Description of the attraction
In the remote part of Tumski Island there is the Church of St. Martin, which is considered the second oldest sacred building after the Church of St. Gilles in the whole of Wroclaw. It was erected as a castle chapel at the first castle belonging to the Piast. This happened at the end of the 10th century. The chapel was completed and rebuilt until it turned into an independent church, consisting of one nave and a presbytery, which was never completed. The reconstruction of the church took place in the 13th century.
St. Martin's Church was the most popular church in Wroclaw from 1921 to 1939. Services were held here in Polish. As you know, in those days the city was part of Germany. However, the Polish population of Wroclaw, which is about 3 thousand people, was very categorical: they believed that in everyday life you can communicate in any language, including German, but you should only talk to God in Polish, since the German language is does not understand. In memory of that period, an information plate is placed on the wall of the church.
Previously, the church consisted of two levels, the lower of which is now a basement. Over time, the level of the ground around the church rose, making the temple lower. According to researchers of the native land, the church was surrounded by a kind of open gallery, which has not survived now.
St. Martin Street leads to the church, which was built up with multi-storey buildings before World War II. All of them were destroyed during the hostilities. The city council decided not to restore them, but to leave an open space in front of the church. On the site of one of these houses, there is now a monument to Pope John XXIII, which was created in 1968 by Ludwika Nitshova.
