Market Square in Złotoryja

Legend has it that after the plague of 1553 only seven men survived in Złotoryja, and on Christmas Eve they met in the market square to sing hymns together. Ever since, a shared town Christmas Eve on the square has been a tradition, revived after the war in 1998. The elongated square of Poland's oldest town in legal terms — with a Neoclassical town hall, two fountains and colourful houses — is the best starting point for exploring Złotoryja's "gold rush".

Golden Mountain on the Kaczawa

Złotoryja owes all its names to gold: the Latin Aurum and Aureus Mons, the German Goldberg. German miners settled here in the late 12th century, and in 1211 Duke Henry the Bearded granted the settlement town rights — the oldest documented charter under Magdeburg law on Polish soil. Several hundred miners from Złotoryja fought the Mongols at Legnica in 1241, and most of them died. On the first map of Europe, drawn in 1467 by Nicholas of Cusa, only two towns were marked in Silesia: Wrocław and Złotoryja.

The town hall and the Dolphin Fountain

The first town hall went up in 1526; it burned in 1613, and the rebuilt hall collapsed in 1841. The present Neoclassical building dates from 1842–1852: three storeys, three wings and a three-bay portico crowned with a pediment bearing the town's coat of arms. Today it houses, among others, the tax office and a restaurant. In front stands the Baroque Dolphin Fountain of 1604, funded by mayor Johann Feige, which served for centuries as the town well.

What to look out for

• The Miners' Fountain — commemorating Złotoryja's gold diggers at the Battle of Legnica.
• The pediment with the coat of arms above the town hall portico and the skylight on the roof.
• Town houses from the 16th–18th centuries, including the former inn at No. 5 from 1623, now a hotel.
• The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary next to the square — its 67-metre tower with the Knights Hospitaller dungeon is one of the best viewpoints in town.
• The Smiths' Tower from the 15th century, part of the medieval walls, also open as a viewpoint.

The school that nearly became a university

In the 16th century a Latin grammar school grew out of the town school, reaching the height of its fame under rector Valentin Trozendorf. Duke Frederick II considered turning it into a university, but the plans were cut short by the duke's death and a fire in 1554. Another trace of old justice was found in 2016 on Góra Mieszczańska: archaeologists uncovered the foundations of a 16th-century gallows, considered the largest in Lower Silesia.

Tripto tips

The square is accessible around the clock; allow 1–2 hours for a walk including the church tower. The town's golden past is best explored at the Gold Museum and on the underground route of the "Aurelia" Gold Mine at the foot of Góra Mikołaja. Since 1994 the Polish Brotherhood of Gold Diggers has organised the Polish Gold Panning Championships here, and the town hosted the world championships in 2000, 2011 and 2022. Złotoryja lies in the Land of Extinct Volcanoes, so a visit combines well with a hike or bike ride in the area.