St Lawrence's Church in Głuchołazy

The twin-towered parish church of St Lawrence stands by the market square in Głuchołazy, and its oldest feature dates back to the medieval town. The Early Gothic portal has survived every rebuilding and ranks among Silesia's notable monuments; the town's tourism website calls it a "stone document of our town's medieval tradition". The church is also included in the Canon of Polish Sightseeing, a national list of key heritage sites.

History

The church was built after the town received its charter in 1222 and was made of stone and brick from the start; the parish is first recorded in 1285. After the Hussites burned it in 1428, it was rebuilt. Its present Baroque form comes from a remodelling in 1729–1731, initiated by the Bishop of Wrocław, Franz Ludwig von Neuburg, a great patron of the arts. Part of the west front of the older 13th-century Romanesque-Gothic building was incorporated into the new church. The architect was probably Johann Innozenz Töpper, who also designed churches in Głubczyce and Prudnik.

Hans Poelzig's tower caps

From 1841 the towers had plain, sheet-metal roofs shaped like truncated pyramids. In 1903–1907 these were replaced by three-tiered, open caps with galleries designed by Hans Poelzig, an outstanding Wrocław architect. They are what gives the church its distinctive silhouette today.

Interior

The Baroque interior has no fewer than 8 side altars from the 18th century and a neo-Baroque high altar from 1921 with a massive statue of the patron, St Lawrence. The altar of Our Lady of Sorrows holds a Baroque painting, "The Lamentation of Christ", from the late 17th century. It is a copy of a work by Anthony van Dyck, made in the workshop of Michael Willmann, the great painter of the Silesian Baroque.

Tripto tip

The church is at ul. Kościelna 4. Start with a close look at the portal, the oldest part of the church, then step back onto the market square for a good view of Poelzig's tower caps. As a working parish church, its interior is easiest to see around service times; a visit takes 20–30 minutes. Also in town, on ul. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie, stands the little Church of St Roch from 1626–1627, a memorial to the plague.