In the far distant past, somewhere on the Polish lands, there stood a wooden city that was the abode of Prince Leszek. The good lord ruled his people justly. Their three sons, Bolko, Leszko, and Cieszko, were the pride and joy of the venerable princely couple. The inhabitants of the city sincerely liked the young lads. They sympathetically shut their eyes to the frolics of the princes, who brought a lot of commotion to the quiet life of the city. Years passed. The three inseparable jesters blossomed into courageous warriors and skilful hunters. Together with their attendants they spent more and more time hunting, thus penetrating into the local forests. The primaeval forest was their second home. Only when they were extremely tired, did they go back to the parental city with their kill - only for a short rest.
      One July night Prince Leszek, having failed to fall asleep, went to the top of the tower of his castle to get some fresh air. The sight of the starless night sky, as well as the sighing of the wind that tossed the trees in the dense forest that surrounded the castle, filled the Lord with calmness. The pale glimmer of the moon brought out from the darkness the silhouette of the old Prince, sunk in thought. Suddenly, in the western sky, he noticed three shimmering stars. Their sudden appearance on that starless night seemed extremely puzzling... maybe it was some kind of a sign from the gods? As for a while he studied the twinkling stars, he thought about his sons: Bolko, Leszko, and Cieszko. Three stars, just like my three, thought the Prince. Maybe they point out their future, in an unknown and distant country...
      After a short period of meditation he ordered his guards to bring the lads to the tower. He showed the stars twinkling in a distance to the half-asleep lads and he spoke to them in the following words: “There are three stars, just as there are three of you. It is the gods that are giving me some sign. As soon as the dawn comes, you will go off in those directions, all three of you. When the leaves fall from the trees, come back. And now go and have your attendants woken up. Let them make preparations for the journey because the new day will break soon.”* 
      At daybreak Bolko, Leszko, and Cieszko, together with their parties of attendants and with full equipment, bade farewell to the Prince and Princess and set out for the West. When they had ridden a little from the city, each of them went a different way. After two days of their wandering, in the evening, the signals that each of the brothers gave by blowing their horns, stopped reaching the others. The roaming parties of Bolko, Leszko, and Cieszko moved away from each other and yet, the brothers played their hunting horns from time to time, hoping to hear a familiar signal somewhere in a distance. 
      They journeyed on, each venturing deeper and deeper into the dense forest. The days of roaming, full of adventures, passed quickly. In the rays of the sun the leaves started to show a play of autumn colours, reminding each of the princes about the promise, made to their father, that they would return to the city in autumn. They were each beginning to lose hope of meeting another of their brothers’ parties. 
      One day Leszek reached a small river. He decided that its course would lead them in their further journey. That day the riders had not come across a spring as yet and they could not quench their thirst with the waters of the river that was muddy due to the rain. While ploughing their way through the thickets of the forest, they came close to a hill. The prince went ahead of his party and set off towards the hill in order to play the tune that was familiar to Bolko and Cieszko. The three Princes had persisted in playing it every day, however, without any response. Leszko, too, resigned himself to the thought that it would not be sooner than in the autumn that he would see his brothers, that is, when they all got back to the paternal city. He went off at a great pace towards the summit, thinking at the same time about where Bolko and Cieszko might be wandering now and what adventures they had come across. Then, below him at the foot of the hill he saw a small spring. He descended and dismounted from his horse in order to drink some water. The spring water tasted delicious. He summoned his thirsty party. The surroundings of the springlet were beautiful and the wanderers were hungry and tired. Therefore Leszek called a halt. They would rest in that place till the following day. He himself, extremely tired, took a nap, having forgotten to call Bolko and Cieszko. But, before evening fell, he remembered his resolution. He went to the top of the hill and blew his horn to the four corners of the world. To his surprise, after a while, somewhere in a distance a weak but familiar sound of a hunting horn responded. Leszko, delighted at this, and sensing the coming of one of his brothers, ordered his party to make a big bonfire and to dress a deer for supper. The sound reaching them from the wood became more and more clear. Leszek’s party remained in waiting. Suddenly, to the joy of everybody, Bolko’s party emerged from the darkening thicket. There was no end to the greetings. Yet, what preyed on everybody’s mind was the fate of the youngest prince, Cieszko. While both parties were resting at the spring, Bolko’s scouts examined the area on the other side of the river. Before the sun set one could hear the approaching clip-clop of horses’ hooves on the opposite bank. But it was not Bolko’s people coming back. In the camp sprightliness set in. A numerous party approached the camp. Enemy or our folks? – everybody wondered. In the light of the dying day it was difficult to recognise the commander. The one who was riding in the front dismounted from his horse and came closer. His joyful laughter and words of greeting seemed oddly familiar. It was only then that Bolko and Leszko recognised that the newcomer was ... Cieszko himself! The three brothers were beside themselves with joy. They all listened to Cieszko’s story about a far distant and mountainous country that he and his party had covered for many days. That evening he had already chosen a place for the night. Although it was already growing dusk, Cieszko’s party, having learned that his scouts had come across Bolko’s people who were examining the area, dashed post-haste to meet his brothers. 
      Bolko, Leszko, and Cieszko were equally surprised and delighted at their meeting after the long period of separation. Happy, they hugged each other for a long time and they told stories about their experiences till dawn. In the morning Leszko, on behalf of his brothers, addressed all the three parties in the following way: “We have decided that we will not go any further. We will rest here, beside the spring, and when the sun rises for the third time, we will go towards the city. But we will come back here in the Spring. We will come here with some people and, in eternal memory of our happy meeting, we will build a fortified city on this very hill. A city that we will call Cieszyn (for Happiness), because we are all very happy with our meeting.” * Others say that it was Cieszko’s name that helped in choosing the name for the new city because he was the last one who came to this beautiful countryside, thus filling the measure of joy over this unexpected meeting. The legend also says that that memorable autumn Bolko, Leszko, and Cieszko turned the spring at which their parties met into a well that commemorates their happy reunion. They called it “The Well of Three Brothers”. It still stands where it was, in a narrow and picturesque little street in Old Cieszyn. It mutely tells its visitors the legend about the founding of the town on the Olza and explains the origin of its name. 

Quotations (*) taken from: Józef Ondrusz : Cudowny chleb. Podania, baśnie i opowieści cieszyńskie. Publisher: Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza, Warszawa 1984, ss. 450, s. 11, 15.