The Środa Treasure: The Time of Plague

The Środa Śląska Treasure, accidentally discovered in the 1980s in Środa Śląska near Wrocław, is considered one of the most important discoveries of its kind in Europe. The group of medieval golden crown jewels, coming from the treasury of Czech kings ruling Silesia at that time, includes, among others, a woman's wedding crown from the beginning of the 14th century, an emperor's clasp from the 13th century, several thousand silver and gold coins as well as other priceless antiquities pledged to the Środa banker by Charles IV, king of Bohemia and later emperor of the German Reich.

The story of the hiding of the treasure takes the audience to one of the most dramatic periods in the history of Europe. In September 1347, twelve Genoese merchant ships sailing from Constantinople to Sicily called at the port of Messina. Soon after their arrival, the first cases of a deadly disease brought from the Black Sea region, the bubonic plague, were reported. The plague, called the "Black Death" or the "Great Plague," swept through almost all of Europe within four years, killing an estimated number of people. The population of the continent was reduced by more than a third, and many deserted cities never regained their former glory.

Without knowing the nature of the disease, it was seen as a punishment for sins, and the perpetrators were sought among the Jewish diaspora, who were accused of poisoning Christians. Mass exterminations of Jewish communities swept through Europe, also reaching Silesia, although no cases of plague were recorded there. At that time goods and property were hidden in large numbers, hoping to be regained after the end of persecution. However, many treasures were to remain hidden for centuries, and the famous find from Środa Śląska is one of the most important so-called treasures of the "Black Death" time.