IntroductionThis is the beginning of the Report section of our new website. We will not take material from the News/Reports section of the old website into the new website. But stories, pictures, etc. will be forwarded to those interested upon request.
Schloss Fürstenstein / Zamek Książ and Schloss Pless / Zamek Pszczyna (2006)
As in past years, we again traveled extensively through Lower and Upper Silesia during late April and early May. Our headquarters was the Lower Silesian capital Wrocław / Breslau that has experienced a building and economic boom for several years that continues at the present. Two destinations stand out: Schloss Fürstenstein / Zamek Książ The palace, the terraces and the park have all been put into top shape, as indeed is everything that is part of the Schloss Fürstenstein complex. The outstanding event is the completion of the renovation of the 18th century baroque wing that affects the impression of the entire palace from the east side as well as from the south side from the viewpoint across the river gorge, called the Riesengrab/Giant's Tomb. Beautifully restored is also the gatehouse and its wings that accommodate hotel facilities and restaurants. The following pictures give an impression of the Castle Fürstenstein of our days. John at Riesengrab The gatehouse Castle Square with East façade Restored statues alongside Castle Square East and South façades of baroque wing Main entrance Gatehouse and hotel wings View from, the Castle Square towards the gatehouse South front view across the Fürstenstein Gorge
Visit to Castle Pless / Zamek PszczynaMr. Maciej Kluss Director of the Castle Museum at Zamek Pszczyna invited us to attend the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Castle Museum on May 11-13. In 1946, it was decided to transform Castle Pless/Zamek Pszczyna that had emerged from World War II unscathed, into a museum, initially of "Interior Design", but finally emerging as a palace that presents in incredible detail the rich history of the castle as a reflection of the history of its past owners, the Counts of Hochberg and Princes of Pless, of the history of Upper Silesia, of Prussia, of Germany, of the new Poland and, finally, of World History (between 1914 and 1917, world history was made at Pless when the castle served as the Imperial German Headquarters (see Daisy Princess of Pless - A Discovery by W. John Koch ISBN 0973157909). Guests from all levels of the government of Poland, including the Marshall of Upper Silesia, from Germany, Canada, the USA, France, Great Britain, and other countries, were invited. The Hall of Mirrors was the major site of the celebrations, while dinner was served on the terrace in an informal style that allowed all guests to mix freely and get to know each other. One of the highlights of these days was the opening of the exhibition Daisy Princess of Pless - The Happy Years. Curated by Mr. Russell Harris of London, the exhibition included a number of plates from the famous Lafayette collection that is now part of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Pictures on these pages will soon be complemented by more specific pictures of the anniversary events.
 Rynek / Ring, the town square of Pless / Pszczyna To the far left, the Castle can be seen that currently is given a complete restoration of its exterior, the first since its construction in the 1870s. In front of it is the ancient gatehouse, part of the former castle, then next to it is the Lutheran Church where Emperor Wilhelm II used to attend church while at the German Imperial Headquarters, and the Town Hall. One of the streets in the old part of town that has returned to its former charm of a small princely residence. The medieval Catholic church next to the Castle. View across the park towards the Castle The castle The Hall of Mirrors The Hall of Mirrors with its beautiful painted ceiling, site of the main events. The Exhibition Daisy Princess of Pless - The Happy Years John, Maria, and another guest in front of one of the Lafayette photographs
The 60th anniversary cake was served during the dinner on the castle terrace. Bogusław Rostworowski and Christine Rickards-Rostworowska and Maria during lunch at the Frykowka restaurant. Christine Rickards-Rostworowska, an Englishwoman living in Poland, is writing a book about Daisy, with a particular emphasis on the family background to the story.
John and Maria's visit to Poland July 2004 (part one)
For the fourth time, John and Maria met with their friend Volker from Germany for a week of travel, exploration and visitng of castles, churches, monasteries, and other historical places and a surfeit of the beautiful Lower Silesian countryside.
Kamieniec Ząbkowicki - Kamenz in Schlesien
One of the highlights of our 2004 Poland trip
Together with our friend Volker, our companion on three previous travels in Silesia, we spent a few hours in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki with its palace or Schloss, once so famous for the beauty of its architecture, its terraces and its fountains. Kamieniec is located southwest of Wrocław (Breslau) about 50 minutes by car...
The palace was built by the Prussian star architect of the earlier part of the 19th century, Friedrich Schinkel, for Albrecht Prince of Prussia and Marianne Princess of the Netherlands. Their marriage proved to be very rocky, but the palace and its beautiful park thrived during their reign.
The history of Kamieniec, founded as the monastery Kamenz in 1210, is too complex for this report. Although a victim of fire (1946, when Russian soldiers vacated the palace) this still impressive palace with its huge park on the hill, and the Cistercian abbey church in the village at the bottom of the castle hill await the suprised visitor.
For several years, the architect Schinkel had experimented with special bricks which he eventually developed to unique strength. While all the rich woodwork of the interior of the palace becamea victim of flames in 1946, thanks to Schinkel, the exterior walls of the palace stand like a monument, their brickwork reflecting the sun as if they were only recently erected.
 Some years ago, a Polish gentleman who had lived in England since World War II took over the palace and began the slow work of its stabilization and gradual restoration. Now, his son, Włodzimierz Sobiech, a professor of archeology at the University of Poznań, has taken over the task of restoring the palace, a task so vast that it will take many years to complete. Mr. Sobiech also opened a small hotel in the palace and a restaurant in the depth behind the thick walls of the palace.
Mr. Sobiech arranged for one of his knowledgeable guides to take us on a complete tour. Born in Kamieniec but having emigrated as a child with his parents to the USA, our guide was fluent in English. A few years ago, he returned to the t own of his birth, married a young lady living there, and decided to stay in Kamieniec.
Everybody is busy restoring with the restoration of the palace. It is wise to phone ahead to Mr. Sobiech and annouce your coming:
Hotel CASTEL (also called Hotel ZAMEK and Restauracja Oficyna) 57 Kamieniec Ząbkowicki phone/fax 074 8173 204  The pictures in this article were taken by Volker Tobias and are used with his kind permission. Too few because of the limited space available, they only give a small impression of what you will find at Pałac Kamieniec. More pictures can be found in Volker’s website Volker or by request to BOOKS by W. JOHN KOCH PUBLISHING
Family history re-visited
Wolibórz / Volpersdorf in Silesia
On pages 17/18 of NO ESCAPE – My Young Years Under Hitler’s Shadow, the reader comes accross the story of the author’s grandmother Therese Koch née Schneider, who was born in 1858 in the Kretscham, the inn of the remote village of Volpersdorf (since 1945 Wolibórz).
Volpersdorf was located in the Eulengebirge / Góry Sowie at the foot of a high mountain pass, through which a narrow road led to the important weaving centres of Langenbielau / Bielawa, Peterswaldau / Pieszyce, and Reichenbach / Dzierżoniów. Every day, before ascending the steep road, the numerous freight wagons stopped at the Kretscham, a large inn where man and horse found rest and refreshment. before ascending the long steep road. The same happened with the traffic in the opposite direction, when exhausted men and horses found respite after the equally strenuous descent down the steep, winding mountain road.
 At the crossroads in the village stood – and still stands – the birthplace of the author’s grandmother, the Kretscham, famous rest stop in its time, next to the former manor house of the village. Both houses seem to have had the same architect, as they are very similar in their looks, proportions and, foremost, in the peculiarly uneven distribution of their windows.
 The former manor house, the more beautiful of the two, is now the hotel Leśny Dwór (Manor house in the Forest) with restaurant, garden café, and swimming pool. Located at the edge of the forest in the quiet beauty of the Góry Sowie, it delighted the author and his wife with its beautiful interiors, its stucco ceilings, stairways, and unique furnishings. Old pictures and photographs adorning the walls, added to the author's knowledge of the home of his Grandmother Koch. Leśny Dwór, 57-431 Wolibórz 12 b, Poland
Phone: 1 48 74 872 45 90
Fax: 1212 5 134 16 817
E-Mail: dwor@interia.pl
Visit Leśny Dwór’s websites:
http://www.eulengebirge.de/dwor.htm or
http://www.langenbielau.de/Seite1/seite1.html
News from Zamek Książ/Castle Fürstenstein
During our July 2003 trip to Poland we visited Książ/Fürstenstein
several times.
When we met the new director Zbigniew Wojcieszak in 2002, he
promised that during our next visit we would discover significant
changes at and around the castle Mr. Wojcieszak kept his word!
The East façade facing the Castle Square now greets the visitor with its new appearance following its restoration and the change from the former beige/grey to the original baroque red colours. The photographs give some idea of the new beauty of the castle. There was a small army of gardeners busy on the terraces and in the park. All the walks are covered with white crushed rock, and flowers are planted everywhere. Książ/Fürstenstein has not looked so beautiful and well tended since its heydays long World War.
Visit again to look for more pictures of the castle, the terraces, and the park will follow soon.
Mr. Mojżesz Jakubowicz
In September, we received the sad news that our friend and guardian
of the gravesite of Martin Nordeggs mother Auguste Cohn in Dzierżoniów/Reichenbach
died shortly before the 4th Annual Days of Jewish Culture in Dzierżoniów.
A special exhibit to commemorate Mojżesz Jakubowicz and his work in
Dzierżoniów was prepared as part of the Jewish Culture Days.
A short biography of the life of this remarkable man will appear on
this site early in January 2004. We are looking forward to keeping
in touch with Gizela Jakubowicz, Mojżesz granddaughter who is a
student of medicine at the University of Wrocław.
Visit again to look for more reports and other photographs on this site at a later date.
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