Panorama of Legnica in the background of the scene of the death of Prince Henry the Pious during the battle of 1241, Gottlieb Boettger Senior (1808) by Gottlieb Boettger SeniorCopper Museum
In 1241, Polish lands became the target of the Mongol invasion. April 9, 1241 Polish knights commanded by the Duke of Silesia, clashed with the invaders near Legnica. Almost eight centuries after these events, it is not known exactly where that fateful battle took place. The oldest sources generally locate the clash of the troops of Prince Henry the Pious with the invaders "near Legnica".
Panorama of Legnica Liegnitz, c.1737 by Friedrich Bernhard WernerCopper Museum
Tradition says that the village of Legnickie Pole grew up on the site of the lost battle. German place names, appearing from the fourteenth century, literally mean "Battlefield" or "Good place"
Self-portrait with a battle, 4/99, 2000, Krzysztof Skórczewski (2000) by Krzysztof SkórczewskiCopper Museum
The Polish priest and chronicler Jan Długosz, who lived in the 15th century, included the most extensive description of the battle of Legnica in his chronicle of the history of Poland. We should remember, however, that the chronicler was not an eyewitness to this dramatic event - he described it over 200 years later.
Henryk Pobożny going to the Tatars (1881) by Edward Nicz wg Jana MoniuszkiCopper Museum
We also know another information written in Długosz that he was leaving the temple on horseback after the mass before the battle in 1241. Prince Henry the Pious fell in front of the horse with a brick. The prince was not injured, but according to legend, everyone took it as a bad sign
On our YouTube channel there is a video dedicated to this event entitled "Battle of Legnica in the account of Jan Długosz" from the permanent exhibition at the Museum of the Battle of Legnica in Legnickie Pole entitled "The meeting of two worlds. The memory of the Battle of Legnica in 1241" from 2016
Henryk Pobożny going to the Tatars (1881) by Edward Nicz wg Jana MoniuszkiCopper Museum
Where did the Battle of Legnica in 1241 take place? Searching for her place has a long tradition. The first attempts to establish it were made in the 1960s in connection with the planned opening of the Museum of the Battle of Legnica in Legnickie Pole.
After researching the battlefields in Psie Pole and near Grunwald, it was another such undertaking in post-war Poland. Despite the works, there is still no evidence that would allow to locate the place of the fight between the troops of Prince Henry the Pious and the Mongol army.
In 2021, 60 years have passed since the opening of the Museum of the Battle of Legnica in Legnickie Pole. On this occasion, our Museum has prepared a film that presents an interesting history of research related to the battle of 1241. Tomasz Stolarczyk, head of the Archeology Department of the Copper Museum in Legnica, will talk about the work of archaeologists and the results of excavation projects.
View of Legnickie Pole (1806) by Friedrich Gottlob EndlerCopper Museum
The medieval church in Legnickie Pole is the oldest monument in this town. Traditional messages link its creation with the end of the battle. On the site where the prince's body, abandoned on a battlefield and decapitated, was found, a temple was founded, bearing the call of the Holy Trinity. and NMP
View of Legnickie Pole, first half of the 19th century by Carl Theodor MattisCopper Museum
The Benedictines, brought from Opatowice, Czech Republic, took care of this monument to the bloody battle. The oldest sources do not mention the existence of a church in the village of Holy Trinity and NMP. The temple was most likely built in the second half of the 14th century.
Widok Legnickiego Pola (1841) by Author unknownCopper Museum
On June 4, 1961, the Museum of the Battle of Legnica was officially opened in this 14th-century church, which since 1971 has been operating as a local branch of the Copper Museum in Legnica.
From the beginning of its existence, it has popularized knowledge about the events of 1241 and cultivated the memory of the Battle of Legnica and the fallen prince Henry II the Pious.
The film presented above is part of a series that was released in 2021 in connection with the celebration of the 780th anniversary of the Battle of Legnica. In this episode, Konrad Byś, the head of the History Department of the Copper Museum, talked about the history of the museum, i.e. a place that from the Middle Ages to today is an important center for cultivating the memory of the history of 1241 and about Prince Henry II the Pious, the tragic figure of those events.
Tomasz Grabowski, Konrad Byś, Tomasz Stolarczyk
