Cieszyn is a border town located in southern Poland on the Olza River across from the Czech town of Český Těšín. The history of Cieszyn dates back to the 9th century and it received city rights in 1217. Currently, the population is around 33,500 people. Some of the main attractions in Cieszyn include the Piast Castle and Rotunda of St. Nicholas located on Castle Hill, the Renaissance buildings on the Market Square, and the Friendship Bridge connecting Cieszyn to Český Těšín. Cieszyn was historically influenced by Austria and known as the "Little Vienna" for its architecture.

1. Cieszyn
The oldest
town in
Poland
Dominika Lament – WSB student 1

2. What about me?
Cieszyn is a border town in southern
Poland on the east bank of the Olza
River, and the administrative seat
of Cieszyn Country, Silesian
Voivodeship.
It lies opposite Český Těšín in the
Czech Republic.
Currently the population
is around 33,500 people.
Dominika Lament – WSB student 2

3. History
• The history of Cieszyn dates
back to the 9th century and is
associated with the Slavic tribe
of Gołęszyce
• The town received city rights
in 1217
• From the end of the 13th
century it was the center of the
Duchy of Cieszyn.
Dominika Lament – WSB student 3

4. Legends
According to legend, in 810 three
sons of a prince – Bolko, Leszko
and Cieszko, met here after a long
pilgrimage, found a spring, and
decided to found a new
settlement. They called it Cieszyn,
from the words cieszymy się
("We're happy"). This well can be
found at ulica Trzech Braci
("Three Brothers Street"), just
west of the town square.
Dominika Lament – WSB student
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5. Legends
The English have their Robin Hood,
the Swiss-Wilhelm Tell, the Tatra
highlanders sing the praises of
Janosik and the most famous Beskid
highlander is Ondraszek. He was
born in 1680 and he was engaged in
brigandage for a few years. He
turned out to be so audacious that
the authorities set a high reward, a
hundred florins, for his head.
However, the story of Ondraszek’s
life in the local tradition is different.
Cieszyn people put their own desires
and dreams into the stories about
him. They made him a hero who
“levelled the world” by stealing from
the rich and giving to the poor.
Dominika Lament – WSB student 5

6. Industries
Cieszyn is an important centre of
the electromechanical industry.
The main source of income for
many citizens is trade with the
nearby Czech Republic and retail
trade associated with transit across
the two bridges over the Olza to
Český Těšín. In the past, the city
was home to many furniture
factories.
But we are also famous from:
• Prince polo wafels
• Brackie Browar where Żywiec
Porter is brewed
Dominika Lament – WSB student

7. Little Vienna?
Cieszyn is separated from Vienna by
only 283 kms as the crow flies, so it
is not surprising that contacts were
lively for a long time, although in the
beginning they concerned mainly the
upper classes.
A frequent guest in Vienna was the
Cieszyn Piast Prince Przemyslaw I
Noszak who acted as adviser and
‘right hand’ of Emperor Karol IV.
Fryderyk, the son of Prince
Kazimierz II, studied at Vienna
University and was even its Rector in
1505.
Thanks to wonderful architecture
people often call Cieszyn a ‘Little
Vienna ’.
Dominika Lament – WSB student

8. What to see?
https://www.google.com/maps/
d/u/0/viewer?mid=1HKIuz1Sqx
_VGBkBpHm6k75Kz4tgJ3kY&ll
=49.75277793246008%2C18.634
786931902852&z=16
Most of Cieszyn's monuments are
located in the polish part of the city.
Here is a map to see most of them:
Dominika Lament – WSB student

9. The oldest evidence of settlement
extends back to the 6th and 5th
centuries BC. With time the
Cieszyn castle gained in
importance, in the 12th century
it was promoted to the rank of
castellany, and a century later it
became the capital of the
independent Duchy of Cieszyn.
In 1947 the State Music School
moved here, and since 2005 the
castle has been the home to
a regional design centre.
The History of Castle
Hill and the Castle
Dominika Lament – WSB student

10. The Rotunda of
St. Nicholas
It was built in the 11th century
and for many years was the
castle chapel, the patron of which
is St. Nicholas. As the castle’s
only stone building it was the
most important point of
resistance in the event of war. It
also fulfilled the function of
religious administrative centre
for the Cieszyn castellany.
The rotunda appears on the
20-zloty banknote.
Dominika Lament – WSB student 10

11. The Piast
Tower
It is one of the oldest
architectural treasures of Cieszyn
Silesia, the remains of the
medieval Gothic Piast castle. The
stone tower was the place of final
refuge in the event of the castle
being seized.
Today it is an essential part of
any sightseeing tour around
Cieszyn.
Dominika Lament – WSB student 11

12. The Market
Square
The present location of the
Market Square dates back to the
end of the 15th century. Here can
be found the most important
municipal buildings, including
the Town Hall and 16th century
Renaissance arcaded town
houses, formerly owned by the
wealthiest townspeople.
At the beginning of the 20th
century the square still
functioned as a market.
Dominika Lament – WSB student
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13. Printing
Museum
The Printing Museum in Cieszyn was
established in 1996 to commemorate
the printing traditions in Cieszyn
Silesia.
• It is located just below the castle
hill, south of it.
• It is a memento of the largest
printing house in the Austro-
Hungarian Empire.
• This is the only place in Poland
where all the collected equipment
is fully operational.
• The museum is open only four
days a week off-season, from
Tuesday to Friday.
Dominika Lament – WSB student 13

14. Friendship
Bridge
The first bridge to stand here was
probably built in the 14th
century where a ford had been.
The present reinforced concrete
Friendship Bridge was built in
1953 and links ul. Zamkowa in
Cieszyn with ul. Hlavní in Český
Těšín.
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15. The Venice of
Cieszyn
a part of the Old Town in Cieszyn,
Poland.
It is a section of contemporary
Przykopa Street which comprises
buildings from the 18th-19th
century, many of them with
bridges over the course of
Młynówka (an artificial canal).
Dominika Lament – WSB student

16. Trams in Cieszyn
Trams in Cieszyn was a tramway
system that operated in the
former Austro-Hungarian town
of Cieszyn from 12 February 1911
to 2 April 1921.
Dominika Lament – WSB student 16

17. Głęboka Street
Głęboka street is one of the
most important streets in
Cieszyn. It connects the
market with the castle hill.
Today, as in the past, it is full
of shops, buyers and those just
walking. It also used to be the
street of noble houses and the
best restaurants in the city.
Dominika Lament – WSB student 17

18. Old Jewish
Cemetery
• Land for the cemetery was
purchased in 1647 and has
since belonged to the Singer
family
• The last burial at the
cemetery took place in 1928
• In 1986, the cemetery was
added to the register of
monuments
• As of 2009, the cemetery has
more than 1,500 graves
• It is claimed by local authors
that the cemetery was
established in the Middle Ages Dominika Lament – WSB student
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19. How do I look?
Click me
Dominika Lament – WSB student
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20. How’s the weather?
Click me
Dominika Lament – WSB student
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21. How to get there from Dąbrowa Górnicza?
• The distance between Dąbrowa Górnicza and
Cieszyn is 98,3 km
• With a car you can get there in 1 hour and 25
minutes
• Dąbrowa Górnicza offers many buses
travelling directly to Cieszyn
• There’s no connecting train between two
cities, you’ll need to make a change in
Katowice
Dominika Lament – WSB student 21

22. Main site for tourists Dominika Lament – WSB student
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23. Events
• The main event in Cieszyn is
well known as The Three
Brothers Festiwal (pol. Święto
Trzech Braci)
• The Festival of Colours on the
Castle Hill
• Days of Noszak:
- Slavic culture festival
- Knight’s fight show
- The fire art show by
group „Inferis”
Dominika Lament – WSB student
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24. Quiz
Time!
Dominika Lament – WSB student
1. What’s the name of the river that separates Cieszyn from
Český Těšín?
2. From what word The Three Brothers named Cieszyn?
3. Which country had a realy big impact on Cieszyn?
4. Can you travel by a tramway in Cieszyn?
5. Name two things that Cieszyn is famous of producing.
6. What’s the name of the bridge that links Cieszyn and Český
Těšín?
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25. Sources
• https://www.cieszyn.pl/
• https://visitcieszyn.com/
• https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cie
szyn
• https://podrozebezosci.pl/cieszy
n-atrakcje-co-warto-zobaczyc-i-
zwiedzic-przewodnik-na-
weekend/
• https://www.facebook.com/swiet
o3braci/?locale=pl_PL
Dominika Lament – WSB student
• https://antekwpodrozy.pl/232-cieszyn-krotki-przewodnik-po-miescie
• https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cieszyn/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x471403
f241e1deb5:0xced5e5ea497f09f2?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjEo6q6yNyDAxWjQf
EDHciyDPQQ8gF6BAgPEAA
All the pictures where taken from either these pages or from google graphics.
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26. Thank you for
your attention!
Dominika Lament – WSB student 26