Church of St Joseph the Worker in Chorzów

The Church of St Joseph the Worker is a wooden church from 1791 which stands in the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów. It was built in Nieboczowy on the Oder, and reached its present location after several decades and two relocations.

Where it comes from

The church was built in 1791 in Nieboczowy in Wodzisław County, as an enlargement of a chapel from 1380. It was founded by Jan Zdrzałak. In 1971 it was moved to Kłokocin, a district of Rybnik, and since 1995 it has stood in Chorzów. It was consecrated on 28 September 1997.

Construction

The building is of horizontal log construction and is oriented. It consists of a nave and a smaller chancel with a three-sided end, with a sacristy at the side. In front of the nave stands a porch with an ogee-arched portal and the date 1791, and the whole is surrounded by an arcade (soboty). The twin-ridged roof is covered with shingles, and above it rise two hexagonal turrets with bulbous caps.

Inside

The original furnishings have not survived, so the present ones come from various churches. The main altar from the 18th century came from the burnt church in Moszczenica, the side altars are Baroque-Neoclassical, and the 19th-century patron's pew once stood in the church in Wisła Wielka. In the choir gallery there is a harmonium from the late 19th century, and on the rood beam polychrome figures from the mid-19th century.

Nearby

The church is part of the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park, and a few kilometres further on lies Silesian Park.

Practical information

• Location: Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park, Chorzów.
• Check the rules of entry to the open-air museum and its hours on the park's website before your visit.