The Polish Crown Jewels of Ľubovňa Castle in 1655 – 1661

It was around 1320 when the successor of the Polish royal throne, Vladislav I. Lokietko ordered to manufacture the new Polish crown jewels designed for his coronation. These crown jewels were: the crown (Corona Privilegiata), the clavia(sceptre) and the apple. The crown jewels manufactured by Vladislav I. Lokietko were used exclusively for the official royal coronation until 1764 when Stanislav August Poniatovsky, the last Polish king, was crowned with them. Vladislav I. Lokietko appealed to Boleslav Chrabry, the first Polish king, during his coronation and that´s the reason why the crown is hitherto called “the crown of Boleslav Chrabry“.

The concealing of the Polish crown jewels in the castle in 1655 – 1661 was one of the most significant events in the history of the castle lasting almost for 700 years. At this time Ľubovňa castle, as so - called Spiš deposit, was a part of the Polish kingdom (1412 – 1772). Following the attack of Swedes on the Polish kingdom in 1655, the crown jewels as well as the entire royal treasure were displaced at the castle.

In summer 1665 the Swedish army consisting of German soldiers hired by Karol X. Gustav rushed into Poland. A lot of Polish towns succumbed to the army including Poznaň, Warsaw and Cracow in October the same year. The king Jan Kazimir from Vasov dynasty was endangered and the aristocracy was demoralized so very soon the king left Cracow. He decided to flee proceeding the direction of the towns - Nowy Wisnicz, Nowy Sacz, Czorstyn and Ľubovňa castle, finally. Based on the information about rapid migration of the Swedish army to the south, the royal treasury was opened and the most expensive royal jewels were transported to Ľubovňa castle.

The entire process of transportation was carried by Juraj Lubomírsky, the then mayor of spared Spiš area with the government center in Ľubovňa caste. He is supposed to exported the boxes filled with jewels and the most precious archive documents of Polish kingdom out of the royal treasury. It was the king Ján Kazimír himself who nominated Juraj Lubomírsky the commander of the army which remained loyal to the Polish kingdom during the difficult times. The entire royal treasure remained undisclosed in the castle up to 1661 when it was transported back to the royal castle Wawel in Krakow. 

In 1656 Ľubovňa castle was visited by king Jan Kazimir. The detailed poetic description of the king´s arrival to the castle may be seen in the world-wide bestseller Potopa by Henrich Sienkiewicz.

The museum in Ľubovňa – the castle introduces the Polish crown-jewels´ replicas

The Crown of Boleslav Chrabry
The Coronation Apple
The Coronation Sceptre
The Coronation Cloak of Stanislav August Poniatovsky, the Last Polish King

The crown of Boleslav Chrabry was used exclusively for the official royal coronation of the Polish king in 1320 – 1764. Forasmuch as the crown was exported out of the royal treasury of Wawel castle by the Prussian emperor Fridrich II. Viliam in 1784, nowadays it is not possible to see the original of the crown exhibited. It is supposed that in 1811 the gems (rubies, sapphires, emeralds and pearls) were picked out of the crown and that the golden crown itself was melted for the sake of the Prussian king Fridrich Viliam III. Together with the coronation crown it is supposed that another 4 crowns, 4 sceptres, 5 apples, 6 swords and many others precious royal objects were destroyed as well.

The crown jewels exhibited in St. Michal´s Chapel in Ľubovňa castle were manufactured by the conservator Józef Walczik in 2010. The manufacture of the fascimile was based upon reliable founds of the archive matters from 18^th century which have been preserved in the form of charts by Ján Kryštof Werner and in the form of the collection of 22 portraits depicting Polish kings by Marcello Bacciarelli.

The Symbolism of the Crown Jewels:

The Crown: it symbolized the connection of the ruler to the God. Following the ritual of laying the crown on the head and anionted his head with cacred oils, the ruler got the supernatural force and he became a celestial being. Such a symbolism has its roots in the ancient times when kings were regarded to be the sons of the God.

The Apple: it symbolized the exercise of government which embraced the whole world by its extend

The Sceptre: it symbolized the justice of the Polish king´s reign

The Sword: it symbolized the military and administrative authority of the ruler, at the same time it represented the duty of the king to protect his kingdom and villeins
 

In special cases there were a specially adapted royal throne, cloak and ring as a part of the crown jewels.

The Technical Parameters of the Jewels Exhibited:

The metals used for production: gold, silver, copper, brass, bronze

The techniques used for metal treatment: smithing, engraving, goffering, casting, rubbing, soldering

The kinds of used (synthetic) gems: emeralds, sapphires, rubies, brilliants, 1 topaz

In the manufacturing the semi-precious, synthetic, acrylate gems and freshwater pearls were used.

Amounts:

The crown: 280 bigger and smaller gems (emeralds, sapphires, rubies), 80 pearls

The sceptre: 9 gems ( emeralds, sapphires, rubies, brilliants, topaz)

The apple: 6 gems (rubies and freshwater pearls)

The weight of the jewels:

The crown: 1,5 kg ( 3,3 pounds)

The sceptre: 0,8 kg ( 1,76 pounds)

The apple: 0,35 kg ( 0,77 pounds)

The crown: originally made of pure gold, it consisted of 9 segments, decorated with 474 gems like rubies, emeralds, sapphires and authentic pearls

Ľubovňa Museum – Castle thanks to the donors who financially contributed to the manufacture of exhibited Polish crown jewels replicas.

Donors:

The Town Stará Ľubovňa- amount of 3 400,- EUR
The Civil Association of Ľubovňa Castle´s Friends- amount of 2 600,- EUR
The Polish Institute in Bratislava- amount of 1 000,- EUR

Contact:

PhDr. Dalibor Mikulik

Custodian of the castle

mobil : +421 902 653 490

e-mail : hradlubovna@slnet.sk