Remembering Bolko von Hochberg: 100 years of his legacy
- Eleni Ioannidou
- 6 days ago
- 7 min read
...and how it all began in 2016!
Exactly ten years ago, my husband Heinz Müller and I moved to Görlitz. The city and its location in the heart of a beautiful, binational region captivated me immediately. I saw the beauty of the cityscape, the gentle, romantic landscapes of Upper Lusatia and Silesia with their castles, mountains, and spa towns steeped in fascinating history, and recognized the enormous potential of this region. The place seemed to have been slumbering, forgotten and misunderstood by everyone, and I dreamed of awakening this sleeping city to a renaissance. One architectural structure served as a symbol for my vision: the town hall (Stadthalle), situated right on the border between Poland and Germany. A monumental and beautiful symbol of a bygone era, it slumbered like the city itself, awaiting its reawakening. It captivated me. I began reading about the building's history, which led me to meet a man who began to tell me stories from bygone days.
His name was Bolko von Hochberg. Around the same time, coincidences and experiences began to pile up. In the summer of 2016, I received an invitation from Fürstenstein Castle (Zamek Ksiaz). Mateusz Mykytyszyn, chairman of the "Princess Daisy of Pless" Foundation, was organizing a singing competition entitled "Sing Like Princess Daisy" in year 2017 and invited me to be a judge, even though we barely knew each other. The famous Englishwoman Daisy, the last mistress of Fürstenstein Castle, was also a singer, and Mateusz had discovered the songs she had sung around 1920—songs by Schubert, Massenet, Saint-Saëns, or Gounod. He had the brilliant idea of inviting young female singers to perform these songs in a competition. And so it all began!
In 2017, I discovered the work of the composer Bolko, a substantial collection of his songs, quartets, trios, and a symphony. Later, I shared the scores with musicians who were looking for them, including Prof. Tomaszewski, who recently recorded them on CD. I compiled the songs into a collection and began searching for funding for their premiere. It was a fortunate coincidence that Heinz had experience with sound recording, having run a recording studio in Munich in the 1980s and possessing a wide array of high-quality microphones and equipment from that era. We ultimately secured the necessary funding from Professor Stöcker's company, EUROIMMUN, which—what a curious coincidence—shares the same birthday as Bolko: he was born on January 23, 1843, at Fürstenstein Castle. And it was precisely in this castle, the ancestral seat of the von Hochberg family, that we organized the first recital of Bolko's songs during 2018, the European Year of Sharing Heritage. This recital can now be listened to and downloaded free of charge.
We repeated the concert in Bad Salzbrunn (Szczawno Zdroj), where Bolko died in 1926, and of course in Görlitz, where he was made an honorary citizen, at the "Vino e Cultura" venue. There, we combined the concert with an event to explore the potential revival of the Silesian Music Festivals, in cooperation with the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences and Dr. Sławomir Tryc. Ms. Waltraut Simon (Erika Simon Foundation), who had just arrived in Görlitz, was present, as were Mr. Rauhut and Anne-Marie Franke. The latter was then the cultural affairs officer for Silesia and supported the publication of the brochure containing a scholarly biography of Bolko and the accompanying CD.
But that was just the beginning!
How the idea for the Lied Competition came about and was implemented in 2021.
I understood that the Silesian Music Festivals were originally a gathering of singing societies from all over Silesia. They had been founded as early as 1830, at a time when song and choral singing were ubiquitous throughout Prussia. But today everything is quite different. There are fewer choirs, and singing at home is no longer as popular. Yet, the art of song is currently experiencing a renaissance internationally. In Berlin and Heidelberg, in Vienna and the Netherlands, some very good song competitions have been held, and many young singers have expressed interest in participating.
Today, however, we live in Europe, and the internet connects the whole world across all borders. I was certain that Bolko would agree to my idea of founding an international singing competition in his town hall (Stadthalle), replacing the former Silesian Music Festivals. So I organized the first edition entirely on my own. I was particularly inspired by the Paula Salomon Lindberg Competition "Das Lied," which the Berlin University of the Arts holds every three years. I studied it thoroughly. It was the centenary of the Greek Revolution, because 200 years ago, songs about Hellas were sung all over Europe. I researched the cultural heritage of this song literature day and night and compiled a very good repertoire. I looked for a jury, received rejections from well-known figures, but also many acceptances, and created a website. Everything was to be in Polish and German: the jury, the participants, and the venues.
The pandemic was a stroke of luck: many singers were unemployed, and when they learned about the competition, they were thrilled about this wonderful opportunity: to learn songs and visit this beautiful city in the spring. The first competition in 2022 was a complete success. Now, four years later, the third edition of the Bolko von Hochberg Song Competition is just around the corner. According to my plan, it will take place in Görlitz and Jelenia Góra, because Bolko would certainly have championed cultural and economic ties between Poland and Germany. It was precisely there, in Jelenia Góra, that he first organized his Silesian Music Festivals 150 years ago. I also see this connection and cooperation as the key to the region's renaissance. Together we will achieve great things!
This year, the project is funded by EU grants. The budget has been pre-financed thanks to the support of my wonderful husband, Heinz Müller, and the 20 percent contribution is once again being provided by Mr. Stöcker, the current owner of the Görlitz department store (Kaufhaus Görlitz). The first round of the competition will take place on Saturday, May 30th, in this enchantingly beautiful historic building. Another happy coincidence: the August Förster piano manufacture in Löbau is currently building a new concert grand piano. If everything goes according to plan, the musicians will even be able to play this brand-new instrument and get to know a long-established company from the region. The department store has pledged its support with the organization (many thanks!), and the Evangelical Inner City Parish has made the Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), located right next to the department store, available to us as a rehearsal space. Every resident and tourist of Görlitz will visit the two monuments, which will be filled with the singing of young musicians from all over the world. Admission is free! Reinhard Seeliger will be a juror! Together with Alexander Schmalcz (Dresden), Ewa and Grzegorz Biegas (Katowice), Romy Donath (Bautzen), Bartosz Zurakowski (Opeln), and... René Pape, the famous Dresden bass, will also be on the jury on May 30th and 31st before he travels to Berlin to sing "Don Carlos." I owe this fortunate turnaround to the Dresden director Amal Reich ("Fastnachts-Lust im September im Apollo-Theater"), who knows the star personally.
In addition to the Euroregion, which supports us through the INTERREG Poland-Saxony Small Project Fund, the names of the donors of the three prizes are particularly noteworthy:
The Erika Simon Foundation and Ms. Waltraut Simon are sponsoring the first prize (€6,000), which will be named the "Hedwig Prize."
The second prize (€4,000) is sponsored by the Sparkasse Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien, and
The third prize (€2,000) is sponsored by Ms. Anna-Matilda Fischer from Braunschweig, a relative of the composer Anna Teichmüller. As a token of our gratitude, we are renaming the third prize the "Anna Teichmüller Prize."
We also received donations from Ms. Fischer, Mr. Klaus-Dieter Mende, Mr. Wolfgang Möller, and Gabriele Jokiel. We also received a great deal of support from the Polish side, for example from Ms. Alexandra of the Melonanów Club in Jelenia Góra, who put us in touch with the director of the Jelenia Góra Philharmonic. Mr. Wroniszewski generously made both of the Philharmonic's halls available to us. The partnership with the Lower Silesian Philharmonic is ideal, as it was there that Bolko von Hochberg organized the first Silesian Music Festival 150 years ago!
The Adam Hiller Music School in Görlitz and the Stanislaw Moniuszko Music School in Jelenia Góra are also partners and provide rehearsal spaces for the musicians who travel to Görlitz and Jelenia Góra from all over the world.
We are establishing a German-Polish friendship circle and cordially invite you to join us.
But all of this would not be complete without you, the residents of Görlitz and Jelenia Góra, who will celebrate this festival and these two anniversaries with us. To this end, we are establishing the "Bolko von Hochberg" Friendship Circle – all friends of culture, German-Polish understanding, and our beautiful region are warmly invited to join. Participation is, of course, entirely voluntary: simply bring your enthusiasm for meeting regularly at the events and discussing the future of the region and our friendship together while enjoying beautiful music.
The first meetings will take place this year on three dates:
On May 21st at 5:00 PM (until 8:00 PM): Opening ceremony and concert by the 2024 prize winners, Sarah Gilford and Ewa Danilewska. We are happy to assist you with organizing your travel and, if needed, overnight accommodation in Jelenia Góra.
On May 30th, the audience, jury, and musicians will be welcomed at the Görlitz department store, followed by the start of the competition. The first round lasts three days (Saturday, May 30th, Sunday, May 31st, and Monday, June 1st, from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with a lunch break from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM and a coffee break from 5:00 PM to 5:30 PM). On the first day, the Friends of Bolko will be invited to a dinner with the musicians and jury (starting at 7:00 PM).
The semi-finals will take place in Jelenia Góra on June 3rd (10:30 AM to 7:30 PM). Attendance is not required.
Finally, on June 4th, the Friends of Bolko will meet in Jelenia Góra for the finals and the awards ceremony. Friends of Bolko are encouraged to vote for their favorite duo. The winner of the Audience Choice Award will be invited to perform in 2027.
The competition will continue on June 4th. I am personally happy to answer any questions you may have about membership. Simply send me an email (arsaugusta@gmail.com) or call me (+49 3581 8778460). We are currently reserving rooms in Jelenia Góra (price €50-60 per room), so we would appreciate it if you could let us know from Görlitz whether you would like to stay there. In Görlitz, we have a partnership with the Park Hotel for discounted rates.
Thank you and have a wonderful February!
Eleni Müller
Görlitz, February 2026
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