Until the beginning of the 1950s the designation “Księżno” also appeared; this name later changed to today’s “Książ”..

This year marked the beginning of the von Hochberg family’s rule over Książ, which lasted until 1938, thus over 400 years. The Książ dynastic line began with the knight Konrad von Hoberg (until 1714, the name was spelled without the letters “ch”), also known as Kunz von Hoberg, who took over the entire property for an unknown sum in gold. The purchased estate included the strongly fortified Fürstenstein chateau; the Hornsberg and Freudenburg manor stables, destroyed during the Hussite wars; a part of the territory of Gottesberg (today the nearby town of Boguszów) and a series of villages, the oldest of which was probably Salzbrunn (today’s Szczawno-Zdrój, adjacent to Wałbrzych). The nobles’ income came largely from taxes paid in cash and in kind by the town (and especially by the peasantry). Konrad von Hoberg was very pious, as is best demonstrated by his generous donations to the monasteries in nearby Liebenthal (Lubomierz) and Striegau (Strzegom), and his two-year pilgrimage to Palestine, beginning in 1504. When he took possession of Fürstenstein, Konrad (Kunz) von Hoberg was almost 60, a venerable age for these times.

After Konrad passed away in Fürstenstein Castle on June 30, 1520, his estate was jointly managed by his three sons, Georg, Christoph and Hans. Konrad had had, notably, as many as 11 children by his first wife. After some time, the estate was settled: Hans von Hoberg inherited Fürstenstein along with the properties of Freiburg (the neighbouring town of Świebodzice), Friedland and Hornsberg, while Georg took control of Rohnstock (Roztoka), and Christoph the possessions of Liebhau, Arnsdorf (Miłków), Olse, Halbendorf and Rauder, lying near Fürstenstein.

Konrad II von Hoberg was the castle’s owner until 1565. This young knight first involved himself in the development of the mining activity that his father had begun. In 1550, as a result of this work, he brought new order to the local mining industry. In doing so, he was mindful of the needs of the workers, as well as those of lower status. His fatherly concern was reflected in the growth in population in the Waldenburg region’s nearly-deserted villages, such as Donnerau and Raspenau. It is owing to him that the area began to teem with new life. New settlers came to places which people had left following the Hussite wars and the conflicts between kings Władysław and Matthias; Steinau (Nowy Kamień), Steingrund (today Kamieńsk, a district of Jedlina Zdrój) and Bärengrund (Niedźwiedzica) came to life again.

Konrad II’s colonization efforts won the notice of the Emperor Ferdinand, who nominated him to the Imperial Council in 1560; two years later his accession to this prestigious rank was confirmed. He is credited with the addition of further possessions to the Fürstenstein estate. At that time there arose, among other villages, Fellhammer (Kużnice) and Lehmwasser (Glinica), both first mentioned in 1557; and Neu-Liebichau. On July 1, 1555, Konrad II reached a milestone in the strengthening of his title to Fürstenstein: on the strength of a royal act of that date, the castle’s relationship with the Crown was renewed. For a substantial amount in mortgage bonds, Konrad received the assurance that Fürstenstein would belong to him, or to his sons or to their heirs, as long as they lived. The king’s positive disposition was brought about by Konrad’s payment of 5,000 Rhenish guilders to the king’s account, as well as his assurance that the rights to the mines, as a Hoberg possession, would also be reserved for the crown. So as long as the royal stamp and letter were a guarantee, Fürstenstein appeared to be assured for Konrad and his male heirs.

Hans Heinrich II’s exceptional courage distinguished him during the Swedish wars. He also belonged to the movement known as Silesian mysticism, which in those times had numerous followers. His inclinations were expressed not only in particular writings that he published, but also in his establishment of associations with curious names and orientations. They may have also pursued political objectives. Notably, mysticism was based on the conviction that good prevails in the world, manifesting itself both as God and humanity.

The work began with the reconstruction of the distinctive entrance to the castle area: the twin-towered gate building, of which one of the towers was part of the previous fortifications. As a result of the first reconstruction, the castle gained the character of a palace. The east wing was added at this time, in which there was created a series of rooms, representative of the Baroque: the Portrait Salon (today, the Green Salon), the Red Salon (today, the White Salon), today’s Chinese Salon (which once served as a waiting room for the Hochbergs’ less important guests), the Games Room (previously a music room) the Baroque Salon (also called the Italian Salon), and above all the distinctive Maximilian Hall, known then as the Marble Hall. During the reconstruction, the area previously outside the castle grounds was developed, becoming the parade courtyard.

The reconstruction took place under Count Konrad Ernst Maximilian, who also enriched the castle library with costly collections. He further provided the basis of a large archive and established an art study in which there were collections devoted to science and nature, and instruments for physics and optics, all of huge historical value – a veritable Kunstkammer, or hall of curiosities. Inventories of the castle collections in December 1924 and June 1925 show the diversity of the collections that included the Hochbergs’ family keepsakes: portraits of family members, orders (such as the order of Hans Heinrich XI, the Prince of Pless, and among them the Order of the Hohenzollerns, the Order of the Black Eagle, the Great Cross of the Knights of St. John, the Star of the Red Cross), coin collections, containing among other specimens , five tynf silver coins of 1753 bearing Frederick the Great’s likeness, a Polish grosz coin from Breslau (Wrocław) from the year 1668, and two Polish silver coins from 1622 to 1623, during Zygmunt III’s reign, and practical items (a two-piece spittoon belonging to Napoleon II, a dish with streamers and a gold- and pearl-studded cup), weapons and parts of weapons: a sword in a leather scabbard in a gilded hilt, and found in the nearby Sowa Mountains, a cannonball and musical instruments, such as a bamboo flute and a five-part flute.

Konrad Ernst Maximilian von Hochberg was also a tireless researcher of his own family’s history. It is thanks to the material that he put together in the Breslau Royal Archives, that we now have so much information about the line. Further, he met with the best-known genealogists and administrative specialists of his time to determine even the smallest facts concerning his family. Count Konrad Ernst Maximilian commissioned the treatment of the entirety of the collected material to Johann Gottlieb Milch and then, following his death, to Johann Gottlieb Kloss. The results of the work were collected in a manuscript titled Fürstensteinische Denkwürdigkeit (Memoirs of Fürstenstein). On the basis of this work commissioned by the Count of Pless, the castle librarian Paul Kerber assembled the history of the family in two extensive volumes.

Until 1883, the pavilion fulfilled the role of a belvedere: a scenic lookout, as well as a place for entertainment and enjoying the natural surroundings. In the Mausoleum may be admired the frescoes of the well-known artist Feliks Scheffler, presenting Książ Castle from the four corners of the world.

A restaurant operated in the area of the Old Castle until the end of World War II; guests also had four rooms at their disposal, and within the structure the collection of the Hochberg Museum was displayed. To this day, those who view drawings of the former Old Książ find this arrangement remarkable. It comes as no surprise that many people visited the castle, among others Karl May (the author of Winnetou and numerous other works).

During the tournament, representatives of Silesia’s leading families appeared in the knightly outfits of the fourteenth century. Each nobleman appeared with his squire and horse, and Queen Luise decorated the victors with medals on blue sash.

Because of the trust that others placed in him, he was chosen the first president of Prussia’s House of Lords. After Hans Heinrich X’s death in 1855, no less a figure than King Friedrich Wilhelm IV wrote, in consolation: “The Lord knows that I mourn him with all my heart: as my trusted friend, as the highest example of his station in life, and as a human being who, wherever he went, sowed love and in return reaped love, attention, respect and gratitude.” (Zivier, E.: Fürstenstein 1509- 1909, p. 24).

The title of Archduke was the highest princely title that one could receive, outside of the ruling family. It was not, unfortunately for this magnate, a hereditary title, and so granted only for his own life. On 20 December, 1905, the Emperor’s adjutant travelled by special train to Pless, bearing the document that granted the title. The good wishes of the Emperor himself were expressed in a telegram that arrived some hours later. A special reception took place in the evening in the palace in Pless, and the next day, the town’s residents expressed their joy in a festive march, marking the occasion of their prince receiving this title.

They cheered Hans Heinrich XI as a figure who was well ahead of his time. He brought about substantial development in industry in the region and for over half a century, with the tolerant and compassionate eyes that he inherited from his father, saw not only to the physical growth of the area, but also to the nurturing of its “inner value”. Above all, he brought about numerous changes and improvements; for example, the establishment of roads, parks and wooded areas made the family property, already well endowed by nature, all the more charming.

Hochberg’s benevolence supported social organizations, churches (and, what was truly unusual, regardless of the religious denomination) and schools. On July 1, 1982, at the initiative of Hans Heinrich XI, a cooking school was established, in the present-day Podgórza district of Wałbrzych, for the daughters of the region’s miners. By the end of 1900, 347 girls had attended the school, of whom 129 received their instruction free of charge. They learned not only cooking, but also home economics, subsequently being employed in the wealthy homes of the area. Evening classes were organized for young workers, who benefitted from 90-minute lessons, three times a week, in German, accounting, geography and history, as well as mining safety regulations. These classes were obligatory for young people under 16 years of age.

Hans Heinrich also provided for burials, for help for those who needed medical care, and for the widowed, disabled and elderly. Women who had just given birth would receive, for three weeks, nutritious soup, free of charge. Hans Heinrich’s work in this area became, later, the basis of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck’s social reforms. He financed the construction of blocks of flats for miners and the establishment of a pre-school and workers’ libraries. In 1891 the prince’s charity supported an inexpensive pre-school, where a child could stay for a day with two meals for only five German pfennigs (at the time, a pound of margarine cost 75 pfennigs, and eight medium-sized herring, 20 pfennigs).

Poor school-age children were supported through the Ida Foundation (the Count von Hochberg Foundation), which had existed since the middle of the 19th century, when Hans Heinrich X established it in honour of his first wife, Ida (de domo Stechow). At the end of the nineteenth century, the family members' charity amounted to 60,000 marks per year.

He contributed significantly to the construction of Wałbrzych’s Catholic Church of the Guardian Angels, built according to Alexis Lange’s design and consecrated by Cardinal Georg Kopp.

Hans Heinrich XI von Hochberg financed improvements to the sanitary conditions of Walbrzych’s residents. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Hans Heinrich XI allocated 300,000 German marks to partial reconstruction of the channelling of the local stream, the Pełcznica, and its tributary, the Szczawnik. (The whole cost would amount to 1,250,000 marks.)

During his rule, the library in Książ was expanded, becoming the second-largest private library in Silesia (second only to the Schaffgotsch Library in Cieplica). In 1897 the library was moved to a gate building, rebuilt and adapted to this purpose.

In the middle of the year 1900, Hans Heinrich XI organized, with all his workers, the giving of a silver watch to each person who had been in the prince’s service for 25 years. The watch was engraved with the dedication: “For 25 years of faithful service, the Prince of Pless.” The choice of award, however, was up to the worker; those who did not prefer to receive a watch could receive cash of the equivalent value. The award ceremony took place in the business office of the Prince of Pless in Wałbrzych, usually in January, during a meeting to celebrate the new year.

Hans Heinrich XI’s son was Hans Heinrich XV, who married the castle’s famous princess, Daisy. Although this British beauty’s marriage is considered to have been unhappy, she maintained a great friendship with her father-in-law whom she viewed, not without reason, as a wonderful person.

Hans Heinrich XI passed away on August 14, 1907, following a long illness, in Albrechtsberg Castle, one of the small castles along the Elbe River near Dresden. What he did and left behind were a most beautiful mark of his presence on earth.

A capacious crypt was dug on the rock where the mausoleum stands, and where burials took place. The first to be laid to rest in the Mausoleum was the unnamed daughter of the castle’s last owners, Princess Daisy and Hans Heinrich XV. Hans Heinrich XI Hochberg von Pless and his two wives, Maria von Kleist and Mathilde, and finally Książ’s last mistress, Daisy von Pless, also found here their place of rest. When the Red Army occupied the area in 1945, the Hochberg’s servants took Daisy, and the other members of her line, from the Mausoleum. It is not known where they were reburied.

Because of a legend that Princess Daisy was buried along with her pearl necklace, over six metres long, a number of treasure hunters have tried to locate the place where her body was laid.

It is likely that Konrad, the four-year old son of Hans Heinrich XV and his second wife, Clotilde, was also buried by the Mausoleum, in 1934, after dying of meningitis. Why was the young master not buried in the same crypt? It is believed that the reason was Clotilde’s status: she never had the title of Princess of Pless. Likewise, Konrad’s body was never found.

At present, there are four empty sarcophagi: three large stone coffins, connected to one another (in which there lay Hans Heinrich XI, and on either side his wives), and one tiny coffin, for Daisy’s baby daughter.

The wedding vows were witnessed by Edward, the Prince of Wales (and later the King of England) and his wife, Princess Alexandra; Queen Victoria herself conferred her personal blessings on the married couple.

After the wedding, which was the talk of all of Europe’s powerful nobility, the couple set off on a honeymoon which lasted not the usual one month, but seven. Not surprisingly, the first place they travelled to was romantic Paris. It was there where Hans Heinrich XV bought his bride the famous pearl necklace, which cost 3,500,000 German marks in gold. Next, they went to explore the extraordinary lands of North Africa. The newlyweds arrived in Książ Castle in July, 1892: the first time when the young Daisy saw Książ.

On October 15, 1902, we can read: „Hans [Hans Heinrich XV - ZK] is very anxious to have, some day, the Embassy in Vienna; they would all like it there: but Berlin I suppose think us to young to be given it now. Hans (…) said tonight: „the best way to get what we want is for me to make a rumpus in the House of Lords, or for you to make the Crown Prince fall in love with you; that will make them anxious to get us out of the country!” I do not see either of these schemes a success. The Crown Prince has a very careful and jealous mama; and Hans, I am afraid, could not make the requisite rumpus to save his life”. ( Daisy. Princess of Pless „Better left unsaid”, New York 1931, str. 62 – 63).

The diaries of this remarkable and defiant princess were published in the U.S. in 1931, under the title Better Left Unsaid; a Polish version, titled Lepiej przemilczeć, is available from the Książ Castle internet store..

The collection, numbering over 60 thousand volumes, remained in the gate building until the end of the Second World War. A part of the collection was destroyed or stolen after the war; some volumes may be found in various places in Poland, such as the National Ossoliński Institute (Ossolineum) in Wrocław and the National Library in Warsaw; one work may be found in the Museum in Wałbrzych. To this day, the fate of most of the Hochberg library collection remains unknown.

His upbringing was carefully planned by his father, whom he took after, in any case, more than did his two siblings. Hansel communicated in English with his mother, Princess Daisy; he spoke German and Polish with his father; and with his teacher, in German and French. A further part of his education involved preparing himself to take up the responsibilities of the head of the von Hochberg dynasty. At the age of 16, Hans Heinrcih XVII entered his father’s regiment as a volunteer; later, he was decorated with the Iron Cross First Class for his courage on the Eastern Front, in World War I. After the war ended he finished his university studies in Berlin and took over the management of his father’s properties in Upper Silesia. In 1924 he married Maria Katharine, Countess of Schönborn- Wiesentheid; the marriage was dissolved by mutual agreement after World War II.

In 1922, Hans Heinrich XVII took Polish citizenship. After World War II broke out, he volunteered in the Scots Guards but instead of being taken into the army, Hochberg was interned for three years. He was freed only after the intervention of his uncle, the Duke of Westminster, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. His internment was acknowledged to have been a mistake. After his release, Hans Heinrich XVII voluntarily put himself at the disposal of the British Army. During the bombing of London, the Prince of Pless lost his entire fortune. He later lived modestly as Mr. Henry Pless. In 1958 he married Mary Elisabeth Minchin, a union which ended formally in 1971.

He spent his childhood at Książ. Most like his mother of the three children, he was known to his friends and family as Lexel. He spent the First World War safely in Partenkirchen, but the figure of this handsome youth was to arouse numerous controversies. In the 1930s, his homosexuality was considered scandalous. His loving mother tried to support her son to the extent that conventional etiquette allowed her to.

The most sensational scandal, which shook Europe’s elite, was Lexel’s engagement to a Romanian beauty, Princess Ileana. Queen Marie of Romania was a close friend of Princess Daisy (both were English), which allowed for an arranged meeting of their children. The young Ileana fell in love at once with the tall, handsome, blond, blue-eyed Alexander, while he was taken by her charm. This led to a secret engagement. When the princess, under the influence of deep emotions, let out her secret at a gathering of Bucharest university students, the Romanian government was confronted by a fait accompli. This German-Romanian marriage was not viewed negatively in any case, as Lexel had a suitable title, while Ileana was far down in the line for the throne.

Obviously, a wedding could not take place until the future royal husband was vetted. The Romanian special services scrutinized the young aristocrat’s past, thereby encountering a series of scandals involving Lexel’s lovers. As homosexuality was forbidden in Germany at the time, Hochberg was put on trial even before his engagement to Ileana. After an appeal of his two-month prison sentence, the case was dismissed. However, the Romanian government and queen withdrew their support for the planned marriage.

Lexel himself claimed that it was the Berlin Press, as well as his enemies, who had spread these damaging rumours. He suspected even his older brother, Hans Heinrich XVII, of stirring up the scandal. The last goodbyes of the ill-starred couple, Ileana and Alexander, took place at the railway station in Bucharest, where the defiant aristocrat boarded the Orient Express, heading from Istanbul to Vienna.

Alexander left Poland in 1939, escaping to Great Britain, and served in the British Army. After World War II ended, he bought a piece of land in Majorca. He created a country estate which, with its house, terraces and gardens, became a miniature Książ. Lexel never married, while Ileana became an Orthodox nun after two unsuccessful marriages.

The figure of this ambitious aristocrat would prove difficult to judge. Almost certainly, Hans Heinrich XV had a serious complex, finding himself in the shadow of his remarkable father. Even the costly reconstruction of Książ Castle testified to this: he wanted it to be of a truly royal standard and rank. This led, however, along with the advent of World War I and the economic crisis of the 1920s, to the gradual bankruptcy of the Hochberg family.

His unhappy marriage to Princess Daisy also aroused considerable speculation. It is believed that when this union was dissolved, Hans Heinrich XV was guided by his needs rather than by the desires of his heart. Probably Hochberg’s numerous romantic affairs – although he lacked a passionate temperament, he was not unmoved by women’s charms - were covered up.

Certainly Hans Heinrich XV was a good father and, at the beginning of his first marriage, a solicitous partner. Notably, he gave the Princess a pearl necklace, and built a true winter garden, the Wałbrzych Palm House, for her.

There arose on the site, 1,900 square metres, a greenhouse, a garden maintained in the Japanese style, a rose garden, and a fruit and vegetable garden. Its centrepiece was a 15-metre building, whose interior was lined with volcanic tuff from Mt. Etna. Not much is said about this now, but before the main entrance to the building there was a small pond with a miniature Książ Catle on the dais. The vestibule itself was decorated with busts of Daisy, Hans Heinrich XV and his three sons.

As World War II approached, the palm house was taken over by the German state, and lost its connection to Kziąż Castle. The facilities were to be merged again only after 70 years.

The second great castle reconstruction, ending only in 1923. At this time there arose the castle’s two monumental, eclectic, neo-Renaissance wings: the west and the north. Part of the interior was enhanced by stylish fireplaces, which enchant visitors to this day. The castle tower also gained its present height (48 metres) and form, covered by a neo-Renaissance helmet. The largest castle room, the ballroom, was also created during this time. It was designed as an octagon, topped by a ceiling of larch wood. Unfortunately, a less elegant reconstruction also began with the arrival of the Nazis during World War II . Although the ballroom lost its unique form and vaulting, it continues to enchant tourists and those organizing events at the Conference Centre. zamku.

The costs incurred by the second reconstruction, the shadow of World War I and the economic crisis of the 1920s led to the Hochbergs’ financial ruin.

This was not because Daisy lacked maternal sensitivity; however, the war put the princess in a difficult situation. The outbreak of hostilities found her in England, where she had gone in 1914. The return home of someone so strongly associated with the Allies met with the objections of the German authorities, who went as far as to suspect her of spying. For this reason, Daisy chose to travel to Berlin, joining her husband, Hans Heinrich XV, as well as her eldest son, Hans Heinrich XVII. The subject of growing rumours and speculation, Daisy became involved in work for the Red Cross. In this way she hoped to distance herself from political ideology and to help those who were suffering most during the war.

The absence of the young Bolko Konrad’s mother during these years would prove, in later years, to have indeed affected him psychologically.

World War I left the princess alone. Książ’s defiant mistress had, on the one hand, British roots; on the other hand, her husband was from the German aristocracy. As a result, at a time when people suspected and accused one another, she was shunned by those on both sides. When she returned to her native land in 1919, not one of her English friends welcomed her; in the next year her mother, known as Patsy, died.

In 1920, Daisy returned to Książ. She received a grand welcome from her husband, which to her was his announcement that she had posed no threat to the Empire, rather than an expression of love. Six years of separation had made them strangers to each other. In this atmosphere of mutual bitterness and numerous recriminations, they decided to divorce.

The last master of Książ fell in love with this beauty at a ball in Vienna. She has been described as a solicitous partner, seeing to the needs of her 64-year-old husband, but she was also extravagant, and later proved to be... unfaithful.

It turned out that the passionate Spaniard and the Hochbergs’ youngest son were having an affair, which could not be hidden from aristocratic salons. The relationship may have produced two children. At first, Hans Heinrich XV endured the whole situation with an air of indifference; when it erupted into an open scandal in 1934, Hochberg decided to divorce Clotilde.

Hans Heinrich decided to deal with the Hochbergs’ family problems and ordered his frivolous son (involved in yet another affair at the time) to marry his ex-stepmother, on pain of disinheritance. The newlyweds, along with their children (whom Bolko recognized as his own) moved to the Pless family residence in Munich.

There, he fathered two more children:Hedwig, in October 1934 (known in the family asGiogia), and in 1936 the present holder of the title, the sixth Prince of PlessBolko Constantine von Pless.

In 1936, the Gestapo arrested Bolko, in circumstances that have remained secret, in a hotel in Gleiwitz (now Gliwice, near Katowice). Daisy, wanting to save her son at all costs, begged her former husband to intercede with the Polish ambassador in Berlin, Lipski. She drew on her own network of contacts; she was related, after all, to Winston Churchill himself. It is said that Daisy, who had been struggling for some time with financial difficulties, paid a substantial sum to the Gestapo. It is thus suspected that the loving mother sold her famous pearl necklace at that time.

In the spring of 1936, she managed to have Bolko brought to Pless. Sickly and exhausted – it is even suspected that he had been tortured – he hardly lived two months after his confinement ended. He died suddenly in unexplained circumstances on June 22, 1936.

The castle’s last master, Hans Heinrich XV, died on January 31, 1938. Because of the high costs of keeping Princess Daisy in Munich, he had brought her to the castle three years before his death. The remaining Hochbergs were scattered throughout the world: the oldest son, Hans Heinrich XVII, was interned in Britain, Alexander became a sharpshooter and translator in General Anders’ Polish army (he fought at Monte Cassino, among other places), and Bolko died following his arrest by the Gestapo.

This period set in train the slow confiscation of the Hochbergs’ wealth.

Daisy spent her last years in a wheelchair; the likely cause of her poor health was multiple sclerosis. Throughout this time Dolly, a loyal servant, was near her. The princess died at 7.30 p.m. on June 29, 1943, in her dwelling.

In the meantime, the German authorities took over Książ Castle completely. As it was expensive to maintain, it was proposed that the castle be used as a school for non-commissioned officers of the Luftwaffe. This plan was vetoed by the Chief Conservator of the province of Lower Silesia, Prof. Günther Grundmann. It is alleged that he already knew, at that time, of plans to turn Książ into Hitler’s headquarters.

Noteworthy works of art, sets of china, sculptures, and exhibits of blade weapons disappeared from the castle. Książ itself began to empty. No one there could have foreseen that over 70 years would pass before the castle rooms were filled, once again, with exhibited items.

According to some hypotheses, it was also to have housed the headquarters of the Third Reich’s Foreign Ministry, and its apartments were to be allocated to leaders of the Nazi state. Why was Książ to fulfill such an important function? Silesia was, at that time, well away from war-stricken areas; the eastern front was to stop, after all, only at Strzegom. Further, the castle was situated far from cities and main roads, and hidden in the forested heights, would be a safe place for the Führer himself.

At this time, concentration camp prisoners were digging a network of tunnels under the castle and courtyard. It is certain that they were to serve as substitute bunkers to protect the German authorities during bombing raids. For lack of clear documentation about the purpose of the tunnel, the following conjectures have been made:

- some presume that they was part of the Riese (“Giant”) project, which was to create subterranean cities connected by an underground highway;

- according to some hypotheses, V1 and V2 rockets were to be kept there;

- in connection with numerous Nazi experiments, especially those on human subjects, procedures involving genetic modifications were taking place. Some suggest that biological weapons were being tested there, extreme versions taking extreme forms: according to some, the development of Übermenschen or supermen, and even werewolves. A further hypothesis suggests that these Werwölfe were not wolf-people, but brilliantly specialized German forces, who have been guarding the underground to this day;

- the theory has also been aired that in this place lies the famous Amber Chamber. This is not the only treasure which the Nazis, reportedly, laid underground: there is also a well-known suggestion that a German train, laden with the gold and priceless jewellery of the people of Breslau (Wrocław), disappeared during the war (said to be from a place 65 or 67 kilometres north, which would accord with the distance from Wrocław to Książ);

The true purpose of this underground activity remains a secret to this day.

Meanwhile, Książ Castle had been substantial destroyed. In the years 1950 to 1967 the facility was unguarded, robbed and vandalized by the local population, who plundered it. During the war and directly afterwards, the castle was rebuilt but almost 90 per cent of it suffered destruction (only the Baroque rooms and the ceilings on the first and second floors were untouched).

The previous splendour of the Hochberg’s time was to become a memory – at that, already only for a few people.

The Palm House was, after all, a present from Hans Heinrich XV Hochberg, the last master of Książ, to his beloved spouse, known as Princess Daisy. This splendid winter garden was to be an expression of love for the beautiful aristocrat. In later times, the Palm House became not only a place of rest among exotic flowers, but also the source of ingredients for the cuisine of the Hochbergs’ kitchens.

In the context of local tourism and culture, the merging of the two facilities is a fine example of the reconstruction of the heritage of the Hochberg dynasty in Wałbrzych.

Thanks to financing by the European Union and the European Regional Development Fund, guests at the opening could view a remarkable exhibition and conference area: the modern Conference and Cultural Centre, with a total area of about 2,000 square metres. In eleven conference rooms on the third floor, as many as 350 conference participants may be accommodated, and in each of the unique rotundas with round tables, it is possible to organize exceptional meetings with business partners, for as many as 20 people.

The opening of the Conference and Cultural Centre has made it possible for the management group to offer larger meeting spaces, of a European standard. Today, 18 rooms, with a total capacity of 1,000 people, are available.

With the modernization of the third floor, the former Hochberg residence has become an ideal venue for unique and special events, making use of the latest technological facilities in a setting imbued with history and tradition.

Funding for this investment, estimated at about five million złoties, has been provided by the City of Wałbrzych. For two years it has been the owner of the Palm House – in Poland, the only facility of its kind maintained in its historic construction.

Marking the beginning of the year 2015, the castle’s new lighting was to approximate the colours of the rising or setting sun (with a Colour Rendering Index or CRI factor of at least 80). The project covered the distinctive east and south walls, the Honorary Courtyard and the inner castle terraces. With almost 100 lamps in place, the whole structure was uniformly lit, while selected architectural details were highlighted. The illumination applied a singular Philips lighting system, based on unique optics that make use of a LED light source as well as world-class equipment. Thanks to this choice, the consumption of electricity for the whole lighting project has amounted to fewer than four kilowatts, or not much more than an electric oven.

The kind of lighting used, along with the reflection of light from the east wall, had a spectacular effect: visitors could at once take in the charm of the Hochberg dynasty’s former aristocratic residence.

This system has also been used in the lighting of such buildings as the castle in Malbork, the palace in Wilanów, and lighthouses in places such as Świnoujście and Niechorze.

The whole cost of the illumination project, including the lighting of the inner Black and Red Courtyards, amounted to about 455,000 złoties. With the help of the Tauron Group, the exclusive partner for the illumination project, the castle has become “the shimmering pearl of Lower Silesia”, dazzling visitors from dusk to 10 p.m.

As a result of the works, one of the castle parking lots was changed to a brilliant garden, and its asphalt was replaced by paving. In the documentation for the project, one may read: “The main element of the lookout terrace is a reservoir pond, fulfilling an important natural function: a place for protected species of amphibians. The pond lies within a low, simple boxwood hedge square, for relaxation and enjoying views. The terrace decoration will be the symbolically presented, legendary necklace of Princess Daisy, in which the pearls are represented by boxwood balls. The balls are to be sunk among the white-and-green creeping spindles which will gently surround them. The flower beds along the walls are to be planted with one of the Princess’ favourites: hydrangea macrophylla (Hortensia). Woody hydrangeas, in turn, will surround the terrace on the northwest side. To reinforce the slopes, there will be ivy and spindles”. Most of the new plants (in total, about 47 thousand) may be viewed from the park next to the castle: “It was most important to fill the preserved parts of the linden avenue, as well as to recreate types of plants that are typical of the park in Książ: a group of bushes surrounding the side walkways, and extensive patches of undergrowth.” The work was carried out by BD Projekt of Warsaw, a landscape architecture service.

The co-operation of the museum and the Książ Castle Management Group has allowed as many as 38 works of art to return to the castle’s rooms. They include ten works from the collection of the aristocratic Hochberg family, who ruled the castle for over 400 years, and four eighteenth-century portraits of members of the line. The remaining works have been selected to decorate other areas of the former residence, including 20 that were once in Książ (taken away in 1942).

The “Metamorphoses of Książ Castle” exhibition consists of three parts, explained Dr. Beata Lejman, custodian of the National Museum in Wrocław and the exhibition curator. “We begin the presentation in the Exhibition Hall, where we are showing, among other works, a scene from the Metamorphoses of Ovid, with the image of Pan chasing the nymph Syrinx, and a series of works by Stephan Kessler presenting the biblical story of the prodigal son. The second part of the exhibition will be in the representative salons of the first floor (the Baroque Route), marked by works that were part of a substantial series created in the eighteenth century by a group of artists engaged by Konrad Ernst Maximilian von Hochberg. We will be able to view portraits, still life works, landscapes and works with mythological, animal, and allegoric themes. The next part of the exhibition will be found in the Konrad Room, where we are creating a Hall of Fame. It will be possible to view portraits of the legendary masters of the Přemyslid and Piast dynasties, who laid the basis of culture in Silesia. Relations between the Hochbergs and the Habsburgs and Hohenzollerns will be presented against the background of the myth of empire, important for the feudal epoch, up to its totalitarian phase in the twentieth century.”

Since July 11, 2015, the exhibition has been open to tourists as part of the regular castle visit. The castle, replete with such remarkable exhibits and paintings, is experiencing anew its age of splendour.

To learn more about the “Metamorphoses of Książ Castle”, go to Exhibition bookmark.