St Hedwig's Church in Racibórz

A neo-Gothic church of red brick stands in the Markowice district of Racibórz. A parish has existed here since the mid-13th century, and the present masonry building was erected in the second half of the 19th century.

From wooden churches to a masonry one

The parish in Markowice was established in 1247, which indicates the existence of a first wooden church. A mention of a wooden parish church dates from 1447, and after a fire in 1623 another was built, of log construction, with high shingle roofs and a square tower. The masonry church was built in 1874-1877, in the time of the parish priest Teodor Neumann, and consecrated around 1883. In 1945 the building was seriously damaged in the fighting.

The structure

The church is of brick, built on a cruciform plan, with a transverse nave covered by a flat ceiling. On the east is a lower, five-sided, vaulted chancel. On the west rises a slender tower with a portal and a balustrade in its upper part, topped by an octagonal gable with a pyramidal sheet-metal helmet. The windows are pointed-arch, with tracery. The building was entered in the heritage register in 2008.

Practical information

• Location: Racibórz-Markowice, Powstańców Śląskich Street.
• The church is active as a parish church; the interior is not described in the available sources.
• The rules of entry are given by the parish.