Churches and monasteries
neo-Gothic brick chapel from around 1905, renovated after mining damage
Churches and monasteries
a Neo-Gothic brick chapel from 1868 with a wooden turret on the ridge
Churches and monasteries in Bytom: Gothic in the centre, a 13th-century Franciscan monastery and neo-Romanesque district churches. Over twenty places.
Bytom is made up of many districts, and each has grown its own church. The centre holds the oldest ones, Miechowice has neo-Gothic buildings and Protestant foundations, and Rozbark and Karb have monumental brick churches.
Begin with the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the market square, the Franciscan Church of St Adalbert and the Church of St Hyacinth in Rozbark. The first is a Gothic brick church holding the image of Our Lady of Bytom from around 1430, the second a former monastery church from the mid-15th century, the third a neo-Romanesque building with two towers 57 metres high.
That mix takes in the oldest streets as well as big churches raised around 1900 for expanding mining districts.
Three very different buildings neighbour each other in the centre. The Church of the Holy Trinity on Kwietniewskiego Street is a large, free-standing neo-Gothic church from 1883-1886 designed by Paul Jackisch, with a Rieger organ from 1926. The Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross from 1936-1937 has a rotunda plan and follows monumental constructivism.
On Krakowska Street you will find the Church of the Holy Spirit, a Baroque hospital chapel of 1721 on an octagonal plan, with a Romantic organ by Eduard Horn from 1875. In the former Kleinfeld district, at Pułaskiego 9, stands the Jesuit Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Originally a sports club hall from 1925, it became a church in 1928.
The Franciscan Monastery is one of the oldest in the city. It was founded in 1257 or 1258 by Duke Władysław of Opole. The complex includes the crypt of the Henckel von Donnersmarck family.
Next to it stands the Church of St Adalbert on Plac Klasztorny, the former monastery church from the mid-15th century. It has a single nave, is a hall church in Baroque style with a Gothic chancel, and today serves as a parish church.
Around 1900 the working-class districts gained large brick churches. The Church of the Holy Family in Bobrek, built in 1900-1902 to a design by Ludwig Schneider, keeps its original furnishings and a Rieger organ. The Church of the Good Shepherd in Karb is a brick neo-Gothic and modernist building from 1905-1909 its two towers rise 56 metres, and it has stood on the heritage register since 2014.
In Łagiewniki stands the Church of St John of Nepomuk from 1894-1896, eclectic with neo-Romanesque and neo-Gothic features, registered in 2019. The Church of St Barbara on Czarnieckiego Street from 1928-1930 is neo-Romanesque and has the largest organ in the Gliwice diocese. In Szombierki the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of 1903-1904 was funded by the Schaffgotsch family and contains the crypt of Karol Godula.
Miechowice has the richest set of churches. The Church of the Holy Cross from 1856-1864 is neo-Gothic, with a tower about 60 metres high and a crypt of the former owners of Miechowice. The Church of Corpus Christi from 1914-1917 is a neo-Baroque basilica with a 47-metre tower.
The Protestant buildings form a separate group. The Evangelical-Augsburg church of 1896-1898 grew out of an idea of Mother Eva von Tiele-Winckler, serving her deaconess institutions and the local Lutheran community. The whole Ostoja Pokoju care complex includes a care home, a church, a hospital, a museum and the founder's cemetery. Also on this route is the miners' Chapel of St Barbara of 1850 on Gryca hill, entered in the register of monuments in 2017.
Beyond the large churches Bytom has several quieter places. The Church of St Margaret on the hill in Szombierki is a brick neo-Gothic building of 1881, standing on the site of a Romanesque church from about 1170 and surrounded by a cemetery. Szombierki also has the neo-Gothic chapel of Our Lady and St Joseph, consecrated in 1863 as thanks for surviving a cholera epidemic.
Sucha Góra has the Chapel of Our Lady of 1868 and the Church of St Michael the Archangel from 1951-1959 with a mosaic by Szymon Prandzioch. The Chapel of Our Lady Help of Christians is a neo-Gothic chapel of the early 20th century, repaired after mining damage.
Yes, several are unusual. The Church of St Anne of 1984-1989 in Rozbark is octagonal and has two levels: Divine Mercy below and St Anne above. The Church of St Joseph the Worker went up in 2014-2015 as a cross-shaped timber building made of laminated wood. A related piece covers wooden churches of the 20th century.
The Church of Christ the King in Stolarzowice, built in 1928, also stands out: Masses are held there in Polish and in German.
Churches pair well with monuments in Bytom, industrial sites in Bytom and atmospheric places. The article on the Szombierki power station adds to a visit in the district with two churches and a chapel.
The oldest foundation is the Franciscan monastery of the 13th century with the church of St Adalbert from the mid-15th century. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a Gothic church linked with an image from around 1430.
In Miechowice. The Evangelical-Augsburg church of 1896-1898 is part of the Ostoja Pokoju complex founded by Mother Eva.
The Church of St Anne from 1984-1989 in Rozbark is octagonal, and the Church of St Joseph the Worker from 2014-2015 is built of glued timber.
Yes. Two churches of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stand on Pułaskiego Street and in Szombierki. A church and a chapel of St Barbara share a name, as do two chapels of Our Lady.
By district: the centre, Miechowice, Szombierki and Rozbark. The full list is under churches and monasteries in Bytom, and the city more widely under things to do in Bytom.
