PODLESIE (355-475m) – the highest and the most beautiful located village in the Opawskie Mountains( about 300 inhabitants). It occupies the southern part of the ridge of the Park Mountain, up to Oleśnica valley. It is surrounded from three sides by the border of the country. Before war, it used to be called Schönwalde, which means, ‘Beautiful Forest’, and such name was used in first months after The Second World War.
Information about the village Villa Andree dates back from 1263 ( contemporary Ondrejovice, just across the border), which belonged to municipality of Głuchołazy. Afterwards, it used to be a knights’ estate. A gold adit, called ‘A Good Fortress’ used to operate there( mentioned in 1420), and it was filled up during The Thirty Years War.
A medieval scrubber of gold were situated between Oleśnica and the upper part of the contemporary village Podlesie. Podlesie was probably settled up quite late, as a part of Ondrejovice, although the name was known in neighborhood in 14c. It is marked on the map of the episcopal principality, made by Helwig, in 1561(Schönwaldów), while the first written record comes from 1666( documents from church visits). The Jesuits from Głuchołazy owned the Ash Grange in Podlesie. The firing squad garrisoned here during the Silesian wars, and a Prussia king ordered the lord of Ondrejovice, von Wimmersberg. The school was established in 1742.
In 1777, a paper- mill was built, manufacturing 100 logs of canvas per year. In 1808 Karel Salis, the owner of Ondrejovice, built over a boundary stream ironworks, with huge blast furnace and ‘hamry’, that is, smithy. The iron ore was excavated in surrounding forests. The ironworks produced ploughshares for ploughs, frames and steel teeth, and after modernization- tinplate, well known in London and Athens. Near the ironworks, a small factory of wire and steel springs was built. Both plants employed 10 workers and produced about 10 tons of products a year. The Oleśnica Stream contributed to linen whitewashing and producing of needles. In the second half of 19c, this area was intended to become a pilgrimage place, just like the Sanctuary of Maria Hilf in Zlate Hory. The lord of the estate even donated the ground, but the construction was interrupted by wars in 1866-67 and in 1870-71. The bleacher of linen used to function in Gęstwina.
Podlesie, famous for its breathtaking views, used to be a touristic town with four restaurants before the war. A hiking track from Głuchołazy (Bad Ziegenhals) led to popular tourist town, Rejviz, in Czech Republic. The route was delineated along our building plots.
There was a small monastery of Sisters of The Sacred Heart, a bus stop and a post office in the village. Among the businesses run there was an iron-foundry, a factory of machines and saws and 8 shops. It is said that before the end of The Second World War, German soldiers transported to Podlesie big amounts of boxes and hid them in special shelters, near the church.
In the 70’s, one of the Silesian mines planned to build here a leisure centre. The land for building was outlined on the plot A, exactly in the same place as contemporary.
Just near the border of the country, on the way to Głuchołazy, a 90 cm high, quartzite boulder with small cross , date ‘1586’ and worn away inscription A.E.P.S engraved is hidden in the bushes. It was marked as a border sign of Zlate Hory in 1330. It was also mentioned by Mayor Handtke, describing the land of Zlate Hory, (1687). The junction of borders of Głuchołazy, Zlate Hory and Ondrejovice is located here. According to others, the stone marked the border of the mining excavation field ( the same, on which the popular mine ‘Miękki Cech’ was located). The legend says, that according to the custom, the lord of castle in Ondrejovice, lord von Wimmersberg, was buried under the boulder on ‘the three borders’, and after his death he became the ghost of the castle. He must have been transported here from the cemetery. Actually, the letters stand for Andreas Episcopus, i.e. Bishop Andrew. Bishop Andrew Jerin ruled the duchy in years 1585-1596, and in his ex-libris, he used the abbreviation ANDREAS ESP WRATISLAVIENSIS. J. Chmiel claims, that the stone is the only one from the oldest, dated border signs in Central Europe, which has been preserved until now. Older ones are located in Saxony ( with a date of 1568) and nearby Szczytna in Stołowe Mountains ( date 1:5.7.4). Neo-gothic, brick church of Saint George, is picturesquely situated under Tylna Kopa. It comes from years 1907-1908(board outside the presbytery).
In the past, the village belonged to the parish in Zlate Hory, however, after building the church, it became a branch of the parish in Jarnołtówek. In 1864 the cemetery was established. The construction resembles the church in Jarnołtówek (the same architect and master of bricklaeing Altwasser). Following the sycamore avenue we get to the church, with a missionary cross in front , (1919), with a German inscription: O Jesus, don’t be a judge to us, but a savior. Over the entrance, there is a crest of Kopp, cardinal of Wroclaw- green-and white chequerboard. A baroque polychrome sculpture of Saint George fighting with a dragon, from the first half of 18c. is situated inside, over the presbytery. On 19.05.1996, almost whole, main wooden altar with a painting of Our Lady of the Rosemary (from 1907), was burnt. A local teacher bought organ from church in Mikulovice in 1929. Three bells were commandeered in 1917. Near church, there is a wooden presbytery (18/19c it was renewed), and a chapel of Our Lady from 1860, a gift from the owner of the estate.
An alley of 80 old lindens, with a perimeter of 2,5-3,2m leads to a small, baroque manor estate, with a mansard roof, with profiled corners (18c.). Since 1927, a sanatorium of lungs diseases for men was established there by Racibórz province administration. A beech with a perimeter of 4,1m grows by the manor house. A spa Lazne Jesenik which was established by famous hydropath, Winzenz Priessnitz can be seen from here. The former grange belonging to the state since the end of 19c. neighbours the spa. Above, in the forest, a wattle and daub building of forest inspectorate near old beeches is located. A building of primary school from the middle of 19c. is located by the asphalt lane running down the ridge.
Ditches and mounds, the traces of medieval gold mining can be seen on the plot B and in nearby forest. There used to be four shafts in the area. The attractions of Oleśnica valley are: old, bricked manufacturing constructions (former bleachery of Frankl from 1875) and houses, e.g. with vaulted hall as well as the exposures of carboniferous granite, on a steep slope of the valley. The asphalt lane ends up with spinning-mill (the branch of “Frotex” from Prudnik), built before war, in place of the former ironworks, from “hamry” i.e. hammer forge. It is equipped with a sewage treatment plant and employs 150 people. On the examination of water from the factory’s well, its sour taste was discovered - it might be mineral water. In front of the plant, in Czech Republic, there is an iron factory continuing the ironworks traditions dating back to 1828, when the ironworks with first, tinplate rolling mill was opened. Before the war, it was a foundry and machine factory of W. Hassman. About 100m above, the upper part of the village can be seen from here. Even before the Second World War, the village had 180 inhabitants (40 houses), separate school and 4 restaurants.
Below, the reproductions of authentic, prewar postcards from Podlesie (former: Schonwalde)
The quotations come from the book Góry Opawskie by Marek Sitko