Paul Würtz
Paul Würtz (also Paulus, and Würz Wertz or Wirtz) (30 October 1612 - 23 March 1676) was a German officer and diplomat, who at various times was in German, Swedish, Danish, and Dutch service.
Life
[edit]He was born in Husum, Dithmarschen.
During his tenure as governor of Cracow, during Swedish-Transilvanian occupation of the city between 1655–1657, he is renowned for looting and destruction of many priceless works of art, including a silver sarcophagus of Saint Stanislaus dating to 1630 and a silver altar created in 1512, both from the Wawel Cathedral.[1]
He was a Swedish Pomeranian general major and commander of the Stettin fortress from 1657 to 1659. With his 2000 men garrison he successfully withstood a siege by Brandenburgian troops in 1659. During the siege In a nightly raid he captured a column of wagons carrying munitions. The Brandenburgians and Austrians lifted the siege and withdrew early November 1659.[2] From 1661 to 1664, he was vice governor of Swedish Pomerania.
On his death, at Hamburg, he supposedly left a large fortune and a will which was disputed. Legal claims on the estate continued into the 20th century.[3]
Gallery
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Paul Würtz on horseback against panorama of Szczecin
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Wooden model of the silver altar of Saint Stanislaus, ca. 1512. The silver altar was destroyed in 1657.
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Design for the silver sarcophagus of Saint Stanislaus, ca. 1630. The sarcophagus was destroyed in 1657.
References
[edit]- ^ Kosman, Marceli (2005). "Elity polityczne Rzeczypospolitej wobec najazdu szwedzkiego 1655-1660". Wiadomości historyczne. Wydawnictwa Szkolne i Pedagogiczne. p. 323.
Dzieło grabieży kontynuował przez rok Paweł Wurtz, z którego polecenia wyrywano kute kraty żelazne, marmury, boazerie, podłogi, z katedry zabrano do przetopienia srebrną trumnę św. Stanisława, posągi, lichtarze, z Kaplicy Jagiellońskiej.
- ^ Englund, Peter (2000). Den oövervinnerlige: om den svenska stormaktstiden och en man i dess mitt (in Swedish). Stockholm: Atlantis. pp. 714–715. ISBN 978-91-7486-999-6.
- ^ "260-Years Old Will Case to End". West Coast Sentinel. 8 September 1939. p. 3. Retrieved 7 December 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
Sources
[edit]Werner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, pp. 274,276, ISBN 3-88680-272-8
See also
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