Wang Temple in Karpacz

One of the tourist attractions in Lower Silesia is the Wang Church, also known as the Mountain Church of Our Saviour. Where does this name come from and why is it so popular? It's worth experiencing it in person by visiting this interesting place.

The building is located in Karpacz. The main road leads there, and there are numerous signposts as additional guides. You can leave your car in one of the nearby car parks, from which a short walk takes you to the church.

These few hundred meters along the paved road provide an excellent opportunity to admire the panorama of the Krkonoš mountains, against which the temple presents itself majestically. Made entirely of pine wood without the use of nails, it is an ideal example of Nordic architecture and also the oldest wooden church in Poland. Interestingly, the church was not built in Poland but was moved here in 1842 from the distant Norwegian Vang. Built at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries, when the process of Christianization was just beginning in Scandinavia, it eventually became insufficient for the residents of Vang. To raise funds for the construction of a new place of worship, they decided to sell it. It was purchased by the Prussian king, Frederick William IV, as a potential museum exhibit. However, at the suggestion of Countess von Reden, he decided to donate it to the residents of Karpacz, who had no church.

And thus it stands to this day, serving the faithful of the Evangelical denomination and enchanting tourists who come in large numbers to see the original representations of Nordic lions adorning the interior or the wooden portals. It can be visited daily from 09:00 to 17:00. Tickets are priced at 10 PLN for adults and 5 PLN for concessions, and they can be purchased at the entrance to the premises, which also includes a small cemetery where, among others, the poet Tadeusz Różewicz and the creator of the Wrocław Pantomime Theatre, Henryk Tomaszewski, are buried.

Author of the photos and text - Bogusława Bandyk