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
editHe 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
editWerner Buchholz, Pommern, Siedler, 1999, pp. 274,276, ISBN 3-88680-272-8