Kościół pw. Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny, Wrocław

The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a protected historic church in Wrocław’s Ołtaszyn district. First recorded in 1254, it was rebuilt in Gothic form early in the fifteenth century and consecrated in 1450. Its tower bears visible traces of a long history of wartime damage and restoration.

At Pszczelarska 10 in Ołtaszyn, you are beside the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a protected historic monument of Lower Silesia. The brick church before you is built as a three-aisled hall, with its tower at the western end; its unusually substantial design reflects Ołtaszyn’s former connection with Wrocław Cathedral’s chapter. This place first appears in records in 1254.

Local tradition places an earlier wooden church here in 1248 and names Saint Hedwig as its founder. That building was destroyed during the Hussite incursions of 1428, and the Gothic church replaced it early in the fifteenth century. Bishop Bernard consecrated it on the seventeenth of May 1450.

Its history is also written in damage and repair. During the Second World War, withdrawing German forces used the tower as a defensive post, fitting it with an anti-aircraft gun and machine guns. Soviet fire struck the position for several days, leaving the church half destroyed and burning the rectory completely.

The tower’s electronic clock and chimes date from 1991, while two of its pinnacles were reconstructed in 2005. Inside, the high altar preserves Gothic figures of Mary and the Child, flanked by Saints Barbara and Catherine.