Town Hall in Środa Śląska

On the wall of a Gothic cell in the tower of Środa's town hall, a prisoner once scratched the date "1413". It is one of the reminders of the time when the tower, built in the first half of the 14th century, served as a prison and torture chamber. Today the town hall houses the Regional Museum in Środa Śląska, whose greatest treasure is the Środa Treasure with its 14th-century crown — one of a dozen or so surviving early Gothic crowns in Europe and the only one topped with eagles.

History: from tower to town hall

Construction began with a square tower, to which the town hall building was added in the 15th century. It was remodelled in 1552 and in 1589–1593, and in 1798–1799 the tower was raised; today it is crowned by a baroque cap with a lantern. The late-Gothic moulded gable of the oldest part was uncovered at the beginning of the 20th century. The town hall was entered in the heritage register on 21 December 1964, and a major renovation took place in 1974–1978. The museum has been here since 1964, when it was founded as the Museum of Woodcraft.

What to see outside

• The south facade with its Gothic stepped gable, decorated with blind crenellations and recesses with triangular blind panels ending in ogee arches.
• The tower with clock faces and a baroque cap with a lantern, adjoining the west side.
• The inner courtyard, around which the town hall buildings and the medieval block in the middle of the square are grouped.

What to see in the museum

• The council chamber with a rib vault covered in 16th- and 17th-century plant motifs. One keystone shows the Silesian eagle, the other the Bohemian lion — a sign of Środa's political allegiance in the 14th century. The room also served as the town court.
• The exhibition "Środa Guild Insignia" with seals, welcome cups, tankards and coffin shields — the only items to survive from the pre-war German Heimatmuseum.
• The prison tower with two original Gothic cells, prisoners' graffiti and a door from 1628 on which the carpenter Melcher Kravse left his name and his guild mark.
• A model of old Środa showing the castellan's castle that no longer exists.
• "Warstat" — reconstructed workshops of a cooper, wheelwright, cartwright and joiner with 19th- and 20th-century tools.

The Środa Treasure

In 1985, during building work in the Old Town, a clay pot was found holding nearly 4,000 Prague groschen from the first half of the 14th century, and jewellery came to light in the following years. The most precious item is a woman's wedding crown from the early 14th century, with many traces of repair. Garnets set in later show that it was repaired in Bohemia. It is thought that the jewels were pawned with a Środa merchant by Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor.

Tripto tips

According to its website, the museum (pl. Wolności 3) welcomes visitors Tuesday to Friday 9:30–15:30 and Saturday and Sunday 12:00–15:00; the ticket desk closes half an hour earlier. A standard ticket costs PLN 20, reduced PLN 12. From October to June the permanent exhibitions are free on Saturdays, and from July to September on Wednesdays. In September 2026 most of the Środa Treasure went on loan to an exhibition elsewhere, so check what is currently on display before you come. Allow about 1.5 hours for the town hall and museum.