Building sights in Lublin
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
Dominican Priory
Originally a Gothic complex founded by King Kazimierz III Wielki in 1342, the Dominican Priory was rebuilt in Renaissance style after it was ravaged by fire in 1575. Two historic highlights inside the church are the Chapel of the Firlej Family (1615), containing family members’ tombstones; and the Tyszkiewicz Chapel (1645–59), with impressive Renaissance stuccowork. For an insight into 18th-century Lublin, note the large historical painting, The Fire of Lublin, which depicts the 1719 fire (in the Szaniawski family chapel to your right as you enter the church). The Dominian Basilica was closed by the Russians in 1886; the monks returned just before the outbreak of WWII…
reviewed
-
B
Chapel of the Holy Trinity
At the eastern end of the castle is its most prized asset – the exquisite 14th-century Chapel of the Holy Trinity, featured on many postcards (the photographers must have snuck in a flash and a wide angle lens). The chapel is covered from floor to ceiling with polychrome Russo-Byzantine frescoes. Painted in 1418, only to be later plastered over, they were rediscovered in 1897 and painstakingly restored over a hundred-year period. These are possibly the finest examples of medieval wall paintings in the country, so colour-rich you could lick the paint off the walls.
reviewed
-
C
Cathedral
Next to the tower is the 16th-century cathedral, formerly a Jesuit church. There are many impressive details to behold, including the Baroque trompe l’oeil frescoes (the work of Moravian artist Józef Majer) and the 17th-century altar made from a black Lebanese pear tree. The painting of the Black Madonna is said to have shed tears in 1945, making it a source of much reverence for local devotees. The acoustic vestry (so called for its ability to project whispers) and the treasury behind the chapel are also worth some attention.
reviewed
-
D
Synagogue
The only synagogue to survive of the 38 that functioned before WWII is in an early 20th-century building, which bears no distinguishing features of a synagogue. It contains a modest exhibition of old photographs, books in Hebrew and ritual objects. Enter the gate from the street and take the door on the right leading upstairs to the 1st-floor synagogue.
reviewed
-
E
Old Town Hall
Some of the buildings in the historic quarter surrounding the Rynek have lovely restored façades. At the Rynek's centre is the 1781 neoclassical Old Town Hall .
reviewed
