Even though the Czech Republic is considered the world’s most atheistic country, you’ll find an incredibly high number of entrancing places of pilgrimage, churches, and monasteries there. In contrast, Poland has maintained its Christian tradition, and can among other things boast of unique wooden churches, which have been put on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
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1. Cathedral of the Divine Saviour, Ostrava This three-nave Neo-Renaissance cathedral is the second largest church in all Moravia, right after the Velehrad’s basilica.
Did you know that...? Transparent displays showing various visual art have been installed in the six windows of the cathedral, thus continuing the age-old tradition of stained glass church windows. |
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2. Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, Frýdek-Místek The Baroque pilgrimage church, built between 1740 and 1759, is surrounded by historicist chapels of the Way of the Cross and the Roman Chapel. A group of sculptures of saints dating from 1760–1949 is situated on the ramp in front of two front church towers. |
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3. St Wenceslas Cathedral, Olomouc The construction of the cathedral began as far back as the early 12th century. It was then transformed into its present look between 1883 and 1892. Today, the cathedral presents itself as a distinctive monumental creation, blend of different architectural periods, from the Romanesque style to Neo-Gothic Romanticism. The cathedral’s unique features include the Moravia’s largest bell, weighing eight tonnes; and an accessible crypt, where bishops and archbishops are buried. The Neo-Gothic altar holds a reliquary with the remains of St John Sarkander. |
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World Museum and the Bible Library,
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You can explore an exhibition on the most famous book, the Bible, and other spiritual books in the old monastery building. Some of the exhibits you can see here include Melantrich’s Bible editions from the 16th century, a Bible edition written in the language of the African Zulu tribe, and |
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4. Church of St Maurice, Olomouc This Late Gothic three-nave church, which has a cross vault, boasts two asymmetrical prismatic towers, and the largest organ in Central Europe. The church is currently undergoing extensive renovations, which will be completed in late 2021. |
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5. Hradisko Monastery, Olomouc The monastery was built in the 11th century as a residence for the Benedictines. However, members of this order were forced to leave in the 12th century, and they were replaced by the Premonstratensians. The monastery suffered many catastrophic events and was severely damaged on several occasions. Its present-day style is Baroque, and it has been the site of a military hospital for more than 200 years. One of its towers houses an exhibition on the monastery’s history. |
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Church of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, and the
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This Baroque basilica is an important Marian pilgrimage site dating back to the first half of the 18th century. |
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6. Minor Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, Sv. Kopeček near Olomouc The basilica at Sv. Kopeček (Holy Hill) is one of the best known and most visited pilgrimage sites in the Czech Republic. It was built at the turn of the 18th century on the site of a chapel that had been destroyed by the Swedish troops. During his visit to the basilica in 1995, Pope John Paul II elevated it to the rank of minor basilica. |
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7. Former Augustinian Monastery, Šternberk The oldest Augustinian Premonstratensian monastery in Moravia was founded in 1371. The monastery was closed in 1786, and the buildings served as a military hospital during the Napoleonic Wars. The presentday Baroque appearance is the product of several architectural transformations in the 18th century. |
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8. Co-Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Opava This monumental, brick-built Gothic three-nave cocathedral with two front towers and a polygonal presbytery, built in the 14th century, is located in the city centre. It was built on older foundations and then rebuilt in the Baroque style in the second half of the 18th century and in the early 20th century. |
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9. Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, Krnov This Baroque pilgrimage church with two front towers looms majestically above Krnov. The tradition of pilgrimages here is more than 400 years old.
Did you know that…? There is a legend from the 17th century pertaining to a painting located on the main altar of the church, it speaks about the healing powers the painting of the Virgin Mary of Seven Sorrows possesses. |
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10. Pilgrimage Church of the Virgin Mary Mariahilf, Zlaté Hory In the woods south of Zlaté Hory lies a renewed pilgrimage site, dedicated to the Virgin Mary Mariahilf – the Protector of Unborn Children. |
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11. Pilgrimage Site at the Mother of God Mountain, Dolní Hedeč You can find this monumental Baroque monastery, complete with the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, a cloister, the Holy Stairs Chapel, a cemetery and a pilgrimage house at Mariánský kopec (Marian’s Mound) above the town of Králíky. The monastery’s unique features include the Holy Stairs, which are an imitation of the stairs at Antonia Castle in Jerusalem, which were later moved to Rome. |
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12. Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, Hradec Králové This is a building of extraordinary significance. Built in the 14th century in a Late Gothic phase, and then re-Gothicized in the second half of the 19th century, it is a distinctive dominant landmark of the city, and an important example of Brick Gothic architecture. |
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13. Cistercian Monastery, Křesobor This monastery ranks among the most precious artistic monuments in Silesia. The best Central European Baroque artists contributed to its construction and decoration. The Monastery Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in which you can see paintings by Michael Willmann (the so-called ‘Silesian Rembrandt’), is a typical High Baroque sacral building. Its organ, made by Michael Engler of Vratislav, is considered the best organ in Silesia. Engler also made the organ in the Church of St Maurice in Olomouc.
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Basilica of St Lawrence and St Zdislava with the Dominican Monastery, Jablonné v Podještědí
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Basilica of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, Hejnice
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TIP! Kuks Hospital
Set against the authentic backdrop of Baroque cellars, you can become treasure hunters for a moment and try an escape room game |
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Churches of Peace, Jawor 14 This set of wooden sacral buildings was built in the 1650s in the Silesian towns of Jawor, Świdnica and Głogów (the last mentioned is the only one that has not survived). Following their restoration, the churches were put on the UNESCO World Cultural heritage list in 2001 for their unique Baroque interiors. The Church of Peace in Świdnica is the largest half-timbered church in Europe, with a capacity of seven and a half thousand people. It is also known for its organ – a festival of music by Johann Sebastian Bach is held here every year.
Did you know that…? The Churches were named after the Peace of Westphalia, which was signed at the end of the Thirty Years’ War in 1648. Protestant Sweden made Emperor Ferdinand III promise that Lutherans could hold church services in churches in Silesia that the faithful would build at their own expense. There was a condition though: the churches had to be built only from wood, clay, and straw; they also had to be located outside the town, while at the same time being within the firing range of the cannons (so that they could not be used during uprisings and conflicts). |
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16. Broumov Monastery During your tour of the monastery, you will see the beautifully decorated Church of St Adalbert, a refectory with a unique copy of the Shroud of Turin, and a preserved monastery library with 17,000 volumes of books. You can also explore a display of the Vamberk mummies and a freely accessible monastery garden. |
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17. Ossuary in Czermna, Kudowa-Zdrój The Ossuary was built next to the local church in 1776. It was built by a local pastor, who had, together with a gravedigger and a sacristan, collected bones that were in mass graves of the victims of the Thirty Years’ War, the Silesian Wars, as well as cholera epidemics, and moved the bones to a small chapel. The walls of the chapel are covered with 3,000 human skulls. The bones of another 21,000 people are in the foundations, and the skulls of the founders are on the altar. This is the only monument of this kind in Poland. |
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18. Basilica of the Mother of God, Wambierzyce The basilica towers above a rather small square, from which 57 steps lead to the basilica, bearing a symbolic meaning: 9 (the number of the Choirs of Angels) + 33 (the age of Jesus Christ at his crucifixion) + 15 (the age of the Virgin Mary at the conception of Jesus Christ). A calvary with roughly 100 chapels, small chapels and 12 gates emerged between the 17th and 19th century.. |
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19. Basilica of the Mother of God, Bardo The basilica was built on the site of two previous small churches at the turn of the 18th century. An 11th-century wooden figure of the Miraculous Mother of God is displayed on the main altar. |
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20. Cistercian Monastery, Henryków The circumstances surrounding the establishment of the monastery are described in the Book of Henryków, a monastery chronicle containing the first sentence ever to be written in Polish. The presentday Baroque style of the monastery is the product of its 17th-century rebuilding. |
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21. Basilica of St James and St. Agnes, Nysa The Basilica of St James and St Agnes is one of the largest Gothic churches in Poland. This is an impressive building with many art treasures inside, such as a valuable collection of gravestone sculptural works of art (between the 15th and 18th century). The main Late Gothic altar and a Renaissance triptych, a statute of St Anne dating back to 1500, and a baptismal font dating back to the end of the 15th century are all worth your attention. Close to the front of the basilica is a standalone Late Gothic belfry building. |
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Basilica of St Joseph and the Franciscan Monastery,
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The church and the Franciscan Monastery were built near the town’s outskirts, just under 5 km southwest of the Old Town. The church and the small monastery were consecrated in 1852. |
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22. Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Opole This is a Gothic church with two Neo-Gothic 73-metre-tall towers. The cathedral was consecrated in 1295. Inside is a stellar vault dating back to the mid-16th century. The Gothic painting of the Virgin Mary of Opole, dating back to around 1480, in the side-altar, is one of the most valuable decorations. |
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23. Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Jemielnica This is a Cistercian monastery church built in the 14th century, which bears Gothic and Baroque architectural elements. |
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POLECAMY!
The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fatima in Turza Śląska |
The construction of the cathedral commenced after the end of World War 2. In 1959, an original statue from Fatima was brought to the cathedral. The surroundings house a calvary with the Way of the Cross built in 1959, twenty rosary chapels and the Cloister Garden with a well. |
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24. Basilica of St. Anne, St. Anne Mountain It has been a pilgrimage site for more than 500 years. Its first written mention is from 1516. The basilica has been rebuilt and modernized many times. The present-day interior is from 1957–1964. |
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25. Cistercian Monastery with a Basilica, Rudy The monastery was founded by the Cistercian Order in the 13th century. A number of Gothic elements are apparent in the building’s original architecture. However, its proportions are those of the Romanesque style. The basilica should therefore be viewed as an example of a transitional style which connects elements pertaining to both time periods. The medieval monastery underwent some changes in the 17th and 18th century. |
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26. Basilica of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Pszów This pilgrimage church was built between 1743 and 1747. The main altar, which dates back to 1904, resembles a miniature cathedral with a number of canopy-supporting columns arranged in a semicircle. In 1997, Pope John Paul II elevated it to the rank of minor basilica. |
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Cathedral of St.Nicholas, |
The cathedral was built in 1447, and then rebuilt in the modernist style in 1912. Inside are relics of St Nicholas, St Francis of Assisi, the children of Fatima, and Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko (a Polish martyr). |
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27. Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Tworków The church was built in the Baroque style on the site of a previous wooden church between 1691 and 1694. In the 1990s, when the church was undergoing repairs, eleven 17th-century lavishly decorated coffins were uncovered under the floor. Copper sarcophagi, including the clothing that was retrieved, are displayed in a side chapel of the church. This collection is comparable to similar exhibited collections in Wawel Castle in Kraków, in Vienna, and Munich. |
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28. Church of St Mary Magdalene, Cieszyn The original Gothic church dating from the 13th century was rebuilt in the Baroque style in 1790. |
There are only 37 surviving wooden churches in the whole Czech Republic, most of which were built between the 18th and 19th century. One of the largest ones is All Saints’ Church in Sedliště. In addition to Poland’s unique wooden churches in Jawor and Świdnica, both of which are UNESCO sites, Wang in Karpacz also stands out. The church was named after the Norwegian village where it was originally built in the 12th century. The entire building is made of Norwegian pinewood, and you won’t find any nails there.
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1. Church of St Michael the Archangel, Gierałcicea The church was built in 1694. |
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2. Evangelical Church in Maciejów The first mention of the church dates back to 1446. The church was passed over to the Protestants in 1532. The present-day look came into being during the 16th and 17th century. The interior of the church dates back to the 17th and 18th century. |
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3. Cemetery Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, Chocianowice The church was built on the site of a previous church in 1662. It was under the patronage of the Knights of the Cross Order until 1810. |
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4. Pilgrimage Church of St Anne, Oleśno This church, which has a rich Baroque decor, was built on the site of a miracle that had purportedly happened there in 1518.. |
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5. Church of Mary Magdalene, Stare Oleśno The church was built in 1680. |
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6. Church of St Hedwig, Bierdzany The church was built in 1711, and its interior has a rich Baroque decor. |
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7. Cemetery Church of St. Lawrence, Laskowice This church was built in 1686. |
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8. Pilgrimage Church of the Holy Cross, Pietrowice Wielkie The pilgrimage church was built in the Baroque style in 1667. The main altar holds a painting of Jesus Christ, that was according to legends found in a nearby lake. |
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9. Church of St Barbara and St. Joseph in Jastrzębie-Zdrój This is a 17th-century Baroque church with valuable Baroque sculptures and an altar. |
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Church of St Barbara, Bielsko-Biala, Mikuszowice This small larch-wood church was built in 1690 on the site of an earlier church dating from 1455. Did you know that…? The church was paid for by a former bandit in 1455, as compensation for damages that he had caused. Even though the church survived a raid by Swedish troops, it burned down in 1687 during a Christening ceremony. |
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10. Church of St Anne, Golkowice The church was built in 1878. However, its history goes back much further and is linked with the chateau chapel in which church services for the local princely court had been held. |
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11. Church of the Ascension of the Lord, Dolní Marklovice This is a timbered church with a conical stanchion tower built in 1739. It is part of the exceptional group of Silesia’s wooden churches. The interior is decorated with unique wall paintings dating back to the mid-18th century. |
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12. Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Albrechtice This is a wooden, single-nave Baroque church with a foursided |
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13. Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Kaczyce The church was built in the village of Ruptawa in 1620. |
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14. Church of St Anne, Ustroń The church was built in 1769. |
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Church of St Simon and St Jude Thaddaeus, Lodygowice The size of this church, which was built between 1631 and 1634, will astound you. It is enormous compared to other wooden churches (it’s roughly 40 metres long!). To get to the church, you have to climb up 56 steep stone steps. You will be rewarded with a panoramic view over the Silesian Beskids. |
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15. Church of St Hedwig of Silesia, Wisła The church was built in 1909 and is located on the premises of the Polish President’s residence. |
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16. Church of St Nicholas, Nýdek This originally evangelical church was built in 1576. It was rebuilt between the 18th and 20th century. |
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17. Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Bystřice The church, built in 1897, is an example of romanticizing historicism from the late 19th century, featuring elements of folk architecture. It was inspired by buildings designed by D.Jurkovič. |
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18. Church of St Anthony of Padua, Vyšní Lhoty This is a single-nave, non-oriented timbered church, built in 1640. A vestry was added at the southern face of the presbytery in 1779. A small tower was added in 1860, and then modified in 1907. |
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Church of St Andrew, Gilowice This 1547 Neo-Gothic church stood in Rychwałd and was disassembled and moved to Gilowice in 1757. |
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19. Church of St Andrew, Hodslavice A single-nave church from the early 1880s stands in the center of the village. It is an example of Gothic architecture, later also supplemented with a vestry annex, a chapel with an oratory on the first floor, and an external gallery surrounding its nave.
Do you know that…? In close proximity to the church, you can find several reminders of a famous local – the great historian and politican František Palacký (1798–1876), who is depicted on the 1, 000 CZK banknote. |
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20. Church of St. Procopius, Kunčice pod Ondřejníkem The church was built in the 17th century. It was brought here from Hliňance in Carpathian Ruthenia in 1931. A new tower and shingle roofing were the only things added to the building. The interior furnishings, including the iconostasis, are also original. |
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21. Church of St Frederick, Bílá The church was built between 1872 and 1875. It was designed by Anton Kybast, an archiepiscopal architect in Olomouc, and modelled after Norwegian medieval stave churches (called stavkirken). It is the only original representative of this kind of church in Central Europe. |
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22. Church of All Saints, Sedliště This church from 1638 is one of the most precious wooden sacral monuments in the Czech Republic. Apart from the church tower, which was completely rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century, the church has managed to remain otherwise intact. The richly decorated interior is more than worth to see – to do so, please contact the parish in advance. |
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Church of St Michael
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This is a wooden timbered, single-nave church. The date of its construction is unknown. It was first mentioned in 1606. It was extensively re-built to its present-day style in 1820. |
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23. Kościół pw. św. Piotra i Pawła, Hněvošice Barokowy kościół z lat 30. XVIII wieku stoi na wzgórzu nad miejscowością na terenie cmentarza. |
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24. Church of St Catherine, Ostrava The original church, built in the first half of the 16th century, was destroyed in a fire in 2002. It was replaced by a copy built using the scientific reconstruction method in 2004. |
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Church of St Bartholomew |
This Gothic wooden church, built in the late 14th century, captures visitors’ attention with its Renaissance and Baroque murals and wooden ceiling. The church grounds also include a wooden, shingle-roofed belfry and a unique covered wooden bridge. |
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25. Church of St. Michael the Archangel, Maršíkov The Late Gothic, timbered Church of St Michael, with its Renaissance chancel interior, was built in 1609. This small, timbered church is located in the eastern part of the village of Maršíkov. It is the oldest preserved folk building in Northern Moravia. The building was later refurbished in the Baroque and Rococo styles. The church can be visited upon prior arrangement. |
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26. Church of St Martin, Žárová The Renaissance wooden timbered Church of St. Martin is situated in the centre of the village of Žárová, which lies 4 km northwest of Velké Losiny. This small church is exceptional due to its authenticity, untouched by any later renovations or alterations. The church can be visited upon prior arrangement. |
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27. Czechoslovak Evangelical Church, Dobříkov This timbered church, originally a small Greek Orthodox church built in Carpathian Ruthenia in 1669, has been saved from being destroyed by being transferred to Dobříkov. |
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Church of St Nicholas
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This cluster of a Neo-Baroque church, belfry and mortuary was built in the mid-18th century. The church was built in the Late Rococo style in 1752.
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28. Church of St. John the Baptist, Slavoňov This is a well-preserved site with a timbered Renaissance church and a fortification belfry, an added morgue, a solid wall fence and a Crucifixion stone. It is one of the oldest preserved compounds of this kind in the Czech Republic. Inside the church is a folk wall painting dating back to 1705. |
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29. Church of St Nicholas, Hradec Králové This is a small Greek Orthodox church of the Boikian type, with original historical home furnishings. The church was bought from the Greek Orthodox religious community in Malé Polany, Eastern Slovakia. |
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30. Church of the Virgin Mary, Broumov Built around 1450, the church is the oldest wooden church in the Czech Republic. One of its interior features that deserves attention is the ceiling decorated with stencil paintings, probably dating back to 1450, whose motifs revolve around plants, hunting and heraldry, and include texts written in Gothic Fraktur. |
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Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Liberk This is the site of an Early Baroque wooden church at the edge of a small town, next to a parsonage and medieval castle ruins. It is composed of a wooden, singlenave church building, a stanchion belfry and a single-storey parsonage. |
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31. Wang Church, Karpacz This church is a Protestant wooden shrine, situated on the Polish side of the Krkonoše, in the town of Karpacz (previously German Krummhübel). The original Viking church had been in a Norwegian fishing village called Vang since 1175 (the Valdres area), and was named after the village. It was brought to the north side of the Krkonoše in the mid-19th century. Today, over 200,000 tourists visit the church every year.
Did you know that…? The church is known as ‘the church of happy marriages’. |
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TIP! Church of St George, Loučná Hora These grounds are composed of a timbered rural church with a wooden belfry and an 18th-century fence. |
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