We awoke, well rested and relieved not to have been sleeping in the elements last night. It rained hard all night and was very windy. Breakfast was said to be Continental so we didn't expect to be offered eggs to order, and several choices of tapas, fruit, toast, yogurt, etc. It is a nice day and we are keen to explore. Jawor is located close to the better known city of Swidnica and we can see that Jawor is overshadowed by its better known neighbour. We see no tourists here yet there is much to see. The Tourist Office was very helpful and the young woman spoke English. We plan to do a self guided walking tour to see the sights. It is fun to be staying in the middle of the action. Walking out of our hotel after breakfast, we are able to experience the pulse of the community as people go about their daily shopping and visiting from their windows to friends below.
Out for a morning walk, we see the people going about their shopping at the little shops. The tower in the background is the Ratusz (Town Hall). One cannot get lost in the curving narrow streets, as the church steeples and town hall always give you your bearings.
This gentleman who was watching us yesterday has now been joined by his wife. Both have the usual and necessary pillows on the window sill to help them spend as much time as possible in this prime position.
As we stroll the streets of Jawor we are struck by the Renaissance Portals which remain on some of the buildings which are crumbling. It is a glimpse of the glory of the past.
As cake and pastry afficianados, we have made it our mission to understand the Polish words for bakery: the Piekarnia specializes in bread and buns, the Cukiernia in pastries and cakes. This is very important as these shops are often tiny shops discretely tucked in an out of the way place, and we don't want to miss them!
The Church of Peace, a Unesco Heritage site in Jawor, is one of the two remaining such wooden churches in Poland from the 17th century constructed following the 30 years war. The half-timbered structure was made of wood, clay and straw as required by the Emperor. It had to be built outside the city walls, at the distance of a cannon shot and they were not allowed to use brick or stone foundation. It was the Emperor's strategy that these criteria would ensure the churches would not survive. We will make sure that we ride in the direction of Swidnica when we leave Jawor as we want to see the other surviving Church of Peace. If visiting Poland, we highly recommend taking the time to seek out these remarkable churches.
Poland is a great place to visit if you love historical sites of significance. This sign shows how far you need to go to get to some of the other Unesco Heritage sites in Poland.
As we arrived at the church, the cat greeted us and followed us in. It seems to regard the church as his home as he strolled throughout not bothered by the visitors.
The extensive scaffolding was off putting at first, but as we sat and took in the wonders of this church and could feel its history, the metal towers magically became less of a distraction. In learning about the difficulties and restrictions in getting it built, it seems apropos to feel the ongoing challenges of its maintenance.
Angel is atop the altar which was built in 1672 by Martin Steudener from Kamienna Gora. Other notable areas of the church, the exquisite baroque pulpit (1670) the baptismal font (1656), the 143 scenes painted from the Old and New Testament were all created by local people from the surrounding area.
The top two tiers of galleries around the nave were added in the 1800's due to the increasing size of the congregation. At its peak, the church could hold 6,000 worshippers. Images on lofts 2&4 are of the Bible and 1&3 present landscapes of castles and shields with heraldry.
The church is renowned for the art painted on the 4 levels of galleries. These paintings depicting the Old and New Testament were an illustrative method of sharing the bible with the poor and illiterate.
This photo lets you see the beam construction and the painted ceiling. We were interested as well in the creative way galleries and small boxes were added to accomodate parishioners.
At no other church that we have visited in our travels, have we been so moved by the challenges faced by its congregation. The Hapsburg Emperor (upon the direction of the Swiss who were the caretakers of the Silesian Protestants) allowed the building of only 3 churches to be located in Swidnica, Jawor and Glogow. Exhausted and impoverished by the 30 years war, 3 emissaries were sent to the northern Protestant provinces to seek funds. They returned successful in their quest, 2 years later. This along with the rigid restrictions imposed upon them in the building of these churches, it is truly a wonder that these local people successfully built these incredible buildings and that they continue standing as a tribute to their skill centuries later. The Church of Peace in Glogow was destroyed in the 18th century.
What a treat to time our visit for this unexpected concert.
It is a marvel that this structure has stood the test of time, wars, fires, etc. However, like any building from that time, it requires much restoration to survive. Scaffolding surrounded the nave so that the ceiling could be restored.
After a lengthy time in the Church enjoying the concert and sightseeing, we were happy to get some fresh air. As we were leaving, the man at the ticket booth came up to us and started talking to us in Polish. We didn't understand until he said, English? So we sat down again, as he wanted to play the recorded history and tour of the church in English. This was good as we had already sat through the Polish and German version. By that point, the church was empty except for us and the cat!
Out for an evening walk, we saw this cat watching us from his comfortable perch on his balcony.. what a face. Truly a Polish cat who understands people watching with an unflinching stare.
