Church of the Peace, Świdnica, Silesia, Poland

What Peace?

The rivalry in Europe between Catholics and Protestants turned deadly in the Thirty Years War, when from 1618-1648 central Europe - principally Germany, which lost half of its population during this period - was ravaged by marauding armies.  This religious war was turned into war between competing dynasties, as exemplified Catholic France's decision to ally itself with Protestant Sweden against the (Catholic) Austrian Emperor.  After three ghastly decades there was no decisive outcome, and so the parties resorted to diplomacy.

It was to be the Peace of Westphalia which rewrote the political map of Europe.


Cuius regio eius religio.

The Peace introduced the concept of sovereign states, and introduced the concept of the sovereign state; moreover, it reinforced the principle that each ruler would have the right to determine the religion of his own state.

Silesia was part of the (Austrian) Habsburg Empire, but its composition was mainly Protestant.  Its capital Breslau was permitted by the Emperor to remain Protestant, but Protestant churches in the countryside beyond were confiscated.  However the Swedes had negotiated an exception in the peace treaty allowing three Silesian towns to retain a Protestant church, subject to imperial consent.  One of these towns was Świdnica, then known as Schweidnitz.

In 1652 consent (generated by substantial bribes) to build was given for new churches by the Emperor subject to certain stringent conditions:
- no spires or belltowers
- to be erected outside but within cannon range of the town walls
- to be built in wood
- building work to be completed within one year
- their "footprint" to be restricted to a small area

The result was an astonishing bland, half-timbered (black and white) building, unlike anything - let alone any church - ever seen in Silesia.  The drawback of the restrictive footprint was countered by building in several tiers.  The elaborate decorations are just stunning, as can be seen in this photo.

This church can accommodate up to 7,500 people.

Not surprisingly, this and the other extant Silesian Peace Church are on UNESCO's Cultural Heritage list.


An astonishing experience.  (But it's not easy to access Świdnica.)


NOTE (1): my attempts to explain the Thirty Years War and the Peace of Westphalia are only adequate insofar as they relate to this blip!

NOTE (2): One of the town's most famous inhabitants was Baron Manfred von Richthoven - a.k.a. the Red Baron.

NOTE (3): If you skip back to the blip for 13th May, you will find a road sign "ul. Świdnicka" or "Świdnica street".