Was Regelinda, the owner of the most famous Polish smile in the history of art, as beautiful and fragile as porcelain? After all, the husband of this Polish princess was the Margrave of Meissen, which several hundred years later became famous for producing fine ceramics.

Bolesław Chrobry - the first king of Poland
Although the sculpture of the so-called laughing Polish woman (Die lachelnde Polin) dates from the 13th century, to tell the story of this mysterious princess we must go back another two hundred years. The throne in Gniezno was then occupied by Bolesław I Chrobry, the first formal king of Poland. He went down in history as the ruler behind the Congress of Gniezno in 1000, at which the German Emperor Otto III confirmed the independence of the Polish state.


However, maintaining the political status quo required much effort on the part of the Polish ruler. Boleslaus I was able to emerge from frequent military conflicts unscathed, and his subjects posthumously nicknamed him Chrobry, i.e. brave, valiant and courageous.

Wives and children of Bolesław Chrobry
. The Brave had numerous offspring from four successive wives, but only the last two, Emnilda and Oda, are known by name. As Paweł Jasienica notes, the names of two of Bolesław's daughters have not been preserved in period sources, including the Chronicle of Thietmar, Bishop of Merseburg. We only know about the sons: Mieszko II Lambert and Otto, and a daughter, precisely Regelinda. This shows, according to Jasienica, that the chronicler 'did not regard the already Christian Poles as a nation equal to the Germans'. He therefore did not consider it important to record such details.

In that era, even daughters of rulers rarely kept their names for posterity. Fortunately for us, foundation documents from the 13th century have been found, from which Regelinda's personalities were deduced and then linked to a statue from the Naumbur Cathedral.

Polish princess Regelinda - Margravine of Meissen
Almost a thousand years later, the daughter of Bolesław Chrobry became the heroine of the children's story Uśmiech księżniczki by Maria Krüger. It tells the story of a young princess who, together with her entourage, goes to meet her future husband, Margrave Herman I, in 1002 or 1003. In doing so, the author of this narrative draws attention to the girl's gentle smile, which was supposed to immediately charm her husband and future subjects. It is certain that this royal marriage was motivated as much by emotion as by strategy.

What was Regalinda's life like in a foreign country, did she have offspring, how long did she live? So far, historians have not been able to answer any of these questions with certainty. There is only the suggestion that she had a strong bond of loyalty with her husband Herman and that she stood by him when necessary, even against paternal interests.

Royal sculptures by the Master of Naumburg
The fate of the Catholic Church in Germany was not easy, and the history of the Naumburg Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul was equally turbulent. The first construction work began in 1026, when a bishopric was established in Naumburg. In the 13th century, the Romanesque church was rebuilt in Gothic style and the statue of Regelinda and her husband Herman I dates from this time. Until the mid-16th century, the building was in the hands of the Catholics, and with the death of the last bishop, it passed into the possession of the Evangelicals. It was then that the face of this church as we know it today was finally shaped.

It is a three-nave basilica, with a transept, crypts and two choirs, which contain, among other things, sculptures of interest to Polish explorers. The magnificent decoration of the church was largely the responsibility of Master Naumbur. In keeping with the medieval ethos, we do not know his name. However, it is most likely that he worked with a team with whom he made full-figure donor statues: Regelinda and Herman I, Ekkehard I and Uta and the cycle of the Passion and Crucifixion, as well as the tombstone of Bishop Dietrich II.

The distinguishing feature of the unnamed master was undoubtedly his individual approach to his models. Although the sculptures were created more than two hundred years after the deaths of the protagonists, the talent and meticulous documentation of the time give the impression of dealing with real figures. Art historians also draw attention to the good reproduction of costumes and attributes from the era. It is worth mentioning that copies of these figures are housed in London's Victoria and Albert Museum as examples of medieval German sculpture.

Sculpture of Regelinda in Naumburg Cathedral
In Naumburg, we are mainly interested in the most famous laughing Polish woman. From time to time, voices are raised that cast doubt on the origin of the joyful lady. For the time being, however, there is still no evidence effectively supporting another attribution.

Let us therefore take a closer look at Regelinda. She is dressed in a long gown, covered by a kind of cape or cloak. She additionally holds up its halves with her left hand. The inexorable passage of time has obliterated the original colours of the robes, with only traces of the red hue showing through, which for centuries was reserved for the most noble as it was extremely expensive.

The princess's hair and neck are covered with a bright headpiece and veil, and she has an ornate diadem on her temples. Her face is marked by a joy and warmth that seems to radiate out to her husband Herman, who even leans towards his gazing wife in space.

Another equally beautiful and interesting female figure from the same church is also worth noting. This is Uta von Ballenstedt, a German countess and wife of the Margrave of Meissen, Ekkehard. Uta's figure is no longer as open and friendly as Regelinda's, at least towards her husband, for she shields her cheek from him with her hand, which she also uses to support the edge of her robe. Fortunately for observers, her magnificent face is visible. Interestingly, this haughty and proud figure was for centuries, and especially in Romanticism and (sic!) the Third Reich, considered the ideal of the German woman.

Friedrich Nietzsche, Regelinda and Agnes of Austria
There are many reasons to come to the Saxon city of Naumburg. Fans of the Gothic will visit the historic cathedral, philosophers will head to 18 Weingarten Street to visit the home of Friedrich Nietzsche's family, while those looking for polonics will stop for a longer while at the Regelinda sculpture.

The city, famous for its statue of a laughing Polish woman, also has traces of another Polish princess, Agnes of Austria, wife of Ladislaus II the Exile, the eldest son of Boleslaus III the Wrymouth. This heroine, however, deserves a separate story.

approx. 1240

Mistrz Naumburski (rzeźbiarz; Francja, Rzesza Niemiecka)

Andrzej Goworski, Marta Panas-Goworska