Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross


Jelenia Góra’s main attraction is this massive church. One of six new churches permitted by the 1707 Treaty of Altranstädt, it was built between 1709 and 1718 for a Lutheran congregation, though it’s been Catholic since 1947. The three-storey galleries plus the dark, densely packed ground floor can accommodate 4000 people. The ceiling is embellished with illusionist baroque paintings of scenes from the Old and New Testaments, while the magnificent organ over the high altar dates from 1729.


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