Kłodzko - www.klodzko.pl

The history of Kłodzko is told not only through its major monuments and tourist attractions, but also through various other sites that are perhaps less known – almost forgotten – yet remain very mysterious and enigmatic.

Unfortunately, the street suffered a lot of damage in the 1950s and 1960s when the historic townhouses had to be demolished. Cracks began to be seen in the walls of the buildings which were caused by land subsidence which in turn was caused by the gradual washing away of soil due to water flowing down from the fortress and by the existence of a grid of underground tunnels under the town. Works in the 1960s and 1970s to secure the underground facilities succeeded in saving only a part of Kłodzko’s old town. A 17th century palace of the Wallis family, from Ireland and Wales was preserved on Czeska Street. It is an interesting example of urban architecture, built not only by townsmen, but also by members of the aristocracy. It is here where in 1800 the Prussian Queen Louise stayed when she visited Kłodzko and was welcomed by a 36-gun salute. The street used to lead to one of the town gates - the Bohemian Gate.

Turning left at the end of the street, you will find yourself on Armii Krajowej Street. On the left you can see some preserved pieces of the doorways of historic townhouses. You can see the low reliefs – scissors and a shirt or jacket – which would have been symbols of a tailor.

Moving to the right you go via Muzealna Street to Traugutta Street. Here at the edge of a park there is an intriguing memorial – a stone, called the “Napoleon’s Stone”.  with an effigy of a hat. Legend has it that this site is where Napoleon’s hat was blown off his head by a gust of wind. In truth, the French leader never actually visited Kłodzko. The stone is actually a monument to German conquests in Africa, and the hat is typical of the tropical headwear worn by German colonial troops. The monument was unveiled on 19 September 1937, on the initiative of the local section of the Federation of German Colonial War Veterans (Deutscher Kolonialkriegerbund). The inscription on the stone (which has since been erased) once read ‘Gedenkt unserer Kolonien’.

Nearby, at the intersection with today’s Wojska Polskiego Street, there used to be a town gate called the Green Gate. When you look to the left at the wall surrounding the high school, you will see a marble cat resting on an open book. The cat is the hero of a children’s story entitled Glacella’s Secret and Sorcery by local authors Łada Ponikowska and Marta Zilbert. You will be able to see other cats connected with books by Kłodzko authors throughout the rest of your walk.

On the right, on a small square there is a commemorative stone on the site where Kłodzko’s synagogue used to be. It was burnt down by Nazi stormtroopers during the Kristallnacht of the 9th and 10th of November 1938.

Walking down Zawiszy Czarnego Street, you pass on your left a typical school building from 1910 with interestingly-decorated doorways and the dome of the astronomical observatory. On your right, on the wall surrounding the social school you will see another fairytale cat – a beggar, and by the entrance to the school yet another one – wearing a square academic cap on its head.

Walking across the footbridge on the Młynówka River you reach Daszyńskiego Street. Take a few steps to the right and you will see a modern glass monument bearing an advertisement of an insurance company which hides the secrets of bygone ages. In 1902, the German inhabitants of Kłodzko erected a monument here to General Friedrich Wilhelm von Götzen. The monument was a token of gratitude from the people of Kłodzko for defending the town during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1949, the monument was converted to a symbol of Polish-Russian friendship and of gratitude to the Red Army. After 1989, the five-pointed star crowning the monument was removed, and the monument was changed to an advertisement column, according to a design by Tomasz Urbanowicz – an artist and architect from Wrocław.

Returning towards the Old Town, you can see along the wall of the Franciscan monastery some banners displaying interesting scenes related to the history of Kłodzko and Daszyńskiego Street. The images show floods, displacements of the German residents of Kłodzko, Kłodzko in the movies, or Kłodzko during the Polish People’s Republic. On Franciszkański Square, behind the back of St. Francis of Assisi you can see another two fairytale cats sitting on the wall.

Heading towards Grottgera Street, you will see, in a recess in the wall of the church of Our Lady of the Rosary, an expressive sculpture of St. Christopher, signed by the Kłodzko sculptor Franz Wagner in 1930. The same artist is the author of the low relief above the entryway to the ‘Under the Wolf’ townhouse at 5 Grottgera Street.

The wolf became famous when during the great flood of 7 July 1997 (07/07/1997) this part of the town was flooded. It was then that some local people recalled that in 1975 a local psychic, named Filipek, predicted that the wolf would drink water when three sevens meet together. Supposedly, one of his other predictions said that during an even greater flood the Kłodzko lion would drink water. Unfortunately, Filipek did not reveal which lion.

A lion can be found in the fountain in the market square. Walking towards the fountain, you will cross the Gothic St. John’s Bridge. Among the statues on the bridge, the first one on the right is St. Francis Xavier – the patron saint of Kłodzko. The statue was erected in 1714 as a votive offering due to the plague that struck the town. The saint is accompanied by three sick citizens and an Indian – symbolising the saint’s missionary activities in the Far East.

Your walk through the trail of the forgotten will end at the beautiful baroque town well with a fountain, whose central section is occupied by the characteristic double-tailed lion of Kłodzko. Different legends have different explanations for this peculiar anomaly.

There are many more interesting places in Kłodzko that are worth seeing during your walk via the trail of the forgotten. The most inquisitive tourists will definitely locate such places without any trouble.