The period when Bolesławiec belonged to Poland as part of the Duchy of Świdnica-Jawor lasted until 1392, when, following the death of Agnes, the widow of Bolko II the Small, it came under Czech rule.
This was an important period because of its role in the city’s development. During this time, Bolesławiec became one of the significant Silesian cities, with regular urban development and surrounded by defensive walls. During this period, Poles predominated in Bolesławiec, and some of them also held various positions in Silesia.
The city’s first mayor, Mikołaj Broda, held the office for more than 20 years, from 1326. His tenure was briefly interrupted by that of Mayor Pieszko (1340–1344). From 1393, Piotr Opecz served as mayor. As early as the 14th century, we find people from Bolesławiec in important ecclesiastical positions. In 1385, Mikołaj Brewicz of Bolesławiec was a vicar at Wrocław Cathedral, and in 1398 he served as the suffragan bishop of Wrocław. The Czech period did not change the role or position of the Polish population. In 1417, we find Piotr Rewicz serving as commander of the merchants. In 1427, a church document tells us that the parish priest in Bolesławiec was Jeremiasz Gall, while in 1436 we encounter the name Mikołaj Cierpisz, who was educated in Bolesławiec and recopied a missal.
The Habsburg period, beginning in 1526, significantly reduced the Polish element. Many important positions were held by people with non-Polish surnames. Wendel Roakopf was the reconstruction supervisor of the town hall from 1525. In 1554, we find a record of Seidl, a physician from Wrocław who originated from Bolesławiec. The Wrocław bishop Marcin Gerstmann, who held the office from 1574 to 1585, was born in Bolesławiec. It is worth noting that during this period the rector of the Bolesławiec school, Eliasz Nemsler, staged Nicodemus Frischlin’s “Rebecca” with his pupils in the town hall rooms. It was the first theatrical performance in Bolesławiec (1593). As a matter of historical record, we should mention that Marcin Optiz, the most famous person from Bolesławiec, was born in Bolesławiec in 1597—but we have already written about him in our newspaper.
Another prominent person from Bolesławiec was the Italian sculptor Giulio Simonetti, who settled in the city and created the interiors of the church; he was also a Bolesławiec councillor (1659–1729). Another was Henryk Muller, the first printer in Bolesławiec.
Throughout its history, Bolesławiec was visited or inhabited by many famous people, including many famous Poles. Although no systematic chronicle of these events was kept, particularly in the 14th–17th centuries, it can nevertheless be assumed that after the opening of the connection with Leipzig in the 16th century and the opening of the postal route to Saxony, the city became situated on the travel route of many people whose stays went unrecorded. The Thirty Years’ War, fought in Silesia from 1618 to 1648, provided an opportunity for many notable figures to stay in Bolesławiec.
In 1620, King Frederick I lived for some time in Bolesławiec, in the castle that still existed at the time. Zygmunt III Vasa sent troops, in the form of Cossack cavalry, to aid the Catholic Habsburgs; in July 1620, they were in Bolesławiec under the command of Voivode Radziwiłł. The stay of Swedish troops in 1642, under General Torstenson, went down unfavourably for the city, as they looted and destroyed it. In 1707 (from 1 to 11 September), Stanisław Leszczyński, King of Poland during the Great Northern War, stayed in Bolesławiec. He was the author of the famous book “A Free Voice Making Freedom Secure” and the father-in-law of Louis XV, King of France. Prince Lubomirski, commander of the Polish forces, stayed with the king. In 1751, Johan Gotlieb Joppe, the author of the famous pot, settled in Bolesławiec. From 1697 to 1763, when August II and August III the Saxon occupied the Polish throne and regular Saxon mail ran between Warsaw and Dresden along the route from Wrocław through Legnica, Bolesławiec and Lubań to Zgorzelec (an original post still survives near Nowogrodziec), Bolesławiec was frequently visited. The numerous Bolesławiec inns, including Pod Złotym Aniołem and Pod Złotą Kotwicą, did good business. After the partitions of Poland, many Poles heading into exile travelled through Bolesławiec. After the First Partition, Jan Ossoliński stayed in Bolesławiec in 1779. It can be assumed that he came after being persuaded by Professor Bach from Wrocław, the creator of the art school and a ceramic designer with whom he was friends. J. Ossoliński was not impressed by the city and wrote of it: “a city not particularly worthy of attention.” Some Poles also travelled for tourism, visiting the already popular and fashionable Karkonosze Mountains, or on their way to the spa in Cieplice. In 1804, Stanisław Staszic stayed in Bolesławiec for two days. In 1808, Princess Izabella Czartoryska and Leon Dembowski, the father of the later leader of the Kraków Uprising, Edmund, stayed there. We have already written several times about Napoleon’s stay in Bolesławiec and the death of Prince Kutuzov in our city. It is also worth noting the stay of Prussian King Frederick William III in Bolesławiec in 1835, as well as that of numerous court figures who accompanied King Frederick William IV during the opening of the famous viaduct.