Certificate of love and loyalty from more than a century ago
The Von Richthofen family, associated with Silesia for centuries, had numerous possessions around. However, it was in Piotrków Ulrich and Helena that they found their haven. He, a harsh Prussian officer, and she, an educated daughter of a Silesian industrialist, a lover of travel and social life, formed an extraordinary relationship. After years of life together, their love found a symbolic crown in the mausoleum, which was to become a place of eternal rest of Helena.
The Richthofen chapel, today, acting as a affiliate church, was built in 1903 as a family grave chapel. The building represents a neoclassical style, referring to Greek patterns. It is characterized by a monumental tympanum supported on four columns, decorated with the arms cartouches of von Richthofen and Koschembahr. The chapel hidden in the shade of the trees is not only a monument to Ulrich’s love to Helena, but also a testimony of the old history of the region.
The fate of the Von Richthofen family intertwined with the military history of Germany. The most famous representative of the family was Manfred von Richthofen, the legendary « Red Baron », which during World War I shot down over 70 opponent aircraft. His family estate was in Świdnica, and the family’s influence reached far beyond Silesia.
Ulrich von Richthofen, as an officer of the Prussian army, often changed the places of stationing. Together with Helena, he lived in Düsseldorf, Bonn and Berlin, but in 1892 the couple decided to settle in Piotrków. Their estate became a family seat and a place of peace, located near Wrocław and other family estates. It was here, away from the hustle and bustle that they could enjoy the charms of landed life.
However, the beginning of the 20th century brought a tragedy. In 1903, Helena died at the age of less than 53. Desperate Ulrich ordered the construction of a chapel on a nearby hill, from where there was a view of his family palace and the surrounding area with the dominant Ślęą Mountain. The mausoleum became the place of his daily visits. Until the end of his life, he came there for morning prayers at the tomb of his beloved wife. He died in 1917.
Today, the chapel is not only an architectural monument. It is a moving story of love, loyalty and memory.
