Tourist attractions in Kożuchów

There are several churches in and around Kożuchów that are worth a visit. It’s worth going there also if you’re a non-believer. Churches are often full of monuments and beautiful paintings. The buildings themselves are also awe-inspiring, as they were built in previous centuries.

Parish Church of Our Lady of Thunder in Kożuchów

The first mention of the church dates back to 1273. At that time it was a three-nave stone church with a rectangular presbytery. Large fragments of the walls of this original building remain within the present church, which was extended in the 14th-15th centuries.
In the thirteenth-century church from the beginning, there was the main altar dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to the call of the temple. A source from 1300 mentions two other altars: St. Nicholas and St. George. Other patrons were added to the original name of the parish: St. John the Baptist and St. Michael, and most probably they too had their altars. In total, the church in Kożuchów had several altars, which testified to the wealth of the town and its bourgeoisie.
In 1524 the parish church became a Protestant temple. The change of confession did not affect the interior, no altars or other equipment were removed. In 1554 a fire destroyed the roofs of the church, which were reconstructed as gabled over the main body and gabled and pulpit roofs over the sacristy and chapels. In November 1628 signals of the Counter-Reformation reached Kożuchów. The keys from the church taken away from the pastor were given to the Catholic pastor – Jakub Schmaland.
In 1945 the Polish population arriving in Kożuchów naturally sought the support of the Catholic parish, and so the church of Our Lady of Thunder (Oczyszczenia NMP) united the newcomers from beyond the Bug river, from Greater Poland and from other parts of the country. The Roman Catholic parish in Kozuchow encompassed the city with its auxiliary church of the Holy Spirit at 1 Maja Street, the branch churches in Solniki and Stypułów, and the villages of Bielice, Cisów, Czciradz, Drwalewice, Dziadoszyce, Lasocin, Słocina, Sokołów and Zawada.

St. Anne’s Church in Broniszów

The village of Broniszów was probably founded in the 14th century. The first source of information about the village appeared in 1305. Another document from 1376 mentions the existence of the parish church of St. Anne in the village. In the Middle Ages, Broniszów belonged to many owners – in 1464 it was owned by von Ebersbach family. In 1513, Friedrich von Dyhem is mentioned. In the 16th century, the key of the Broniszów property went into possession of the von Kottwitz family.
During the reign of this family, the town flourished. In the years 1600-1608, the new owners rebuilt a Renaissance manor house, the building itself was probably erected in the second half of the 16th century. In the 18th century, a landscape park was established and in the 19th century, a neo-Gothic tower and a wall with crenellation were added to the manor.
The Kottwitz family also founded a new church. It was originally a wooden building, which was probably destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War. The new church was built around 1600. Hans Fabian von Kottwitz. In 1676 the church was consumed by fire, it was rebuilt in 1691-1694 and in 1760 it received a Rococo furnishing. In the first half of the 18th century, Broniszów was bought by the Skroński family. From the foundation of the countess Katarzyna Skrońska a hospital was built for the inhabitants of the village. Around 1839 the property was taken over by the von Tschammer und Quaritz family. In 1845, it was ruled by Baron Eduard Eugen von Tschammer, the village had 992 inhabitants (343 Catholics). There were 3 granges and a brickyard. It remained in the hands of the Broniszów family until 1945. At that time an inn for travelers, an Evangelical church, and two religious schools were built in the village. After the end of World War II, a State Agricultural Farm was built in the manor buildings, the manor housed offices and flats. At present, the building is in private hands.

St. George Church in Mirocin Górny

The church was built at the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. (the local parish is mentioned in 1352). The building was erected on the plan of an elongated rectangle, closed trilaterally from the east. At the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, a tower was added to the west and a sacristy and chapel to the north. The interiors were given vaulted ceilings. The whole was surrounded by a stone wall in which a gate with a sharp-arched entrance was placed. In the 18th century, a porch was built on the south side and a clock mechanism was probably installed in the tower. The last renovation took place at the end of the 20th century.
The church has a hall plan without a separate chancel. There are network vaults, cradle vaults in the sacristy, and cross vaults in the chapel. The tower is rectangular in its lower part, reinforced with scarves, and turns into an octagon. On the second story hangs a bell from 1479. The interior of the church is decorated with numerous monuments from the Middle Ages. These include a polychrome with scenes from the life of Mary and Christ uncovered in 1957, fragments of a medieval altar, and a pulpit from the 17th century. There are also sculptures and reliefs from the 15th and 16th centuries (Crucifixion, St. Anne’s family). Under the sacristy, former owners of the village are buried. Several epitaph plates have been preserved on the exterior facades. The entrance door is decorated with Gothic fittings.

Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Mirocin Dolny

It is a filial church of the parish of St. George in Mirocin Górny. Built on a hill in the western part of the village, the Gothic church was built at the end of the 13th century, bearing the name of St. Andrew. In 1271 the village and probably also the church were given under the patronage of the order of nuns from Nowogród Bobrzański by Duke Konrad of Głogów. Until the middle of the 15th century, the church belonged to the parish in Mirocin Górny. An independent parish was created after 1522. At the end of the 19th century, the temple fell into disrepair due to abandonment. Until today the church has survived practically unchanged, it underwent a general renovation in 1946. In 1948 the temple was consecrated and again incorporated into the parish of Mirocin Górny. Another renovation was made at the end of the 20th century.
It is a single-nave, towerless block of stone and turf ore, with a rectangular chancel and a vestry added on the north side. The nave, which is wider than the chancel, was added later. Both parts have separate entrances on the south side, through two pointed brick portals. Until the 19th century, the church had a wooden bell tower with two bells, dated 1523 and 1615. The church is covered with a gable roof and a pulpit roof over the sacristy. The windows of the church are sharp-arched with glazing on both sides. Particularly noteworthy are medieval door fittings with animal motifs. The whole is surrounded by a stone wall from the 15th century.

             St. Lawrence Church in Studzieniec

An early Gothic temple made of stone and turf ore was built in the mid-13th century. Originally it consisted only of a closed polygonal presbytery. In the 15th century, most probably, a bell tower was added, which has not survived to our times. This is evidenced by a bell from 1479, which now hangs on the belfry from 1752. In 1917 one of them was removed and melted down for military purposes.
The church is rectangular in plan with a nave of the same width as the chancel on the eastern side, which is closed triangularly. The chancel is the oldest part of the church. A free-standing wooden bell tower stands on the west side.
On the eastern side, there are built-in epitaphs. The roof of the church is covered with wooden shingles and the whole is surrounded by a stone wall. Although the church has been rebuilt many times, it has preserved its early Gothic style. In the 16th century stone gravestones of the village owners were placed in the internal walls. In the 19th century, three preserved figural epitaphs were moved outside the church (presbytery façade). The church equipment comes mainly from the Renaissance and Baroque times.