Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Trzebnica

The brick tower on Drzymały Street is older than the neo-Gothic church it now belongs to. It is a remnant of a medieval church from the 15th century, while the church itself went from Lutheran place of worship to warehouse to Trzebnica's second Catholic parish, founded only in 1999.

History

A church of Saints Peter and Paul stood in Trzebnica as early as the 13th century. The surviving part of the medieval building is the 15th-century tower, remodelled in 1855. The present neo-Gothic church was built in 1854 as a Lutheran church. Until 1937 a small turret stood on the tower roof.

Lutheran services were held here until 1947. After that, despite Catholic requests, the building was not handed to a parish but used as a warehouse, and it fell into decay once the warehouse closed. Only in 1987 was it given to the Catholic parish and renovation began. The church was consecrated on 6 December 1998, and on 25 June 1999 Trzebnica's second parish was established here.

What to look for

• The tower – brick, square in plan, with buttresses at the corners. It is the oldest part of the complex.
• The ground-floor room of the tower with late Gothic net vaulting.
• The contrast of styles – the plain medieval tower and the 19th-century brick church are easy to compare from the street, especially from the south.

Tripto tip

The church is about 150 metres from the town hall, so it fits easily into a walk around the market square and a visit to the Basilica of St Hedwig. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough from outside; the interior is mainly open around service times. Afterwards you can walk on to the Beech Forest with its 18th-century Calvary.