Telemann Bench in Żary

On the market square in Żary, next to the town hall and in front of the Art Exhibition Hall, a Baroque composer sits on a bronze bench with a violin in his hands. The Georg Philipp Telemann bench was unveiled on 17 April 2010, the town's 750th anniversary, as part of the "Telemann in Żary" project co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The backrest bears the years 1704–1708 – the length of the Żary chapter in the musician's life.

Telemann at the Promnitz court

At the invitation of Count Erdmann II von Promnitz, Telemann came from Leipzig to Żary (German: Sorau) in 1704 and served here as court musician and Kapellmeister until 1708. The Promnitz court was considered one of the most splendid Saxon-Polish aristocratic courts, and its permanent orchestra included Polish, Czech and German musicians. The composer also travelled with the count to the family's second residence in Pszczyna and around the country.

In Żary and Pszczyna Telemann encountered Polish music – both courtly and folk – as well as Sorbian and Hanakian music. Its echoes can be heard in many of his later works, including violin sonatas and the "Partie polonaise". Here he also met the theologian and poet Erdmann Neumeister, who wrote the texts for many of his cantatas. In 1709 he returned to Żary to marry: in the castle chapel he wed Amalie Louise Juliane Eberlin, a lady-in-waiting to Countess Promnitz.

A composer who could not be stopped

Telemann was born in 1681 in Magdeburg and died on 25 June 1767 in Hamburg, where he directed church music for decades. As a child he taught himself to play – his mother confiscated all his instruments and sent him to school in Zellerfeld, hoping he would choose a more serious profession. He wrote more than 3,000 works, many of which have been lost.

Tripto tips

• Where: the bench stands on the market square by the town hall and the fountain; it can be visited at any time.
• Music at the bench: the G. Ph. Telemann State Music School in Żary holds student concerts here – one took place on 9 May 2024.
• Nearby: the Museum of the Silesian-Lusatian Borderland and the Old Town churches, a few minutes' walk from the square.