The center of the Środa region

The Regional Museum in Środa Śląska is housed in the Gothic town hall. The restored building occupies the central part of the market square. It is surrounded on the east and west by the market square buildings, which date back to the Middle Ages. Together with the town hall, they form an inner courtyard with a unique atmosphere, making this place one of the most beautiful corners of Środa.

The museum’s most valuable artifact is undoubtedly the “Środa Treasure.” The former councilors’ hall houses the “Średa Guild Insignia” exhibition, dedicated to the rich history of Średa guilds. The museum displays guild seals, wolkoms, canisters, mugs, plaques, and coffin shields. It’s worth noting that these artifacts are the only surviving exhibits from the former German Heimatmuseum on display in today’s Średa museum.

The cross-ribbed vaulting of the councilors’ hall is decorated with sixteenth- and seventeenth-century polychrome with floral motifs. A Silesian eagle, depicted in one keystone, and a Czech lion in the other, document Środa’s political affiliation in the 14th century. A model illustrating the town’s former appearance, including buildings that no longer exist, such as the castellan castle, is a constant attraction for visitors. From the councilors’ hall, which also served as the municipal court’s meeting chamber, we can proceed to the prison tower adjacent to it on the west. Two original Gothic prison cells have been preserved. The prisoner engravings, among which the date “1413,” date the oldest of them to at least the 15th century, are also noteworthy. The cell door from 1628, made by the carpenter Melcher Kravse, who left his name and guild mark on it, is also striking in its simplicity.

On the second floor, in two small rooms, the exhibition “Workshop: Old Woodworking Tools” is presented. Reconstructed craft workshops showcase tools used by coopers, wheelwrights, cartwrights, and carpenters, primarily from the second half of the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.

The temporary exhibition halls, part of the former town hall, host exhibitions organized in collaboration with museums across Poland. The facility also conducts museum classes related to archaeology, ethnography, history, and art history. Archaeological research conducted in the town and surrounding area, most often in connection with new construction projects, plays a significant role in the Regional Museum’s activities. It was during excavations that the priceless Środa Treasure was discovered.

The Regional Museum in Środa Śląska’s entire activity is focused on preserving and presenting the local past, as well as organizing cultural events such as concerts, fairs, and historical meetings. Regardless of the exhibitions, the museum building (medieval cloth hall, town hall, and prison tower) is a high-class historical monument and a tourist attraction.

Check out the official website of the Regional Museum in Środa Śląska

Środa Śląska

After viewing the exhibitions, we encourage you to explore the entire city, full of charming townhouses, small villas, green spaces, and interesting monuments with a long history. It’s worth seeing the entire town hall complex, which dates back to the Middle Ages, and the nearby Church of St. St. Andrew the Apostle (mentioned already at the beginning of the 13th century) with a Gothic bell tower, a post-Franciscan complex including the church of St. St. The Church of the Holy Cross and a former monastery building with a Baroque lavabo embedded in the wall, fragments of the defensive walls, and the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built in the early 13th century and funded by St. Jadwiga and Henry the Bearded. These are just some of the places you can see in Środa Śląska. Explore the city where Środa Law was established, the Środa Treasure was hidden, Napoleon Bonaparte and Frederick the Great resided, and where Władysław Spindleshanks most likely perished – a place truly rich in history.

Other attractions of the Środa County

The Środa region is full of interesting places worth visiting. You’ll find numerous palaces here, such as the water palace in Wojnowice, and churches with medieval origins, such as the early 13th-century Church of St. Ursula in Udanin. You can also see: the site of the famous Battle of Lutynia, a Renaissance pillory from the second half of the 16th century in Kostomłoty, Michael Willmann’s painting “The Martyrdom of St. Barbara” in the church in Świdnica Polska, a polychrome from around 1730 by Franz Heigl in the church in Lusina, penitential crosses – in places such as Rakoszyce, Cesarzowice, Chomiąża, Kostomłoty, Jarosław, Lutynia, and Środa Śląska itself – and numerous chapels, columns, and monuments (especially of St. John of Nepomuk).

Numerous cycling, walking, and even kayaking trails have been marked throughout Środa County. The Way of St. James, “Via Regia,” also runs through here in two variants. The region is rich in forests and green areas, the Oder River’s oxbow lake—a popular destination for walkers—and the “Zabór” nature reserve.

The Środa County hosts various events and activities, including the Środa Treasure Festival and the Wine Festival. Additionally, the local vineyards and orchards offer tourists not only local produce but also a place to rest, relax, and have fun with children.

Środa Śląska and its surroundings are therefore an interesting destination for both history buffs and those seeking a peaceful holiday surrounded by nature.

based on the text by Mr. Zbigniew Aleksy

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