At the beginning of June, employees of the Bolesławiec Museum of Ceramics searched for archival materials related to the Napoleonic era in the Bolesławiec region at the French Army Archives in Vincennes near Paris. As a result, they discovered a number of interesting documents, including a unique plan of Bolesławiec from 1813, drawn by Major Constantin, commander of the sappers of the VI Corps of the Grande Armée.
“We had previously received information that such a plan existed,” Andrzej Olejniczak, a historian at the Museum of Ceramics, tells IstotneInformacje.pl. “A letter from Marshal Marmont to Napoleon has survived, in which the marshal describes what work would be carried out in the town,” he adds.
The map was sent to the emperor of the French. What is more, Napoleon Bonaparte was kept informed about the progress of the fortification work. The French soldiers intended to turn our town into a fortress. “They assumed that Bolesławiec would be a central point of resistance against the expected attack by Russian and Prussian forces,” says Andrzej Olejniczak. Around 2,000 people, including local peasants, worked on building the earthworks. The work was supervised by sappers from the VI Corps. “These were not random people; they were very well educated,” the historian emphasizes. This may indicate that Bolesławiec was an important strategic point for the French.
The soldiers completed only part of the plan. The map, which can be viewed in Vincennes near Paris, called for a fort to be built on the site of today’s railway station. This fortification was never constructed. “In any case, all this work ultimately served no purpose,” Olejniczak notes. After losing the Battle of the Kaczawa, Napoleonic forces withdrew from Silesia.
The unique plan from 1813 was executed with great precision. As Anna Bober-Tubaj, director of the Museum of Ceramics, emphasizes, it is the second large map of Bolesławiec known to researchers of the town’s history (the first dates from 1773). “There is also a sensational element—the town was meant to become a fortress. It is a real treat for anyone who loves the Napoleonic era,” the director says. Moreover, the discovery has particular historical value. Almost all Bolesławiec archives from the time of Napoleon were destroyed. “Every additional document, every additional piece of information, is worth its weight in gold,” adds Anna Bober-Tubaj.
What next?
The research material collected in Vincennes will be gradually studied. “We will try to make a very professional copy of this map. It will enrich our collection,” says Andrzej Olejniczak. Next year, the Museum of Ceramics also plans to open a permanent exhibition devoted to the Napoleonic era in the Bolesławiec region. It is worth doing so, especially since, as Anna Bober-Tubaj writes in the publication “In the Footsteps of Famous Europeans”: “the Napoleonic era left a very strong mark on the history of Bolesławiec. Napoleon, emperor of the French, visited the town five times.” In the director’s view, the planned exhibition is an excellent way to promote Bolesławiec.
(information from the Museum of Ceramics/GA)