Market Square and Marian Column in Międzylesie

The market square in Międzylesie is not square at all – it is an elongated triangle, with a Baroque column topped by the Virgin Mary rising from a small green in the middle. It was put up after a run of disasters struck the town at the end of the 17th century, and it was modelled on the famous column in Prague.

History: a votive offering after the floods

In 1686 Międzylesie was hit by fire and flood. In 1689 a cloudburst caused the Nysa Kłodzka to burst its banks, and another flood followed in 1696. The owner of the Międzylesie estate, Count Michael Wenzel von Althann, then funded the column as a votive offering for the town's protection from water and fire. It was erected in 1698, modelled on the Marian column in Prague of 1650, funded by Emperor Ferdinand III. In the Counter-Reformation such columns also proclaimed the triumph of Catholicism. In 1932–1934 the base and balustrade were restored by the sculptor Bergmann of Bystrzyca Kłodzka.

What to look for

• The Virgin and Child on a tall round column with a Tuscan capital.
• Four saints on the volutes of a base shaped like a Greek cross: Wenceslas, Benedict, Hubert and the Archangel Michael.
• The inscription "ORA PRO NOBIS S. MARI" on the front faces of the base.
• The sandstone balustrade on an octagonal two-step platform. The column is attributed to the so-called Lesica workshop.
• The houses around the square – burghers' houses, mostly from the 19th century, listed together with the whole historic town centre.

Tripto tip

The square is a good starting point for a walk around Międzylesie: the castle and the adjoining Corpus Christi Church are a few steps away, and the weavers' houses on Sobieskiego street and St Barbara's Church a few minutes' walk. The square and column take 15–20 minutes. The best photo of the column has the castle tower in the background.