The Środa Treasure, found purely by chance in 1988 in the town of Środa Śląska during construction works, is among the most extraordinary discoveries made in the 20th century.

A set of unique royal and imperial gems from the Middle Ages, probably originating from the treasure trove of Charles IV of Bohemia, which was to serve as a collateral for a loan, had been hidden in that town and remained secret for more than 600 years.

The unusual circumstances of finding the treasure and its extraordinary value resulted in a mass sensation, causing endless discussion, investigation and speculation. The scientific research conducted on the Środa Treasure has been accompanied for years by unofficial theories, legends and a peculiar ‘mythology’, which in itself is a fascinating subject in terms of culture and history. In fact, it is the theme of the current presentation, which includes – apart from the unique artefacts of the Treasure such as the royal wedding crown – also relevant documents, press cuttings, reports and photographs.

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Curator of the exhibition: Jacek Witecki

Historical artefacts from the Środa Treasure

The crown is the most valuable part of the Środa Treasure. It is a woman’s crown commissioned on the occasion of a wedding, which is clearly indicated by the rings motif – a sign of marital commitment and symbol of a good omen.

The crown belonged to the Czech queens, and its last owner could have been Blanka (Blanche) de Valois, the first wife of Charles IV of Luxembourg.

This priceless piece was created in the early 14th cent. It is the only surviving medieval crown of this kind, and its exceptional value is further augmented by the supreme craftsmanship of the goldsmith.

The second most valuable piece of jewelry is a round clasp, decorated in the centre with a chalcedony cameo depicting the imperial eagle. Around the cameo and along the inner ring of the clasp precious stones – garnets and emeralds – are set, while the outer ring retains a sapphire and pearls circled by garlands of emeralds and garnets. Such clasps were used to fasten ceremonial cloaks of courtiers as well as the coronation and liturgical robes.

Other exhibits on display are the gold pendants dating from the late 12th cent. and the 13th cent., used to adorn women’s heads (decorated with filigree as well sapphires, citrines, garnets and pearls), a buckle with a bird figurine, gold rings, ornamental strips used as edging for precious objects, as well as gold and silver coins.

The place and probable time of hiding these precious objects – before the mid-14th cent. – and the character of the jewels allow us to speculate that they constituted a bank collateral which had originated from Prague, from the Crown Treasury of the House of Luxembourg. The valuables found their way to Silesia, which was then part of the Czech Crown, during the rule of Charles IV. It has been known that the King borrowed heavily from the rich merchants of Środa Śląska in order to finance his political campaign to obtain the imperial title.

The treasure was placed in the collection of the National Museum in Wrocław, and was first shown to the public in 1996. The Środa Treasure is exhibited annually in the National Museum in Wrocław during the last three months of the year, and for the remaining nine months it can be viewed in the Regional Museum in Środa Śląska.