Landmarks

St. Michael the Archangel’s Church in Katowice

On Wzgórze Beaty hill in the Tadeusz Kościuszko Park stands the oldest surviving building in Katowice — the wooden St. Michael the Archangel’s Church, probably built in 1510 in Syrynia near Wodzisław Śląski and moved to the city in 1938.

A church on the move

The first records of the church in Syrynia come from the 14th century; the 1510 date on a beam was reported by the German art historian Hans Lutsch, suggesting it was the second church raised on the site of an older one. The move was prompted by the then-development plans: the wooden church did not fit the concept of a modernist district, so it was decided to save it by transporting it to a park in the south of the city. In Katowice the reconstruction on the new site was led by the architect Tadeusz Lobos.

A complex, not just a building

The ensemble consists of three elements: the church, the belfry and an oval enclosure around the whole, with a gate still in use today. A lapidarium has been laid out nearby, and since 1997 the church has been one of the branches of the Museum of the History of Katowice — which makes it unique among wooden churches, as visiting here is typically museum-style, with descriptions and exhibitions.

In practice

Wzgórze Beaty lies in the Brynów district, a few minutes’ drive from central Katowice; public transport serves the area, and car parks are available by the Kościuszko Park. The interior can be visited during the museum’s opening hours — check them in advance. Combine your walk with the Kościuszko Park, into which the church is directly set, and with the lapidarium on the hill.