monuments

Chojnik Castle

The Chojnik mountain overlooking Sobieszów is by nature an excellent site for a defensive structure. Consequently, many historical sources mention the settlement of the Bobrzanie tribe on the peak and a hunting manor house erected by Prince Bolesław the Horned. The erection of the stone castle is dated at 1355 when the reigning Prince of Świdnica and Jawor, Bolko III, strengthened his lands with numerous strongholds. The stone castle consisted of a tower, residential building and

a small courtyard. Following the death of the prince, his widow, princess Agnieszka, gave the castle to knight Gotsche Schoff, the progenitor of the Schaffgotsch family (who ruled the castle with small breaks until 1945). The new owner added a chapel to the castle. During the Hussite Wars in the 15th century the castle effectively fended off the attacks of the Hussites, but it also was ill-famed due to the activities of its owners who used to pillage the locals and tradesmen passing through the nearby trade route.

The castle was expanded a few more times in the 15th, 16th and 17th century. It became an extensive castle with a lower past containing utility rooms (a kitchen, servants’ room, cellar) and carved cistern in which water deposits for the inhabitants were stored. The castle was also adapted to the developing military techniques.

The stronghold that remained unconquered by humans finally succumbed to the forces of nature on 31 August 1675, it burned down due to a lighting strike. The owners never decided to rebuild it and gradually the castle transformed into a picturesque ruin whose charm gradually started to attract tourists. In 1822 a hostel was created in the bastel house of the lower castle.

 

 

The most prominent guest of this hostel was Karol Wojtyła (who went on to become Pope John Paul II), who at the beginning of September 1956 with a group of students biked through the JeleniaGóraValley. To commemorate his stay in 2007 the Papal Trail was outlined and ceremoniously opened and an occasional plaque was set in the so-called „pallatium” of the upper castle. 

Visitors are welcomed with the remains of buildings from the particular stages of the expansion, enter the tower to admire the beautiful panorama of the surrounding areas and hear the legend of the beautiful, but cruel queen Kunigunde.

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Gerhart Hauptmann’s house

 
 
 
Municipal Museum House of Gerhart Hauptmann in Jagniątków
A German writer, Noble-prize winner Gerhart Hauptmann was born in Szczawno-Zdrój but enchanted by the undeniable charm of Jagniątków decided to build his house there. The villa, which the artist called “Meadow Stone” (“Wiesenstein”) was built in 1901 according to the design of a Berlin Architect, Hans Griesebach. The Art Noveau shape of the building with two towers is an excellent match for the mountainous landscape, and the nearby park boosted the owner’s creative prolificacy.
The interior of the spacious house contains a work room, library, archive and numerous collections of ancient and modern works of art and personal memorabilia. In 1922, on Hauptmann’s 60th birthday, the villa’s hall welcomed the addition of a painting by Johannes Maximilian Avenarius, who presented his vision of paradise on the walls and ceiling. The work, which is full of symbolism, manages to astonish visitors to date. Following Gerhart Hauptmannn’s death in 1946, his wife left the house taking most of the valuable fittings with her. 
In 2001 a museum collecting memorabilia from the writer’s life and conducting broad educational activities was opened in the „Meadow Stone”. It is the venue of concerts, literary evenings, temporary exhibitions and other cultural events addressed to adults and younger visitors. After watching the museum exhibition we may enjoy the atmosphere of the villa while drinking a cup of coffee in the coffee house located in the ground floor of the building.
 

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St. Martin’s church

 

The church dates from around 1305, although the first mention of it is from the year 1380. It had then other dedication - St. Barbara. In 1520 it was taken over by the Protestants, who rebuild it in the spirit of the Renaissance. In 1654, the church comes back into the hands of Catholics who give it a new dedication - St. Martin. In the years 1778-1782 the Cistercians rebuild the church in the Baroque style, by equipping it according to the contemporary era. Implementation of the altar was commissioned to Augustine Wagner from Jelenia Gora, and the paintings to it were created in Wroclaw by painter named Kynast. At this time, arises also a wooden baptismal font and pulpit. Classicistic organ prospect and pipe organs originate in 1873 . From 1887 to 1888 the painter Hieronymus Richter repainted altarpieces. Stained glass windows were made in 1921. The church was built on a rectangular plan of ashlars stone. The nave has dimensions of 21 to 15 meters adjoining the east chancel and sacristy of 13 to 15 m. The whole were covered with a gable roof covered with tiles. Before entering the church, the statues of St. St. Florian and Leonard of 1803 are standing on pedestals . Probably from the late sixteenth century originates the freestanding bell tower. however it was thoroughly rebuilt in the years 1647-1653. The bell hanging there was made from an old cannon from the castle Chojnik. cemetery located around the church , was liquidated In the years 1974-1975, leaving behind a few epitaphs in the wall of the temple.
 

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Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

 

The church was built in 1745 by protestants, with the permission the King of Prussia. Local champion Jerzy Porrmann, supervised the construction of walls. Roof and tower are work of carpenter from Zachełmie Gottfried Matern. In 1750 interior of the temple was built-up with wooden galleries and in 1796 sacristy was added. Only in 1807 a  clock has been added on a signature on a roof of the church.
From the time it was created in mid-18th century until 1946 the church served evangelicals and to date managed to retain some features characteristic of Protestant buildings. Currently it is being used by the Roman-Catholic parish in Sobieszów. The simple interior of the church is adorned with a rich altar and pulpit, its peculiar charm is conveyed by illusionistic paintings covering the vault. The entirety is complemented by a very valuable organ.
 

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Norwegian pavilion

 

Until mid-19th century Cieplice had a prosperous paper machine factory founded and operated by the Füllner family. At the beginning of the 20th century its owner, Eugen Füllner, made several investments towards the spa. One investment was creating a picturesque park, called the Norwegian Park. 
It owes its name to a wooden building erected in 1909, whose finishing resembles Viking boats. Eugen Füllner travelled to Norway and inspired by the local folk architecture decided to build a dragon-style pavilion in Cieplice which is now called the Norwegian Pavilion. This Pavilion was inspired by the “Frognerseteren”  restaurant near Oslo. Until the 1950s the pavilion housed a restaurant.
The Norwegian Park occupies some 17ha with several dozen types of trees and bushes. Nearby of the Norwegian Park is a pond. In the past tourists could swim over the pond in a kayak or water bicycle. Today it is inhabited by waterfowl. If we walk along the park avenues we should cross the bridge over the Wrzosówka river to see a stone obelisk commemorating the encounter of two Polish poets, Wincenty Pol and Kornel Ujejski with a Czech naturalist, Jan Evangelist Purkyně. We may conclude our walk on the anti-flood dam that provides a beautiful overview of the Karknosze mountains.
Our tour of Cieplice ends in the Norwegian Park. To reach the next point of the Main City Centre Route we have to drive to Sobieszów and take the tourist trails to arrive at the picturesque ruins of the Chojnik Castle.
 

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St. John the Baptist’s church

 

It was erected in 1714-1717 according to the design of Kasper Jentsch from Jelenia Góra. It is constructed on a polygonal plan without a separate chancel. 
The entry to the church is adorned with a portal crowned with an impressive cartouche. Both sides of the single-nave interior accommodate a row of chapels and, above them, matronea. Its most awe-inspiring feature is the sculpted interior. The main element of the fittings is the main altar (the work of a sculptor from Jelenia Góra, Heinrich Wagner) with the painting of a renowned Silesian painter, Michał Willmann. Another noteworthy element is the pulpit ornamented with low reliefs presenting scenes from the life of the patron of the church. The crypt under the church is a place eternal rest of the members of the Schaffgotsch family who lived in Cieplice. 
The courtyard of the church (former graveyard) houses the column of the Holy Trinity and a statute of Saint Florian, on the surrounding wall there are 16th and 17th century tombstones and funerary stones of the members of the Schaffgotschs family ruling Radomierz (moved from the local church). The courtyard is closed by a four-sided church bell tower erected at the beginning of the 18th century. 
Near the church there is a publicly available spring topped with a sculpture. The nearby information boards provide details about the chemical composition and application of the Cieplice springs.  Coming back towards the Schaffgotsch Palace we pass the „Marysieńka” Spring Sanatorium. The wall of the building hosts a board commemorating the creation of the first mountain guide in Polish, „Warmbrunn and its surroundings...”. It was written by Rozalia Saulson who resided in Cieplice in 1849. Further on our trip from the Piastowski square we should head out for a longer walk to the Zdrojowy Park. 

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Long house

 

The monastery building was built in 1671 - 1684 and is a modest, two-storey building with a cloister. Currently it is occupied by a congregation of Piarists, who currently host Saint John the Baptist’s Church.
The so-called Long House erected by the Cistercians in 1689-93 based on an older 16th century building is much more impressive. It was built in the early Baroque style and to date managed to retain characteristic features in its front elevation. Created for the health resort patients, it was the first spa house in Cieplice. Following the dissolution of the order in 1810 it was bought by the Schaffgotsches, who placed their book collection and rich collections of natural exhibits, minerals, militaria, works of art and family heirlooms in it. After World War II the building was taken over by the Cieplice Health Resort and adapted to house offices and a clinic. 
Within the monastery buildings lies the ‘Marysieńka’ pavilion, built in 1710 and reconstructed 100 years later and topped with a dome. Opposite of the Long House, by the bridge over the Kamienna river, is the 18th century statue of Saint John of Nepomuk founded by Count Schaffgotsch. 

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Galery and Spa Theatre

 
 
 
Before the theatre had even been erected Cieplice were the venue for numerous plays, however, this form of entertainment began to flourish with the construction of the theatre building designed by Alberta Tolberga. 
Though small in size, the theatre operated on a grand scale. The stage saw not only the performances of professional actors but also talented patients and members of the Schaffgotsch family.
Later on, for the convenience of guests, it was merged with the nearby “Gallery”. The style of the “Gallery”, built in 1800, was inspired by ancient villas. It housed a concert hall, a reading room, social games room, cigar smoking room and a restaurant. 
Today the 19th century theatre building houses the Spa-Resort Animation Theatre which aside from its primary activity also organizes the cultural life of Cieplice.
If we go further along the park avenue, pass the Theatre and the Gallery leaving the Zdojowy Park, we will arrive at Cervi Street. To reach the next item on our itinerary we should turn right, cross the bridge on the Wrzosówka river and turn right before the emerging pond into the alley park. This is where we will start our tour of the Norwegian Park.
 

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