St Florian's Church in Żnin

Set into the north wall of Żnin's parish church is a stone block older than the church itself – it comes from a 13th-century Romanesque building and is carved with the figure of a horseman. It is a good clue to the whole building: the Gothic church of St Florian dates from the early 15th century and replaced an earlier church, while later centuries added a Baroque interior and a Neo-Baroque tower. Today it is the main church in the historic centre of Żnin, capital of the Pałuki region.

History of the parish church

The parish was probably founded at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries by the archbishops of Gniezno, who then owned Żnin. The Gothic church was built at the beginning of the 15th century, reusing ashlars from its Romanesque predecessor. It suffered during the Swedish wars of the 17th century and was rebuilt after a fire in 1758; the present vaults date from 1792–1795. At the end of the 18th century the interior was remodelled in Baroque style on the initiative of Bishop Stefan Łubieński. The distinctive tower was only added in 1910–1924, so the silhouette you see from afar is just over a hundred years old.

What to see inside

The church has three aisles and a separate, three-bay chancel with a straight end. Outside, look for the cylindrical stair turret leading to the roof space. Inside, Baroque and late Neoclassical furnishings dominate:

• a late Gothic Crucifixion group on the rood beam,
• the high altar, partly in stucco, with adoring angels around the columns and a painting of St Florian in the centre,
• in the concave left side altar, a 16th-century Pietà and an 18th-century sculpture of Saints Stanislaus and Adalbert,
• in the right one, figures of St John of Nepomuk and St Joseph from the first half of the 17th century,
• a pulpit with the Risen Christ, a late Neoclassical organ from the second half of the 19th century and two Rococo confessionals from the late 18th century.

Tripto tip

The church is on ul. 700-lecia; the parish office is at ul. św. Floriana 4 (tel. +48 52 302 04 03). It is a working parish church with no set visiting hours, so the easiest time to see the interior is just before or after Mass. Mass times are Sundays 7:00, 9:00, 10:30, 12:00, 15:30 and 18:00, weekdays 7:00, 17:00 and 18:00 (as of October 2026). Allow 15–20 minutes; look for the horseman stone outside on the north side. Church feasts fall on St Florian's Day (4 May) and Our Lady of the Rosary, Lady of Żnin (7 October).

Nearby

A few minutes' walk away is the Gothic tower of the former town hall, home to the Pałuki Regional Museum. The town also has the Żnin Wąskotorowy station – the local narrow-gauge line was opened in 1889 as a district railway, so a visit to the church combines easily with a ride around Pałuki.