Jaworowi Ludzie

Description

Only available in Polish! The action of the novel takes place in the Duchy of Świdnica and Jawor in the mid-fourteenth century. This period is an extraordinary time for Piast Silesia. This picturesque, mineral-rich and strategically important region has always been a tasty morsel for the rulers of the neighboring lands. The main trade routes led this way, and along with merchants, itinerant artists and mineral seekers, modern ideas and thoughts flowed from Europe at that time. Maintaining the independence of this land was a challenge, it required a leader of great format who would be able to infect both the bourgeoisie and the knighthood with his passion and vision for the development of the land. Such a ruler turned out to be Bolko II Mały (prince of Świdnica-Jawor), who was recognized by many eminent European families, and years later he was described by many chroniclers and historians as the last independent Silesian Piast prince, a great arbiter in disputes between monarchs, a brilliant diplomat and efficient steward of his principality. ”

Jaworowi ludzie” is a kind of tribute which the author pays to the heroes of this era. In the pages of the novels that begin with many of the best Silesian families: Zedlic, Bolcze, Wirbny, Baruth, Hund, Czirny in their respective roles documented today. And the fate of the main characters, Nickel von Bolcze and Mary von Wirbna, woven into the political and historical context that presents the image of the epoch.

The author also recalls the ideas of the Crusades and the movement of Beguines and Waldenses, i.e. facts that were characteristic and dominant in Europe at that time. In her extraordinary historical book, she tells about people, often forgotten, who lived and built a cultural work that - only in fragments - can still be admired today in the area of the former Duchy of Świdnica and Jawor.She takes us on a journey into the world of the Middle Ages.

On the one hand, it is a very realistic trip, because Joanna Żak-Bucholc described historical events, and on the other hand, it is a magical journey, filled with medieval symbolism and mystery. In the novel, this distant world appears to the reader as quite close and interesting, and cities and places such as Świdnica, Książ Castle and Grodno Castle, which are part of this rich history, acquire symbolic meaning. After all, as one of the heroes of the novel says: There are places that ask questions, sometimes give answers, so we circle around them like planets around the cosmic center of the world (...). Each land has such a center, its Liber Mundi, heritage, and ours, yours, is right here (…). We are nothing without memory. After reading this book, your journey to Lower Silesia will probably be different.