It wasn’t easy to get to Swidnica but with some assistance from a few Polish bus companies I eventually found the small town at the foot of the Sudeten Mountains. My guidebook told me that in medieval times, Swidnica was one of the wealthiest towns in Silesia and a commercial centre well known for its beer, sold as far away as Prague. To me it looked like a small copy of neighbouring Wroclaw but with a certain charm of its own.

Just a few minutes walk from the city centre is the unique wooden Church of Peace, erected in 1656-57. Together with its “cousin” in the nearby village Jawor, it’s the largest wooden church in the world, seating over 3500 people if necessary. The 17th-century baroque interior decoration is absolutely brilliant, covering walls and ceilings and given that it’s all built in wood a small prayer that it will last for many years to come, might be in place…