Telemann Bench in Żary

On the market square of Żary, by the fountain and the town hall, sits a Baroque composer with a violin in hand. The bench of Georg Philipp Telemann was erected here in 2010, the year of the celebrations of Żary's 750th anniversary, as part of the "Telemann in Żary" project.

Why here, of all places

The town entered the composer's biography in the years 1704–1708, when the young Telemann directed the court orchestra of Count Erdmann II von Promnitz: he played the organ at services, composed and led the musicians in the Żary palace. The Count brought him to Żary, and his stay in the town and its surroundings also let him discover the folk music of Lusatia.

The musician who could not be stopped

Telemann was born on 24 March 1681 in Magdeburg and died on 25 June 1767 in Hamburg. As a boy he taught himself to play many instruments — when his mother confiscated them all and sent him to school with a more serious career in mind, talent proved the stronger. Today he is regarded, alongside Bach, as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque.

In practice

The bench stands in the central part of the market square and is accessible around the clock. Nearby are the Żary castle and the collegiate church, so the composer's figure is best visited during a stroll through the oldest part of town.