Duchy of Münsterberg

St John’s border was established at the turn of the 13th and 14th Century as the border of the prince-bishopric. The border was marked with granite landmarks. On the sides of the landmarks, the words TMI / SCI / IOHIS (Latin for Border / Saint / John) were engraved, as well as the Pastoral staff - an attribute of Bishop’s power, and a diagonal cross – an ancient symbol of the border line.

The prince-bishopric was established in 1198 when Jarosław, Duke of Opole, was appointed the Bishop of Breslau. In his last will, the Duke bequeathed a part of his duchy - the land of Nysa – to the Bishops of Breslau. In the 1280s, a conflict erupted between Bishop Thomas II and Henryk IV Probus, Duke of Breslau, for the lands taken over by the Church. In 1287, a settlement was reached, upon which Bishop Thomas II was granted, for himself and his successors, the privilege of independence from the Duke’s authority. In June 1290, Duke Henryk IV Probus granted the Bishopric of Breslau a privilege, under which the Bishops were allowed to use the title of prince. The lands of the prince-bishopric were then marked with landmarks and the border line was named St John the Baptist's border, after the patron of the Breslau Diocese.

The prince-bishopric survived until 1810, when Frederick William II of Prussia issued a secularisation act for all Church property in Silesia.