Market Square in Ząbkowice Śląskie

The market square in Ząbkowice Śląskie is the main square of a town known in the Middle Ages as Frankenstein. Filled with colourful, decorated townhouses, it has looked renewed since its 2009 revitalisation. Over the old town looms the white town hall with a slender tower — the current building is already the sixth one on this spot.

The town hall and its history

The Neo-Gothic building was erected in the 19th century after the previous town hall burned down in 1858. Today it no longer serves as the seat of local government: it houses the Civil Registry Office and the Public Library named after the Henryków Book. The desk of the former mayors can be seen in the Regional Memorabilia Room on Krzywa street.

Frankenstein and the Leaning Tower

The town emerged around 1280 at the junction of important trade routes, and a document from 1287 already mentions the name civitas Frankenstein. In 1298 Duke Bolko I granted Ząbkowice the storage right for salt and lead, and in 1300 a glassworks operated here. From the square it is a short walk to the Leaning Tower, the Gothic church of St. Anne and the Frankenstein Laboratory, which refers to the dark legend tied to the town's German name.

In practice

The square is a convenient starting point for sightseeing: the Palace in Kamieniec Ząbkowicki lies about 9 km away, and the Silver Mountain Fortress about 12 km.