MONASTERY ON THE TITLE PAGE OF THE INVENTORY FROM 1785
THE PALACE IS IN THE CENTER, IN THE FOREGROUND
On 28 January 1807 a small battle took place near Wierzbna, which was part of
Napoleon Bonaparte's war against the 4th anti-French coalition. The French cavalrymen broke up an unit of Prussians, who protected a group of people sent from the Świdnica fortress to get wood. The fight ended with capturing 55 Prussian soldiers and their commander, Captain Balwin. A few days later, on 7 and 8 February, the conditions for the surrender of the Świdnica city were negotiated in Wierzbna palace. The French army entered there on 16 February, and the Emperor's brother, Prince
Hieronim Bonaparte, personally supervised the parade of the fortress garrison. The French were accommodated in Wierzbna until 1808.
THE PALACE ON A PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY
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n 1810, the secularization of orders in Prussia took place, which also included the Silesian Cistercians. Ruined by wars and having huge financial problems, the Prussian State took over the monastic property and started to sell it - thus the new owner of the palace became the Prussian Foreign Minister August Graf von der Goltz (d. 1832). Later, the representatives of the Malttzan family lived in Wierzbna, and the merchant Goldsmied, from whom the estate was purchased in 1859 by the court marshal, the illegitimate son of the Prussian king - Eduard von Waldenburg (d. 1882). In the 1890s, Alfred von Waldenburg (d. 1915) supplied the palace with running water and electricity as well as enriched it with details referring to neo-Gothic style.
MONASTERY BUILDINGS AROUND 1915 AND ALMOST A CENTURY LATER
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lthough the entire historical complex survived World War II without serious damage, the subsequent presence of Soviet soldiers and the 'care' of the kolkhoz established in the former manor farm left their mark on it, i.e. everything of any value was stolen, and the rest was devastated. Luckily, the palace was adapted for residential purposes, which somewhat slowed down the process of its degradation. In 2002 the ruined abbey was bought by the Chudów Castle Foundation. On the initiative of this organization, some urgent preventive works were carried out here.
MONASTERY RUINS, IN THE FOREGROUND WE CAN SEE THE REMAINS OF A BAROQUE FOUNTAIN
A LIST OF CISTERCIAN ABBOTS IN WIERZBNA
Bernard Rosa (1660-1696),
Dominik Geyer (1696-1726) Innocenty Fritsch (1726-1734),
Benedykt II Seidel (1734-1763)
Malachiasz Schönwiese (1763-1767),
Placyd Mundfering (1768-1787)
Piotr II Keylich (1787-1797),
Jan VII Langer (1797-1800) Idefons Reuschel (1800-1810, zm. 1823)
he first fortified settlement in Wierzbna was a borough on a hill called Skałka, whose construction dates back to the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. Presumably in the second half of the 13th century it was replaced by a brick tower-donjon, erected on a rectangular plan measuring 12x17 meters. The tower consisted of at least two storeys, with two chambers in the ground floor, and it was closed from the east by a 1.2 metre wide perimeter wall. The northern part of the hill was occupied by a small farmyard. In its area, relics of a small wooden building and a significant amount of ceramic and animal bones were found, suggesting that this object could have been used in the past as an auxiliary facility for the kitchen. In the final phase of the castle's operation, the tower and the wall surrounding the eastern courtyard were demolished, and replaced by new stone fortifications. The residential role was taken over by the half-timbered buildings, so at the end of its existence it was a towerless castle. This place was probably abandoned in the first half of the 14th century.
PLAN OF THE CASTLE ON SKAŁKA FROM THE TURN OF THE XIII AND XIV CENTURIES: 1. THE TOWER,
2. OLD FORTIFICATION WALL, 3. NEW FORTIFICATION WALL, 4. HALF-TIMBER BUILDINGS, 5. AN EARLIER UTILITY BUILDING
ORIGIN: A. M. ROSIEK 'SIEDZIBY RYCERSKIE W KSIĘSTWIE ŚWIDNICKO-JAWORSKIM DO KOŃCA XIV WIEKU'
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n the immediate vicinity of the palace the remains of a brick building from the 13th century were discovered. It perhaps served as the first residence of the lords of Wierzbno, although they may be relics of the medieval presbytery as well. In its place, a building was erected in the second half of the 14th century with a half-timber construction, equipped with two hypocaust heating devices. It was probably an unfortified seat of the von Rohau family and existed here until the beginning of the 15th century, when the village was taken over by the Cistercian Order. Under the rule of von Rohau, in the 14th century or only in the first half of the 15th century, a stone residential tower was built on a rectangular plan with dimensions of 15x12.7 meters, consisted of at least three storeys. This tower was at the end of the 17th century incorporated into the eastern wing of the new baroque palace.
PLAN OF THE OLDEST PART OF THE PALACE: 1. RESIDENTIAL TOWER FROM THE XIV/XV CENTURY, 2. RELICS OF THE BUILDING FROM THE XIII CENTURY, 3. REMNANTS OF A MOAT, 4. HYPOCAUSTUM FURNACES, 5. BUILDINGS FROM THE XVII CENTURY
ORIGIN: A. M. ROSIEK 'SIEDZIBY RYCERSKIE W KSIĘSTWIE ŚWIDNICKO-JAWORSKIM DO KOŃCA XIV WIEKU'
PLAN OF A MONASTERY COMPLEX IN WIERZBNA: 1. MEDIEVAL TOWER, 2. PALACE FROM THE 17TH CENTURY,
3. MONASTERY FROM THE 18TH CENTURY, 4. ROMANESQUE CHURCH FROM THE 13TH CENTURY,
5. BAROQUE CHURCH FROM THE 18TH CENTURY, 6. FARM BUILDINGS FORM THE 18TH CENTURY
At the foot of the monastery hill we can find mysterious stone penitential crosses. According to legend, they are a reminder of the murder committed by a young man who, after returning from a war expedition, found his beloved woman engaged with another man. When the day of the unfaithful girl's wedding came, he waited by the local road, where the wedding procession was to take place. As the procession passed by, the unhappy lover jumped out of the bush and killed one by one: the bride, her husband, witnesses and parents. A total of seven people.
Such a description of events is, of course, only a tragic legend. In fact, crosses were placed here in the 19th century, when someone picked them up from the surrounding fields. There are five crosses. Made of granite, they are from 95 to 170 centimetres high and in two cases have a sign with the image of a spear and grotto. Two additional crosses can be found at the church, where in the 20th century they were moved from Panków and Kolno to protect them from devastation.
he ruins of the monastery complex dominate the village and, despite the far-reaching degradation, are still impressive. In relatively best condition, there is a 17th century Baroque palace, in the eastern wing of which are hidden stone walls of medieval tower, preserved to a height of more than 9 meters. After the building was taken over by the Chudów Castle Foundation, it was secured against further degradation. The long monastery building near the palace is unfortunately a complete ruin. A remnant of those times is also
the water tower, called Paul Keller's Tower, built at the end of the 17th century to supply the property with water. Initially, it was about 50 meters high, which is about as high as the difference in altitude between the river and the monastery. The tower was crowned with a heated reservoir, from where water flowed through a wooden supply system to the Cistercian buildings. The entire manor and monastery complex is no longer a property of the foundation and is currently not accessible to visitors or the accessibility is limited.
RUINED INTERIORS OF THE MONASTERY
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he monastery is adjacent to the beautiful Romanesque parish church, whose uniqueness is emphasized by the fact that in the Middle Ages it was presumably the only two tower country church in the whole Silesia. Inside, attention is drawn to the 14th-century polychrome and 18th-century fresco vaults decoration, as well as the main altar with a painting by Michael Leopold Willman and Baroque furnishings mainly originating from the monastery in Krzeszów. The most amazing, however, is the layout of the temple with two naves set at right angles to each other. In the 18th century, the relatively small Romanesque part was apparently too small to accommodate believers, so a much larger Baroque north wing was added, which later took over the function of the main nave.
PARISH CHURCH IN WIERZBNA, BAROQUE NAVE ABOVE, ROMANESQUE PART BELOW
GETTING THERE
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he village of Wierzbna is located about 7 km north of Świdnica, by the road to Żarów. Going in the direction of Świdnica, the palace is visible on the right side, just behind the church. We can park a car at the gate. Address: Wierzbna, 7 Kościelna Street.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. A. Boguszewicz, Ł.Koniarek: Sprawozdanie z badań archeologicznych siedziby [...] w Wierzbnej w 1999r.
2. M. Chorowska: Rezydencje średniowieczne na Śląsku, OFPWW 2003
3. J. Lamparska: Niezwykłe miejsca wokół Wrocławia, część 3, Asia-Press 2006
4. M. Perzyński: Zamki, twierdze i pałace Dolnego Śląska i Opolszczyzny, WDW 2006
5. A. M. Rosiek: Siedziby rycerskie w księstwie świdnicko-jaworskim do końca XIV wieku, Kraków 2010
THE CAR CAN BE PARKED IN FRONT OF THE GATE
Castles nearby:
Bagieniec - the Renaissance castle from the 16th century, 3 km
Panków - the ruins of a noble castle 15th century, 3 km
Świdnica - relics of the ducal castle from the 13th century, 7 km
Krasków - the knight's castle from the 14th century, rebuilt into a palace, 8 km Piotrowice Świdnickie - the fortified mansion from the 16th century, 8 km Pastuchów - the residential tower from the 15th/16th century, 10 km
Domanice - the Renaissance castle from the 16th century, 12 km
Grodziszcze - relics of a castle from the 13th century, 14 km
The Wierzbno family could have originated from the Lis family from Małopolska, whose representatives came into conflict with duke Casimir the Just, as a result of which they were forced to move permanently to Silesia, where they received significant land grants from Bolesław the Tall. The first member of the family mentioned in documents was Andrzej, castellan of Głogów, mentioned in 1202. His son Stefan the Old was killed in a memorable battle at Legnica in 1241, where grandson Andrzej, castellan of Niemcza and Bolesławice, also died. Andrzej's brother, Jan from Wierzbno, was initially to go to Paris to study, and then to carry out his priestly ministry. In the face of family tragedy as the head of the family, however, he had to give up his church career, thanks to which he was remembered as a close advior to Henry III the White and the father of the "most outstanding" representative of the family - Henry, who in the years 1302-19 served as the Wrocław bishop, as well as the founder of the inquisition tribunal chasing heresy and imposing death sentences by burning at stake.
