Těšín

Těšín, known in Polish as Cieszyn and in German as Teschen, stands on the Olza at the foot of the Beskids. From 1290 it was the capital of a Silesian duchy ruled by a branch of the Piast dynasty. Its castle overlooked a town in which Polish, Czech and German traditions met along the approaches between Silesia and the Carpathians.

The Piast line ruled Cieszyn until 1653, when the duchy passed to the Habsburgs. Unlike much of Silesia, it remained Austrian after the wars of Frederick II of Prussia. In May 1779 the town lent its name to the Peace of Teschen, concluded between Austria and Prussia to end the War of the Bavarian Succession. The agreement made this ducal town the setting for a settlement of a dispute reaching far beyond Silesia.