Fascinating legends exist on Moszna castle, referring its building to Templar Knight Order and Chrzelice castle that was supposed to be connected with Moszna castle with a tunnel. However, historical sources state the castle was built in XVII century. Firstly it was not a castle but a hunting trips residence od von Skalla family.
In XVII century the castle belong to von Reisewitz family and later to successors of the neighbouring Dobra village, von Seherr-Thoss family. For a short time the castle was strayed. The king Fryderyk II donated it later to Knobeldorff, the constructor of the still existing, „Sanssouci” Hohenzollern palace in Potsdam. Konbelsdorff had probably never been to Moszna and immeditely sold the residence to von Erdmansdorf. Tiele-Winckler family bought the palace in 1866.
The hisory of Tiele -Winckler family is extremly interesting and very characteristic to capitalistic careers in Silesia in XIX century. It is worth short description.
At the beginning of the XIX century Ignacy Domes, merchant and businessman, married to Maria Arezin, was the owner of „ Maria” mine in Miechowice, near Bytom. Franciszek Winckler, born in 1803 in Lower Silesia, near Kamieniec Zabkowski, a son of a carpenter and a grandson of a pesan, worked as a foreman in the mine. Winckler married Alwina Kalide and had a daughter Waleska. When his wife diedhe maried the widow – Maria Domes, his former employer. Talented and hard working , he has not only multiplied his wife’s property, but also gained respect of emplyees and authorities. In 1840 he was appointed a nobleman for his economic achievments.
Castle in Moszna
Franciszek Winckler , of lower – class orgin, has always been a working people protector.
Elected to to parliament in 1849 he pushed „the bill on shortering the daily working hours from 12 to 8”. He died suddenly in 1851, leaving a great property : over 30 mines and steelworks, many villages and cities including Katowice and mysłowice and huge savings in banks. According to his will, the famous Franciszek Winckler’s foundation for poor miners and steelworkers was set up. Waleska , his daughter, married Lieutenant Hubert von Tiele , who was born in Prusia in 1823. She has 6 billion talar worth dowry.
Photo source: http://palowice.net/artykuly/85,zomek-grofa-thiele-winckler-w-palowicach.html
The couple joined the family names and used the name Tiele -Winckler: Hubert von Tiele-Winckler, after being appointed a count in 1892, organised his entail in Moszna. He had not enjoyed it for a long time -he died a year later. Franciszek Hubert von Tiele -Winckler, a son of Waleska and Hubert built an impressive residance in Moszna between 1896 and 1914. Two facts caused the decision on the start of the building in 1896. Firstly, the fire destryed the palace and secondly , the new railway track was between Gogolin and Prudnik ( through Moszna) , which simplified bulding materials’ delivers.
Despite a stunning richness, beauty and enormity, that have been impessing until now -even the Emperor Wilhelm was impressed with Moszna – his owner claimed – among best friends – he had a book worth more than the castle. It was not a boast since Tiele – Winckler probably possesed one of eight copies of Gutenberg bible. Today we have only seven copies. What happend to the eight one is a mystry.
Ewa a daughter of Hubert and WaleskaTiele- Winckler, called „ The mother of mothers”, is another child of the couple, whose history is worth mentioning besides Franciszek Hubert life. She was born in 1866 as the eight child of her prtrnts. After sudden death of her mother she was brought up by her father according to the strict Protestant rules. At the age of seventeen she felt calling for monastic life. After confirmation studies in Berlin and nurse practice in Bielefeld she set up a huge education shelter „ Friedenshorst” in her home Miechowice, with church and deacon home, where she was the Mother Superior. Ewa donated her impressing 5 bilion marks worth dowry to the charity organisations. She pledged fithfulness and devotion to the poor people, working in steelworks and mines. Same scientists claim that since she wanted to experience the misery „she learnd Polish and kept it in secret from her family”, but she might have learned Polish also from Miechowice citizens who were Polish . She has never divided people by nationality in her admirable charity work. In her memoirs from opening Miechowice shelter we may read: „ 90 poorest and oldest citizens of our village were invited. There were male and female beggars among them.(…) At the end of the ceremony everybody sang 91 st Jan Kochanowski psalm in Polish and after a short prayer all the guests, contented with the reception, went home.”
The idea of „ poor shelters” introduced by Mother Ewa resulted in opening forty such insitutions not only in Silesi but also in Łódź and Warsaw at the end of XIX century. Rehabilitation centre for prostitutes and alcoholics, a hospital for incurably ill, shelter for single man and worksshops for girls were opened in Miechowice. In 1908 Mother Ewa „ undertook missionary activities in norway, China , Salomon Islands, Egipt, Guatemala, India and Syria. A great network of thousands of charity institutions, bringing the people together in a big family came ino being”.
In 1930 , when Miechowice founder died, the institution had 24 buildings , including a city of poor and orphans called” Peace mainstay”. We have to remember that not only hunger and misery but also child diseases took a heavy toll of children these days. Nuns have buried 72 children who died of roup and scarlet fever in Miechowice.
Charity work of Mother Ewa is worth remembering since it was not unusual in Silesia.
It has been done in same cases until now in many Silesia castles (e.g in Czarnowąsy, Turawa) since it has the roots deep in the past.
The castle owes its unusual look to landlord Franciszek Hubert von Tiele- Winckler, who in 1896 rebuilt hunting palace that was bouth by his father 30 years earlier. Tiele- Winckler family castle belongs to the newst residences in Silesia. AS a result of rebuilding at the end of XIX century it gained a Medival castle character, but the defence elements have always had only a decorative role. The unique, eclectic architecture, with a great number of towers (99) and 360 rooms, lying on seven thousands square meters of gardens and marvellous parks make the castle look like amazing building from a fairytale. Depending on the place from which you look at the castle from a distance you may notice different styles: middle part is Boroque, eastern – Neogothic, western wing seems to be Neorenaissance. The artistic value of the object is based on that versality where different styles were superbly selected and harmonised.
The inside arrangment and decorations also deserve admiration: Art Nouveau ( coffe room) is combined with Baroque ( dinning room) , Renaissance ( library), Neogothic ( a chapel, now concert hall) or Rocco ( living room at the library). Stairs go down from a Baroque dinning room to huge, descent Classicistic orangey. Guerst rooms are different , for example thre is white living room, black one or hunters’ living room.
The castle in Moszna survived luckily the Second World War and was not devastated by different occupants who used it, but some of the equipment got sent to other museums or goverment builings. In 1971 the object was donated to health care that adapted it and opened Voivodship Senatorium, specialising in neurosis and psychosomatic diseases treatment. Zygmunt Więcek , not only a psychiatrist, but also an expert musiv lover and classical music records collector became the director of the sanatorium.
No wonder that the castle become soon a centre of music and artistic life, espacially as the music is consider one of the important therapy methods in psychiatry.
Moszna is known as a good therapy centre for neurosis and psychosomatic problems treatment. But it is also associated with the Blooming Azaleas Holiday, which has been organised for few dozen years and with its beatiful 100 hectare park. The alley of over 200 – year – old lindens and 300-years – old red oaks and gorgeous azaleas and rhododendrons above all are marvellous therapy elements and a background for the music that is so often played here…
Most famous music therapists helped organise music therapy. First and foremost doctor Chrisoph Schwabe from Leipzig University, Marianna Murkowa from Higher Music School in Krakow, oustanding music therapist doctor Randhala from from Finland and leading Polish therapists from Wrocław among others were involved . Special music editors were mixed with the architecture and nature of Moszna castle thus becoming its soul. Not only the chapel with its unique acoustics but also the park with marvellous hundred -year-old azalea and rhododendron bushes , which bloom in May and June and attract thousands of visitors to Moszna castle, provide the background for music. The music sounds especiallybeautifully during May and June Blooming Azaleas Holiday concerts.
The Blooming Azaleas Holiday orgonised between May and June attracts many tourists and music lovers to Moszna each year, since interesitng concerts with famoust European and world artists and the best philharmonic orchestras, solists, and choirs, playing chamber and symphonic pieces are within the confinew of Holiday. In fine weather the are performing on castle terrace and in case of rain in concert hall or in loca church as far as religious pieces are concerned. It is worth mentioning that if earlier mainly Opole citizens and Polish music lovers attended concerts, today more and more local people of rural areas prticipate in the events. It is true that Blooming Azaleas Holiday had a significant influance on the love of music among the local community. What is more , Moszna citizens often invite their families and friends from other regions and also from abroad to take part in the concerts.
Cultural influance of Moszna manifests it self in housing construction in the area, especially in Zielina village, where entail administration headquarters, houses of castle clerks and servants were llocated before the war. Houses of Zielina stil have that unique , peculiar style. That fact confirms the thesis that castles, palaces and schools, churches and other public utility buildings as well have always been influencing cultural evolution.
The text of publications „The present day of old Oplole Silesia region castels: Brzeg, Moszna, Kamień Śląski and Rogów Opolski –The past was a bit earlier today…”, is based on the articles of professor doctor Franciszek Marek and doctor Jan Majewski . Towarzystwo Wiedzy Powszechnej, Opole 2001.