Biking Poland

2 July 2023, Świdnica, 50.82km
Comfort Apartment 140zł [R628]

Świdnica tonight; Czech Republic tomorrow. We see climbing in our near-future.
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Again we find ourselves somewhere with something special to offer, entirely by accident.
"The Church of Peace in Świdnica is one of the most important architectural monuments in the world. [It] is the largest wooden baroque temple in Europe. 
In the years 1618-1648, the Thirty Years' War was fought in Silesia between the followers of the Catholic Church and Protestants. More precisely, between countries ruled by Catholic and Protestant rulers. Unfortunately, the conflict claimed many lives on both sides. In October 1648, the Treaty of Westphalia was signed. One of its fruits was to be the cessation of all hostilities concerning religious matters.
The Catholic emperor Ferdinand III (of the Habsburg family), ruling Silesia at that time, agreed to erect Protestant temples. At the same time, he ordered the return to Catholics of all churches that the Evangelicals had taken over for their own use.
The new Protestant temple had to be built outside the city center. The foundation stone was laid in 1656.
The half-timbered skeleton was filled with clay and straw. The church is 44 meters long and over 30 meters wide. When you look up, you will see as many as 4 floors of galleries (balconies). Inside, it can accommodate over 7,000 people, including as many as 3,000 seated."
Apparently the Baroque interior is quite something, but we were too tired and too stingy to do more than admire the exterior.