Numismatic Conference in Legnica
Poland (16-19 September 2025)
International, academic conference Numismatica Centroeuropaea VIII – Domini naturales – on the 350th anniversary of the end of the Piast dynasty
The conference is organised by the Copper Museum in Legnica and the Legnica Cultural Centre. It will take place on 16-19 September 2025 and commemorate the 350th anniversary of the end of the Piast dynasty (1675) and the 1000th anniversary of the coronation of Bolesław Chrobry (1025). Both of these dates bring together the nearly 700-year minting tradition of the Piast dynasty. The NC conference will be particularly devoted to the coins of European dynasties.
Legnica (German: Liegnitz, Czech: Lehnice) is the third largest city in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is situated in the Silesian Lowlands, on the Kaczawa River and its tributaries, in the warmest climatic zone in Poland.
Legnica is the largest urban centre of the so-called Legnica-Głogów Copper Belt, one of the world's largest producers of silver and copper. At the same time it is an important cultural and academic centre of Lower Silesia.
The beginning of settlement in the area of today's city date back to the early Middle Ages (9th century). From the end of the 10th century, with the destruction of the tribal stronghold and the development of an extensive defensive structure, Legnica became an important center of power for the Piasts. At the end of the 12th and the beginning of the 13th century, the Silesian descendants of the legendary Piasts built a brick castle in Legnica - one of the first brick buildings of its kind in Silesia and, at the same time, one of the largest complexes in Europe, a residence worthy of kings. The settlements developing in the vicinity of the stronghold and the castle were transformed around the middle of the 13th century (between 1242 and 1264, perhaps before 1252) into a municipal organism, gaining the privilege of location. From 1248 Legnica was the capital of the duchy, and it was here that the descendants of Poland's first rulers ruled for the longest time - the last of the family, Duke George IV. Wilhelm, died in Brzeg on 21 November 1675. The Duke was laid to rest in the Church of St John the Baptist, in a unique Baroque burial chapel, where the memory of the family and dynasty was preserved.
Over the centuries, Legnica and the entire region were ruled by the Piasts, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Habsburgs, Prussia and Germany. The city's rich history is best exemplified by its architecture - the aforementioned Piast Castle, St Peter and Paul Cathedral, St Mary's Church, Baroque churches and public buildings, the monumental establishment of the Knights' Academy, Art Nouveau districts with their townhouses and villas, but also the architecture of the socialist era, which irrevocably changed the image of the former city. The post-war history of Legnica is strongly influenced by the almost 50-year-long presence of a Soviet army garrison, which as late as 1993 still occupied almost one third of the town, including buildings in the very centre. Legnica - referred to as Little Moscow - was one of the most important and best-guarded points on the map of Europe during the Cold War.
The Numismatica Centroeuropaea Conference will be held in the historic building of the Knights' Academy, a university founded in Legnica in 1708 to educate the youth of the nobility. The Josephine Royal Academy of Knights was proclaimed by decree of Emperor Joseph I. The academy educated both Protestants and Catholics, which was unique in Silesia at the time. By 1811, more than 1,000 students graduated the school, mainly from Silesia, the Habsburg monarchy, the German states but also the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. The school, which in time was transformed into a royal-Prussian grammar school, operated until 1944. Since 1979, a year after the building was taken over from the Soviet authorities, it has been home to the Legnica Cultural Centre, the Copper Museum, the Music School and departments of the Legnica City Hall.
Numismatica Centroeuropaea VIII
Main conference theme: "Domini naturales – on the 350th anniversary of the end of the Piast dynasty".
Conference marks the 350th anniversary of the Piast Dynasty's extinction (1675) and the 1000th anniversary of Bolesław Chrobry's Coronation (1025). Both of these dates tie together nearly 700 years of the Piast minting tradition. The NC conference will be particularly devoted to dynastic coinages in Europe.
Topics of focus:
• Dynastic continuities and discontinuities in coinage of various countries
• Monetary unions following dynastic unions
• Memory of past dynasties on coins
The conference proceedings will be published in the series "Sources and Materials for the History of Legnica and the Duchy of Legnica", issued by the Copper Museum in Legnica.
Conference Steering Committee:
• Dr. hab. Jarosław Bodzek (Kraków)
• Dr. hab. Mateusz Bogucki (Warsaw)
• Mgr. Marek Budaj, PhD. (Bratislava)
• Prof. Dr. hab. Aleksander Bursche (Warsaw)
• Dr Adam Degler (Wrocław)
• Prof. Dr Hubert Emmerig (Vienna)
• Mgr. Dagmar Grossmannová, PhD. (Brno)
• Dr. Vida István (Budapest)
• Doc. PhDr. Jiří Militký, Ph.D., DSc. (Prague)
• Prof. Dr. hab. Borys Paszkiewicz (Wrocław)
• Mgr. Lenka Vacinová, Ph.D. (Prague)
• Prof. PhDr. Petr Vorel, CSc. (Pardubice)
• Mateusz Woźniak (Kraków)
Application Form and Conference Fee
To attend the conference, please complete the application form.
Application forms and conference fee must be submitted by 12 September 2025 by email: Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript.
Those wishing to present papers are asked to send in an application form by 15 May 2025.
The conference fee can be paid by bank transfer to the organiser's account:
Museum of Copper in Legnica
ul. Partyzantów 3
59-220 Legnica
Bank account: 11 1090 2066 0000 0001 3648 2575
Please write in the title of the transfer: Numismatica Centroeuropaea and the name of the participant.
Alternatively, fees can be paid in cash upon registration at the conference venue on 16-19 September 2025.
The exact amount of the conference fee will be announced in May 2025.
Additional Information
Presentation abstracts in English (up to two pages) must be submitted by 31 July 2025.
The main languages of the conference are English and German, but presentations may be given in the speaker's native language, provided that slide descriptions and texts are in English.
Additional events related to the conference:
- Numismatic exhibition Money of the Piast Dynasty
- Tour of the Piast Castle and the Piast Mausoleum
- Excursion to Lubiąż and visit to the largest Cistercian abbey in the world
- A visit to the Legnica Battle Museum, a branch of the Legnica Copper Museum, and the Minor Basilica in Legnickie Pole.
For further details, contact Ten adres pocztowy jest chroniony przed spamowaniem. Aby go zobaczyć, konieczne jest włączenie w przeglądarce obsługi JavaScript..
Conference Timeline
• 1 March 2025 – Launch of the website and opening of participant and speaker registration
• 15 May 2025 – Speaker registration deadline (application form submission)
• 31 May 2025 – Preliminary scientific program announced on the website
• 31 July 2025 – Abstract (papers and posters) submission deadline (max. two pages of text)
• 31 August 2025 – Book of abstracts published on the website
• 12 September 2025 – Final registration deadline and online payment of the conference fee
• 16-19 September 2025 – On-site participant registration and cash fee payment
• 16-19 September 2025 – Numismatica Centroeuropaea VIII Conference in Legnica
File for download:
Application form for the international conference Numismatica Centroeuropaea VIII in Legnica 2025 - /docx/
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