During the Thirty Years’ War Princess Elizabeth Lucretia was forced to leave the Cieszyn castle several times, and its condition gradually deteriorated. Between 1640 and 1641 the Princess bought three houses in the vicinity of the Market Square from Cieszyn townspeople, and another one in 1649. She moved into them in 1648 after the final destruction of the castle during the siege of 1646, and lived there until her death on 19th May 1653. The residence was decorated with octagonal floor tiles bearing the Piast eagle and the initials “EL HZT” which stand for “Elisabeth Lukretia Herzogin zu Teschen” (Elizabeth Lucretia, Princess of Cieszyn) and the date 1648. The Princess established a private chapel in one of the houses, probably the one located closest to the Upper Town Gate. After the death of Elizabeth Lucretia the princely houses fell into the hands of the Emperor who then in turn made them over to the Jesuit Order. The Jesuits established a monastery with a chapel there, which was later to become the church of the Holy Cross. One of the houses served as a Jesuit gymnasium and from 1802 housed the museum and library of Father Leopold Johannes Scherschnik. It still bears the Greek inscription “Psyches iatreion”, which stands for “House of healing for the soul”.

We pass both these buildings as we walk along ul. Szersznika and then turn right into ul. Szeroka towards the mansion of the Counts Larisch, which was built at the turn of the 18th century and is also called the Demel House. Since 1931 it has housed the Museum of Cieszyn Silesia, which grew out of the museum of Father Scherschnik. The entrance to the museum leads through the Park of Peace. The most extensive collection of exhibits dating from the Piast times and originating from various places in Cieszyn and Cieszyn Silesia is part of the permanent exhibition of the museum, which can be visited every day except Mondays.