The Church of Jesus located near the stop is the largest Protestant church in this part of Europe. The origins of Protestantism in Cieszyn and the Cieszyn Duchy are linked to Duke Wenceslaus III Adam (1528-1579), who converted to Lutheranism in the mid-16th century. His son Adam Wenceslaus (1579–1617) also changed his religion in 1609/1610, as he in turn became Catholic, but most of his subjects were Protestants. The situation did not change during the reign of the children of Adam Wenceslaus, namely Frederick William (1617–1625) and Elizabeth Lucretia (1625– –1653). During the latter one’s rule, religious tolerance was practically ensured. Only when the Habsburgs took over direct rule, the Counter-Reformation took on a stronger form. Cieszyn became a Catholic town, but Protestants still lived in the surrounding villages, and in some of them they even constituted the majority. Over time, the Habsburgs had to soften their counter-reformation policy.
In 1709, they allowed an Evangelical church to be built behind the walls of Cieszyn, the only one in the whole of the Duchy, where Protestants from Moravia and Upper Silesia also came to worship. By 1781, Protestants were granted tolerance. For a short time, the church was the most important Lutheran church in the entire Austrian monarchy, but soon the central organ of the Evangelical Lutheran Church was moved to Vienna. The year 1848 marked the date when Protestants gained equality in Austria. Religious divisions in Cieszyn and the Cieszyn Duchy ran not along, but across linguistic (national) lines. In front of the church, there is a monument to Jerzy Trzanowski (1592–1637), a Cieszyn born pastor and an important figure in the history of European Protestantism, also called the “Slavic Luther”. He composed the popular hymnal Cithara Sanctorum, which earned him a place in the history of... Slovak literature. It is worth mentioning that a street in 1915 Bratislava was named after him. Considering the history of this site, it is hardly surprising that the Museum of Protestantism, formally housed in the Church of Jesus, and the Bogumił Rudolf Tschammer Library and Archive are located here. It is the oldest and largest historic Protestant library in Poland.
Near the stop one could also behold the Archduke Frederick Barracks, built in 1895. They were named after Archduke Frederick, who bore the title of Duke of Cieszyn and was at the same time Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial and Royal Home Defence. During the First World War, he was Commander-in-Chief of the Austrian army. On the night of 31st October to 1st November 1918, Polish officers organised a coup in the barracks of the Cieszyn garrison. As a result, they took power over the army and control of key points in the town. They immediately recognised the supremacy of the National Council of the Cieszyn Duchy. In 2015, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the former barracks headquarters, com- memorating the soldiers, officers, and employees who stood to protect and defend Poland’s borders in Cieszyn Silesia.
author: Michael Morys-Twarowski
