Church of Peace, Swidnica - Poland
N 50° 50.790 E 016° 29.494
33U E 605005 N 5633815
The Church of Peace located in Swidnica in the Silesia region of south-western Poland is the largest timber-framed Baroque ecclesiastical building in Europe.
Waymark Code: WMZF23
Location: Dolnośląskie, Poland
Date Posted: 11/01/2018
Views: 3
The churches in Jawor and Swidnica are the only two surviving Protestant churches which were allowed to be built under the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The Thirty Years' War (1618–48) ended in Silesia with a defeat of Protestant communities who were deprived of their churches.
The imperial building permits, granted after a period of prolonged and costly efforts on the part of the local community, provided for the construction of three churches in total - the church in Swidnica, the church in Jawor and the third, now-defunct temple in Glogów. The constraints imposed under the building permits in question - the Churches of Peace were to be located beyond the city limits on a site designated by the imperial officials, built using nothing but timber and clay over the course of a single year and were not allowed to feature any towers whatsoever - were exceptionally stringent and had a direct impact on the unique solutions used in the course of construction of these churches. The need to reconcile these requirements with the expectations of a very numerous Evangelical community resulted in the construction of the largest Baroque timber-framed ecclesiastical buildings anywhere in Europe. Using traditional materials and construction techniques, Albrecht von Säbisch, an architect and engineer, designed buildings that pushed the boundaries of the technological capabilities of their times, while the proficiency of their builders in the field of carpentry, drawing on the centuries of tradition of erecting timber-framed structures, allowed them to survive for many centuries despite the inherently ephemeral materials used during their construction. The lavish interior fittings (which were constructed and installed over time) add to the value of the church in Swidnica, forming an example of the cross-pollination between Baroque art and Lutheran theology and bearing witness to the social hierarchy of the days gone by.
Style: Baroque
Type of building (structure): Large religious building (church, monastery, synagogue...)
Date of origin:: 1/1/1657
Architect(s): Albrecht von Säbisch
Web site of the object (if exists): [Web Link]
Address:
plac Pokoju 6, 58-100 Świdnica, Poland
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Visit Instructions:
Logging requirements: Please upload your own personal photo of the structure. You or your GPS can be in the picture, but it’s not a requirement.