b-swidnica

~ / kihaku / trips / longer-trips / a-rusty-golden-train-2021 / b-swidnica

Świdnica (Schweidnitz) – the town of two bishops

First mentioned in 1243 and it was already declared a town in 1267. It used to be the capital of the Duchy of Jawor-Świdnica, of course. It also used to be well-known for its beer. As the title suggests, there are two bishops there. Well, yes, although in 2003 there weren't any. So what've happened? In 2004 John Paul II created a Catholic diocese of Świdnica, thus putting the first bishop in the town. The second one was inaugurated in 2015, when a priest from a local Lutheran parish was chosen as the new bishop of Wrocław in a Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Poland. Although the office and the official HQ of the diocese is located in Wrocław, he stayed in his parish. And his parish is, of course, the Peace Church in Świdnica, a UNESCO monument.