Market Square in Ząbkowice Śląskie

Ząbkowice Śląskie's market square is dominated by a neo-Gothic town hall with a 72-metre tower – already the sixth on this spot since the town was founded. Its predecessor was destroyed in the great fire of 24 April 1858, and to pay for the new one the town sold a commemorative medal all over Germany inscribed "Gott half" ("God helped") and "Gott hilf" ("God help us"). The square is lined with houses, many of them dating back to the 15th–16th centuries, and a few minutes away stands the famous Leaning Tower.

History: the town called Frankenstein

Ząbkowice was founded around 1280 where the road from Wrocław to Prague crossed the route from Nysa to Świdnica. The oldest document naming civitas Frankenstein dates from 10 January 1287; the name combined parts of the names of two earlier, failed town foundations – Frankenberg (Przyłęk) and Löwenstein (Koziniec). As early as 1298 Duke Bolko I granted the town staple rights for salt and lead, and by 1300 a glassworks was operating here.

The first town hall is recorded in 1345. Its successors were destroyed by the Hussites in 1428, by the wars of George of Poděbrady, by a fire in 1532 and in the Thirty Years' War. Below the fourth town hall a Świdnica beer cellar operated in 1535–1569, later replaced by the town jail. The 1858 fire, started by children at play, destroyed most of the houses on the square and claimed 27 lives. At two in the morning the town hall tower came crashing down, and its bell, inscribed "Vigilate" ("Keep watch"), fell onto the square. The remains of the tower were blown up on 4 May by artillerymen from the fortress at Srebrna Góra.

Alexis Langer's town hall

The mayor wanted a modest building for 25,000 thalers, but the town council pushed through a grand design. The plans were drawn up by the Wrocław architect Alexis Langer; construction in 1862–1864 cost 44,500 thalers, and the authorities moved in ceremonially on 21 May 1865. Look closely at the stonework – pinnacles, tracery, gables, grotesque masks and gargoyles – and, above the entrance, the old town arms flanked by those of the Poděbrady and Auersperg families. Today the building houses the registry office and the public library, and the old mayors' desk has moved to the Regional Memorabilia Room.

What to look for

• The houses on the square – dozens of them are listed monuments, including a former inn at no. 29 dating from the 15th/16th century and the House of the Estates at no. 22 from the 18th century.
• The town hall tower with its clock and openwork spire – best seen from the corners of the square.
• The Leaning Tower (34 m tall, leaning 2.14 m, 139 steps) – a few minutes' walk from the square.

Did you know?

• In 1606 the town tried a group of gravediggers accused of spreading plague and desecrating corpses. This grim episode, combined with the town's German name, gave rise to the local Frankenstein legend and the Frankenstein Laboratory attraction.
• Frédéric Chopin passed through the town in 1826.

Tripto tip

The square is a convenient starting point: the Leaning Tower, St Anne's Church, the castle ruins and sections of the town walls are all within a few hundred metres. According to the town website, Ząbkowice's tourist attractions are open all year from 9:30 to 17:30, except on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 November and 25 December. Allow half an hour for the square itself and 2–3 hours for a loop including the tower and castle.