Church of the Assumption in Oświęcim

The oldest church in Oświęcim stands just north of the market square, and its tall clock tower defines the Old Town skyline – it is clearly visible, for example, as you approach the bridge from the west. The Church of the Assumption is where the history of the Dukes of Oświęcim, the town's many fires and the 19th-century fashion for Gothic all meet. Inside are two portals dated 1529, a marble font from 1613 and a Baroque painting by Tomasz Dolabella.

History: a church that kept coming back

The parish in Oświęcim was founded in the 13th century. According to Lesser Poland's regional tourism portal, the first wooden church by the stronghold, from around 1200, was burned by the Tatars in 1241, and a new church was built in 1325–1327. Around 1417 Duke Kazimierz of Oświęcim built a Gothic masonry church – the chronicler Jan Długosz also mentions a masonry church here. It burned in the town fires of 1470, 1503 and 1656. In 1520–1530 it was remodelled in Renaissance style and in 1681 enlarged. After further fires in 1863 and 1881 it was rebuilt with its Gothic character restored; the tower took its final form in 1863–1877.

What to see

• Two Gothic-Renaissance portals – from the porch into the north aisle and from the chancel into the sacristy; the latter bears the date 1529.
• The late Baroque high altar from the first quarter of the 18th century with figures of Saints Peter and Paul and four angels.
• The marble font from 1613 with a metal cover.
• The 17th-century painting of Saints Hyacinth and Dominic by Tomasz Dolabella.
• Epitaphs – the oldest, early Baroque in marble, from 1681, the others Neoclassical from the 19th century.
• The three-aisled hall interior with barrel vaults, lunettes and stucco mouldings, and on the north side a chapel dedicated to St Maximilian Kolbe.

Did you know?

Local legends tell of underground passages linking the church with a nearby convent and running beneath the Old Town; they also say monks and Dukes of Oświęcim rest in the crypts. A darker chapter belongs to the Second World War: the Gestapo took over the presbytery next to the church as its headquarters, and after the war it housed the District Office of Public Security. The wall paintings were made around 1900 by Ludwik Stankiewicz.

Tripto tips

This is a working parish church – visit the interior outside Mass times. Thirty minutes is enough to see the portals, font and altars at leisure. The church is a few steps from the Main Market Square, so it combines easily with a walk around the Old Town and a visit to the castle.