Text: Paweł Kobylański

The wind of history which after 1945 swept through the Lower Silesia, left behind the ruins of innumerable objects that simply did not fit into the political system of the “people’s republic”. Most will never be reconstructed. Some were saved, restored and brought to glamour. However, there are such that are still counting on the better tomorrow to come.

“THE INVISIBLE LOWER SILESIA, PALACES THAT DO NOT SEE ” by Hannibal Smoke, a recently published album by the “e-bookowo” publishing house, reveals to the unaware paralyzing scale of the devastation of architectural objects that took place after the war in the territories granted to Poland as a result of the Yalta Conference Agreement. But the fate of the post-Cistercian Abbey in Lubiąż remains the largest cultural scandal on the international scale. Lubiąż, located about fifty kilometres from Wroclaw developed in the shadow of the largest monastery complex in Poland, considered one of the most magnificent monastic complexes in Europe. It’s enough to remind that it is two and a half times bigger than the Wawel Royal Castle in Cracow. Size-wise it can easily compete with San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the largest European palace and monastery complex located northwest of Madrid. However, contemplating the fate of Lubiąż, it is difficult to avoid the impression that some ancient curse which haunts it over the centuries.

Golden Age
The history of the place dates to the mid-12th century, when the Benedictines founded their monastery on a hill in the Odra bend. They did not stay there long, because only a dozen years later, in 1163, the Cistercians from Thuringia came to Lubiąż, brought by the Piast prince, Boleslaw the Tall. In addition to the spiritual ministry, the Cistercian Order took good care of more mundane matters, running a large-scale business in the monastery. This was favoured by numerous assignments, enabling the territorial expansion of the abbey, whose assets and influence in the peak period of prosperity extended from Great Poland to the borders Cracow. The development of the abbey was restrained only by the Hussite wars in the years 1428 – 1432 and the Thirty Years War in 1618 – 1648. After its end the “golden age” began, over a century of economic and cultural growth and spectacular buildings expansion. At the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries the Gothic church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary received a magnificent Baroque decoration and furnishings. Old buildings were expanded, and new ones were built: The Abbot’s Palace, Monastery, Brewery-Bakery, Hospital and many other utility buildings. By the same token, high walls were raised hence the Monastery Complex gained a defensive character. Most of the architectural objects that were created then exist and enchant to date. The centre of the Monastery foundation is marked by the axis of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a monumental Gothic temple with two high towers that are overlooking the Abbey and the whole surroundings. The southern part of the Complex forms a quadrangular building of the Monastery built around a rectangular courtyard, touching the side wall of the church, whilst the northern part is formed by the “L” shaped Abbot’s Palace. The facade of the church connects the Monastery with the Palace. The entire front richly decorated baroque facade is altogether almost a quarter of a kilometer long! The interiors of the buildings created in the “golden age” were filled with decorations made by the leading artists of the Central European Baroque: Philip Christian Bentum, Karl Dankwart, Joseph Frantz Mangoldt, Ignaz Albert Provisore, Felix Anton Scheffler, Matthias Steinl and Michael Willmann. To this day, only some of the most significant and representative interiors of the Palace and Monastery have been preserved. The largest and most impressive is the Prince’s Hall located in the north wing of the Abbot’s Palace/ It is considered by many to be the most beautiful baroque interior in Silesia at large! Its dazzling décor arose in 1734-1738 and is the result of the work and talent of outstanding Silesian artists: painter Philip Christian Bentum, sculptor Joseph Frantz Mangoldt and stonemason Ignaz Albert Provisore. The ceiling of the Prince’s Hall is decorated with the largest painting in Europe, 24×14 meters made in oil on canvas. It glorifies the Catholic faith and the Piast and the Habsburg dynasties. Its author, Christian Bentum, also painted wall pictures depicting the life story of Empress Elisabeth Krystyna, wife of Emperor Charles VI. The proper context for painting works is impressive figurative sculptures by Joseph Frantz Mangoldt and stucco walls. One could, of course, describe them further, but it is best to go to Lubiąż and see it with your own eyes, or even better to listen to a concert of baroque music there. Soft ceiling and stucco decorations contribute to the unique acoustics of the Prince’s Hall. It is hard to believe that such a world-class Baroque masterpiece may be the proverbial “unwanted child”, but we will return to that in a moment.

The carnival was over by the passage of Silesia under Prussian reign as a result of the Silesian Wars in the second half of the 18th century. It is worth noting here that the entire design concept of the Prince’s Hall was an allegorical but definite ideological manifesto of Constantine Bayer, the abbot of that time, his silent protest the progressing Prussian invasion of Silesia and the associated domination of the Evangelical faith. For his dispute of the new power and religion, the abbot paid a high price. He was expelled from the office by the royal edict and had to seek shelter in exile. Eventually, after the lost Napoleonic wars, forcing the Prussian king to pay high dues to the French, in 1810 a cassation of monastic properties occurred on the entire territory of the Kingdom of Prussia, including the area of Silesia at the time. The Cistercian Abbey in Lubiąż, after 650 years of existence, went down in history. Movable and immovable monastic property was parcelled out. In 1823, the authorities in Berlin donated the former Monastery to a psychiatric health institution. During World War II, a branch Telefunken plant was located here, closely related to the Nazi armaments industry. The factory housed a forced labour camp in which Luxembourg interned citizens were employed. Until today, Lubiąż remains the place of the greatest martyrdom of Luxembourgers in history. Research works were carried out on ground and airborne radar systems for the Luftwaffe, Kriegsmarine and anti-aircraft defence forces. By the way, in the Lubiąż laboratories, a crucial invention was made, which after the war fundamentally changed the face of the world – the transistor.

The worst damage and destruction of the former Monastery, however, took place in 1945-1947, under the rule of the Red Army. In May 1945, a relocation camp was organized in the Lubiąż Abbey for Soviet prisoners of war and forced laborers returning from the Reich who were considered “infected with the Western bug”. When searching for hidden treasures, Soviet soldiers plundered the church. The artefacts deposited in the crypt under his floor were destroyed or looted. The corpses of about two hundred buried in the crypt of monks and donors of the Monastery were desecrated. None of the twenty-five altars survived. The vessels and liturgical books were crushed and desecrated. The remaining wooden elements of the altars, stalls and confessionals were almost entirely burned for heating. It must be admitted with shame that the devastation process also continued after the acquisition of the object by the Polish authorities. From 1951, some of the buildings of the Monastery complex were used as a books’ storehouse. In 1956, parts of the buildings were demolished, and the material was used for the reconstruction of Warsaw. In 1967, the Abbot’s Palace was taken over by the National Museum in Wrocław for storage needs. The remaining parts of the unused facility, deprived of the host’s practice, were regularly robbed and systematically fell into disrepair. In the seventies, the Conservation of Monuments Workshops in Wrocław carried out some undefined construction works, almost bringing the building to a total ruin. For the authorities of the time, the Palace in Lubiąż was only a source of headaches, which situation, in a way, remain the same today. After the political breakthrough of 1989, a handful of enthusiasts established the Lubiąż Foundation, which, as the statutory objective set revitalization of the historic Cistercian Complex. This seemed obvious, but despite the substantial support from the Polish-German Foundation for Reconciliation and several other donors, there was a constant shortage of resources and lack of a coherent vision regarding the ultimate function of the facility. Nevertheless, the necessary renovation works had been started, beginning with prevention of the imminent construction disaster. The largest ceramic roof in Poland was repaired and tedious conservation works started. Thanks to this, the Prince’s Hall and the Refectory of the Abbots in the Palace were saved and made available to the public, as well as the Summer Refectory and the Library in the Monastery part. In addition, the Chapel of the Princes was restored in the church and elevation works began. In fact, all that is still just a drop in the ocean of needs.

Over the past thirty years several celebrities, from the world of politics, culture and show-business have visited Lubiąż. Many words were spoken, and a sea of ink was poured out, awakening hopes, but all previous attempts to find a serious investor or even a permanent sponsor, all failed. The last of them, the KGHM, after changing the ruling option, withdrew from the already signed cooperation agreement. Just as if that authentic jewel of Baroque architecture and art was really burdened with some curse. Certain explorers of Lower Silesian peculiarities maintain that many gloomy secrets still hide in the walls of the former Abbey. The Lubiąż Foundation still exists, but after the premature and unexpected death of the previous CEO , it was decided to hand over the facility to the State Treasury. The authorities of the Lower Silesian Voivodship signed a letter of intent in 2018, but they are not eager to take responsibility for this most underrated Polish Heritage Monument which contrary to popular beliefs is deeply rooted in our national history. If only were appropriately treated, the post-Cistercian Complex of Lubiąż could shine like a real diamond on the firmament of not only Lower Silesia, but the entire country and even Central Europe. It could easily become the “Polish Davos”, a meeting place at the highest levels and a source of national pride. The scale of necessary investments is significant but predictable. When should we deal with this, if not now, when the favourable economic climate of recent years has familiarised us with budget amounts of many digits? Compared to them, Lubiąż revitalization is really a (relatively) small expense…

PS.
The authentic episode of the transistor’s invention was used in a sensational novel published 2018. (The edge of the abyss, Paul K. Martin, Publisher: Poligraf, ISB N978-83-7856-819-3)

Paweł Kobylański, born in 1958, architect working in Poland and abroad. Former board member of the Council of Architects of Europe, currently the Vice President of SARP for foreign affairs and participant of the Council of the Lubiąż Foundation. Author of a number of publications on architecture and the profession of architect.