Pillory in Bystrzyca Kłodzka

The stone pillar standing today on the Small Market Square in Bystrzyca Kłodzka is a pillory from 1556, one of the few fully original instruments of former justice preserved in Lower Silesia.

A walk around the square

The pillory originally stood on the main market square of Bystrzyca Kłodzka, on the spot where the Holy Trinity Column now stands. In 1736 it was moved to another spot on the same square, as recorded by a German inscription carved into the pillar, "TRANSFERIRT", along with the date. Its final move, to the Small Market Square, is recorded as having taken place in 1813.

Construction of the pillar

The base has a square cross-section with a side of about 42 centimetres and turns into an octagonal shaft, topped with a round column bearing a conical cap. The cap bears a Latin inscription, "DEUS IMPRIOS PUNIT", meaning "God punishes the godless". Three hooks and four iron hoops survive on the pillar, to which the condemned were chained, and the whole was once surrounded by a chain that has not survived to this day.

Punishments and the pillar's later life

The pillory was used for the public branding of minor offences and moral misdemeanours, putting the condemned on display for the town's residents. Once it stopped serving this purpose, it was used as a street lamp and a place for tying up horses on market days. Around 1900 it was recognised as a historic monument.

Practical information

• Address: Small Market Square, Bystrzyca Kłodzka
• Getting there: on foot from the main market square, near the Museum of Match-related Objects and the statue of St John of Nepomuk
• What to expect: a single stone pillar on a small square, viewed from the outside, with no interior to visit