I visited both Church of Peace making up this WHS in Summer 2019. Since the Church in the Lutheran Parish of Swidnica opens an hour earlier I decided to start there and then proceed to Jawor, in the Silesia neighborhood of Wroclaw.

The Church of Peace in Swidnica is believed to be the biggest wooden church in Europe which is inscribed on the UNESCO WH list. I parked my car just next to the stone wall which surrounds the church grounds. Be sure to bring along some cash if you want to visit the interior (you should!) which now costs 12 zloty.

In accordance with the Treaty of Westphalia that ended the Thirty Years War, Ferdinand III was obliged to build 3 Churches of Peace in the duchies of Swidnica, Jawor and Glogow (destroyed in 1654). The Holy Roman Emperor who ordered them built never expected to see them completed. In fact, he never wanted them built in the first place, for they were Protestant churches. The Habsburgs didn't recognise the equality of Catholic and Evangelical creeds and only treated the Churches of Peace as a mere act of tolerance. Their construction was dictated by Ferdinand III in almost everything. Only wood, sand, clay and straw were allowed as construction materials and the churches were to be built in one year. The fact that these timber-framed churches, built around 1652-1656, were built with such scale and complexity already goes to show that they possess OUV in my opinion.

The Swidnica Church of Peace was created on a plan of a Greek cross, covering an area of 1090m2 and capable of housing 7500 persons (3000 seated). The interior of the church is what stands out. My favourite items inside the church were the ornate altar and pulpit by Gottfried August Hoffman, especially the sand-glass on the pulpit which used to measure the time allocated to preaching. The gallaries throughout the church's length are covered with 78 texts of Biblical verses, allegorical scenes and decorative elements of guild plates of various bakers, brewers, butchers, etc. Originally the belfry was not allowed but in 1708 one was built at a distance of 50 metres within the church enclosure. Services still take place on Sundays and church holidays at 10am. From April-October the Swidnica Church of Peace is open from 9am till 6pm while from November-March visiting the church is possible only by prior telephone arrangement.

In Jawor, the Church of Peace is in a less prominent area and the church grounds are frequently used as a playground by local children, quite a change from Swidnica which is surrounded by a cemetery with huge iron crosses and tombstones. Swidnica was much more busy when I visited and English information laminates were handed to visitors. On the other hand, in Jawor we were the only visitors and the kind lady at the ticket booth played an English commentary for us which helped us appreciate the church interior and all the hidden details much more. In Swidnica photography is not allowed (although nobody was looking) while in Jawor photography is allowed and 5 zloty are charged upon entrance.

Jawor's baroque interior with four rows of galleries with balustrades richly ornamented with Biblical scenes and blue and white decorations was my favourite as it really is quite unique. Both churches proudly display the UNESCO inscription certificates just besides where you get your entrance tickets. The Swidnica church also displays an inscription information board outside while the one in Jawor has a marble UNESCO WH inscription plaque just next to the entrance.

I enjoyed my visits and would highly recommend visiting both as they are worth your time if you're not in a hurry. Both deserve their place on the list although on a national/international level I prefer the smaller wooden churches of Malapolska as well as the tserkvas as they are really outstanding for the interior as well as their exterior whereas the Churches of Peace are more special for their sheer size and the contrast between their exterior and interior.