Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Brzeg

Brzeg's oldest church has not been used for worship for almost five centuries. The Gothic Franciscan church, first recorded in 1285, was turned into an arsenal, then a warehouse, a fire station and a furniture shop, and in 1997 a flood brought down its tower. Today the brick building with its two steep gables stands empty and can only be seen from outside – yet few buildings in town tell its story so well.

History: from friary to arsenal

The first mention of the church was made in 1285 by Hermann von Gleichen. Research by architects from Wrocław University of Science and Technology showed that a three-bay chancel and a two-aisled, four-bay nave were built here at the end of the 13th century. In the second half of the 14th century an altar bay was added and the south aisle enlarged, and after a fire in 1494 the church was rebuilt – the net vault over the main nave dates from around 1500.

In 1527 Duke Frederick II of Legnica introduced Lutheranism to the town, the Franciscans left, and the town took over the building. In 1582 it was converted into an arsenal. From the late 19th century it was used for storage; in the 1930s it housed a fire station, and later a farmers' cooperative store and a furniture shop.

The flood and the rescue

During the great "flood of the millennium" in 1997 the tower and part of the walls collapsed. Since 2001 a local society for rescuing the former Franciscan church, among others, has campaigned for its rebuilding, and in 2003 the town handed it over to the Archdiocese of Wrocław for a symbolic one złoty. In 2013 the archdiocese secured PLN 1.7 million from Ministry of Culture programmes for a roof over the aisles, reconstruction of the west façade and reopening of the Gothic windows.

Interesting facts

In 2010 archaeologists dug down through successive floor levels. The oldest surviving floor, from the first half of the 14th century, is laid with ceramic tiles measuring 23 × 23 cm; above it lie remains of the wooden floor of the ducal arsenal from the late 16th century. The 13th-century level lies a full 1.5 m below today's concrete floor. Burials of friars were found around the church. In 2022 the archdiocese put the building up for sale for PLN 2.5 million, which the mayor opposed; the regional conservator of monuments would rather see a concert hall or library here.

Tripto tip

The interior is closed – the building is unused, so you see it from outside, free of charge and at any time. Walking around the walls takes 10–15 minutes. Look for the two tall brick gables, the buttresses and the bricked-up pointed windows that reveal its medieval origins.

The church stands on ul. Młyńska, a few minutes' walk from the Market Square. Combine it with a walk around the Old Town: the Castle of the Silesian Piasts with its Renaissance courtyard and the Museum of the Silesian Piasts, St Nicholas' Church and the Renaissance town hall are all within a few hundred metres. Brzeg lies about 45 km south-east of Wrocław and has good rail connections.