Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica, Poland (UNESCO)

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1054

The Churches of Peace in Jawor and Ś widnica, the largest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe, were built in the former Silesia in the mid-17th century, amid the religious strife that followed the Peace of Westphalia. Constrained by the physical and political conditions, the Churches of Peace bear testimony to the quest for religious freedom and are a rare expression of Lutheran ideology in an idiom generally associated with the Catholic Church.

The Lutheran Church of Peace in Swidnica was designed by the same architect as the Church of Jawor, Albert von Sabisch, and built by master carpenters Andreas Gamper and Kaspar König in 1656-57. North of the town centre, it was incorporated into the outer ring of fortifications in the mid-18th century. The auxiliary buildings include the head pastor's residence, the vicarage and two schools. The church is in the form of a basilica with a transept and four tiers of galleries. Its plan is close to a Greek cross. The polychrome decoration of the interior, started in 1693 under the direction of Christian Sussenbach, was inspired by the Bible. The high altar was executed in 1752 by the sculptor Gottfried August Hoffman, replacing an old altarpiece, and he also built the pulpit. The main organ was built by Christoph Klose.

Sender: Ana_Postcrossing, Sent on: 2 Dec, 2013, Received on: 9 Dec, 2013, Travel time: 7 days