St Nicholas' Church in Brzeg

The nave here rises 30 metres, one of the tallest in Silesia, and St Nicholas' is counted among the largest Gothic churches in the region. It was the burghers' parish church of Brzeg, served Lutherans for four centuries, burned out in 1945 and then stood as a roofless ruin for 13 years. Today's interior is the result of a rebuilding that kept the most valuable medieval and Renaissance details.

History: from burghers' church to ruin and back

The church was built between 1370 and 1417, with strong early support from Duke Louis I. It replaced an older church first recorded in 1279. Construction was begun by Master Günther of Wrocław, while the vaults of the nave were completed by a Master Henryk. That is why the Brzeg church resembles the great Wrocław churches of St Mary Magdalene and St Elizabeth.

In 1523 Duke Frederick II introduced Lutheranism in his duchy, and from 1525 the church was Protestant. It stayed that way until 1945. A cemetery surrounded the building and was used for burials until 1775. In 1884–1885 the towers were raised, reportedly in response to the taller towers of the Catholic Holy Cross Church nearby.

In January and February 1945, during the fighting for the town, the church burned out completely. For the next 13 years it decayed without a roof. Rebuilding started in 1958 on the initiative of Father Kazimierz Makarski and was completed in 1967. During the work, late Gothic wall paintings were uncovered in the sacristy.

What to see

• Sacristy wall paintings from around 1450, showing the Crucifixion, the Mass of St Gregory and the Martyrdom of the Ten Thousand.
• Burghers' epitaphs from the Protestant era: the Kerber family (c. 1570), the Heussler family (c. 1586) and the portrait epitaph of Peter Thomas from 1603.
• Holy Family triptych from 1500 in the chancel, brought here from the church in Bąków near Grodków.
• Star vault over the nave, in contrast to the lower, darker side aisles.
• Organ built in 1986 by the Broszko brothers of Bolesławiec, with 60 stops on four manuals.

Interesting facts

Before the war the church had rich wood carvings and stained glass. Surviving fragments ended up in the National Museum in Wrocław and the Museum of the Silesian Piasts in Brzeg, and two panels of the original stained glass are in the National Museum in Poznań. The former organ by Michael Engler (1724–1730), with 56 stops, was dismantled in the winter of 1944–1945 and has never been found. In 1905 a statue of Martin Luther was unveiled in front of the church; it was removed soon after the war.

Tripto tip

The church is at ul. Jana Pawła II 9, a few minutes' walk from the market square and the Castle of the Silesian Piasts. It is an active parish church, so visit between services; the sacristy with the wall paintings is not always open, so ask at the parish office. Allow 30–45 minutes for the interior. The parish is carrying out conservation work, so parts of the church may be closed at times. For the best view of the towers, stand in front of the west façade, where you can see how the church dominates the old town.