About the namesake of the competition

Who gave the competition its name? Why did we choose him? He is closely connected to our region and its history; he was not only a composer, but above all a cultural promoter and a bridge builder between Poland and Germany. But let's start from the beginning:

The historical family “von Hochberg” and Silesia

Count Heinrich Bolko von Hochberg belonged to one of the most important noble families in the historical region of Silesia, the "von Hochberg". Since the Renaissance, the family's seat was Fürstenstein Castle near the town of Waldenburg, which today belongs to Poland and is called Wałbrzych. Fürstenstein, like the entire Silesia region, alternated between Polish, Bohemian and German rulers. In the 18th century (Baroque period) the Austrian Habsburgs ruled over Silesia. During this time, the castle was further rebuilt in the Baroque style and a magnificent music hall (Maximilian Hall) invited important masters to play music. Today Fürstentein Castle (Zamek Książ in Polish) is the largest castle in Silesia and one of the largest in Poland.

This castle was founded by the famous Silesian Piasts, a historic Polish noble family. One of them was Bolko I (1253-1301), who founded several castles and monasteries, such as the Grüssau Monastery, where he is also buried (in the mausoleum of the Silesian Piasts). In 1605 the German von Hochberg family took over the property. Out of respect for the history of the castle, many family members bore the (Polish) first name Bolko, which is actually a shortened form of the name Bolesław.

The von Hochberg family ruled the region around Waldenburg, Schweidnitz and Jauer but also Pless (today Pszczyna) for many centuries. Unlike many other aristocrats who had little respect for the people, they cared about their people. Around 1844, the famous Weavers' Revolt occurred in Silesia, the subject of Gerhart Hauptmann's famous drama “The Weavers”. There were many weavers living in the region at the time (the weaving houses are now a nice tourist attraction in the area), and the local aristocrats took such advantage of these poor people that a bloody uprising broke out around 1844. However, the von Hochberg family seemed to follow the principles of humane ethics, which is why they remained popular to the local people to this day.

The Nobel Prize-winning writer Gerhart Hauptmann was born in Bad Salzbrunn, which also belonged to the Hochberg family. In the beautiful neo-baroque style theater that the Hochbergs built in the city, Gerhart Hauptmann listened to a lot of theater and music as a child, which inspired his spirit.

During World War II, the family refused to cooperate with the Nazis. Hitler then dispossessed the family and confiscated Fürstenstein Castle with the aim of setting up his headquarters there. He destroyed the baroque elements and built tunnels under the castle ("Riese" project), the destination of which remains unknown. After the war, Poland restored the castle to its original Baroque form, while the tunnels can be visited by tourists today.

The Hochbergs opposed the Hitler regime. A son of the family, Alexander Hochberg, even emigrated to Warsaw and France, took part in the war on the Polish side and changed his name to Aleksander Pszczyński. Also Jan Heinrich XVIII. von Hochberg took part in the war in the British military. The family generally had very good relations with England, as the last countess in Fürstenstein, Daisy von Pless (Mary Theresa Olivia Cornwallis-West, 1873–1943), was an Englishwoman.

And Bolko?

Bolko von Hochberg was born around 1843 in Fürstenstein Castle and died around 1926 in the Grand Hotel (now sanatorium) in Bad Salzbrunn (now called Szczawno Zdrój in Poland). Like many other members of the family, he was supposed to become a diplomat. However, Bolko had a great interest in music and began composing music at a very early age. When he was only 20 years old, he created a "singspiel" based on a work by Goethe, “Claudine of Villa Bella,” which premiered at the Schwerin Theater in 1864. He later wrote another opera (“Der Falkensteiner”), many songs and choral works, quartets and piano trios, 2 symphonies and piano concertos. Little is known about this music today. The society Ars Augusta e.V. and Eleni Ioannidou began promoting its numerous songs in the European Sharing Heritage year 2018. With funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media at the Silesian Museum in Görlitz and the local company Kaufhaus Görlitz, the society presented a selection of the composer's songs, duets and vocal ensembles in a series of concerts at Fürstenstein Castle, Bad Salzbrunn and Görlitz. A CD-recording was prepared and a biography by the musicologist Dr. Grzegorz Joachimiak was written. Since then, several of Bolko's compositions have gained increasing popularity in the classical music scene and are being performed more and more frequently.

But Bolko von Hochberg was not only a composer. The quality of this person that inspired us to dedicate this competition to him was his genius as an artistic director, music manager, talent discoverer and promoter of art and culture. As the general director of the Royal Theater in Berlin, he helped artists such as Gerhart Hauptmann and Richard Strauss achieve their breakthrough. It is thanks to him that “Hannele's Ascension” by the young Gerhart Hauptmann celebrated its premiere in the conservative Royal Theater despite his socialist ideas, thus paving the way to an illustrious career that culminated in the awarding of the Nobel Prize in 1912.

In his region of Silesia - the homeland of Joseph von Eichendorff - there has always been a singing tradition. In 1833, singing societies began to meet for the “Silesian Music Festival”. It is probably the oldest festival in Europe. Bolko von Hochberg returned to his homeland after the end of the directorship of the Berliner Schauspielhaus (1901) and was interested in establishing this singing meeting as an important music festival in Görlitz, at which famous conductors, choirs and orchestras performed, the "Silesian Music Festivals". For this purpose he even built the beautiful “Stadthalle Görlitz”, which still stands today at the Europa Bridge and is waiting for new use and renovation. This huge concert hall in neoclassical style designed by architect Bernhard Sehring (who also built the theater in Cottbus) has one of the best acoustic properties and a beautiful historic organ from the Sauer company.

As director of the Silesian Music Festival, Bolko von Hochberg was able to promote many musicians and talents and connect many people through music in the multi-ethnic region of Silesia, between Poland, Bohemia and Germany. It is precisely this quality of this inspiring person – as a bridge builder and talent promoter – the reason why we are dedicating this competition to him.

Complete biography (Dr. Joachimiak).

The City-hall (Görlitzer Stadthalle) then and now.