Wooden Churches in Southern Poland

There are 6 wooden churches in southern Poland inscribed on the UNESCO list. None of these three is on that list but they're also beautiful examples of this unique church style. 

These cards and all the other previous polish card were all sent by Andrzej. 

fot. © N. Szczerbicka

This formerly Greek Catholic church sits on a hill above the village of Hoszów in Bieszczady county in the south-eastern corner of Poland, not far from the Ukrainian border. Dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the current structure is of 20th century origin, though it includes some of the building materials used in an 18th century wooden church which originally stood on this site. 

Construction started in 1939, and it was not yet completed when World War Two began. The structure was used by the Germans as an ammunition storage site, and a major explosion occurred which seriously damaged the building. Construction continued after the war, and the church was completed in 1948.

However, by 1951 the building had been abandoned due to pressure from the new Communist Polish government. For the next decade it was used as a barn for keeping sheep in, but in 1971 it was given to the Roman Catholic church who began renovating it.

In 1977 the decaying wooden shingles on the roofs and the dome were replaced with tin roofs since they would last longer and protect the rest of the structure. 

Unfortunately the interior no longer contains any elements of the original Greek Catholic design and has been fully converted to a modern Roman Catholic style. - in: http://carpathianwoodenchurches.blogspot.pt/2011/11/hoszow-poland.html

fot. © N. Szczerbicka

The Greek Catholic Church of St. Nicolas in Rabe was built in 1858. Orthodox Church in Rabe was a filial Church of the parish in Hoszow. After the year 1951 the Church was abandoned and used as a warehouse. Since 1971 it served as Roman Catholic Church. - in: http://www.poland.travel/en-us/sacred-sites/greek-catholic-church-of-st-nicolas-in-rabe

fot. © N. Szczerbicka

This former Greek-Catholic wooden church is found on a small hill in the village of Równia. It features a three-domed architectural style which is very rare on Polish territory, being more typical of Boyko-style churches found further east in Ukraine.

The church is thought to have been built in the early 18th century, and it would later suffer extensive damage during World War Two. Following the war, the Lemko and Boyko inhabitants of the village were accused of aiding the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which was fighting the Polish government.

They were expelled from the region along with most of the Lemko and Boyko population of south-eastern Poland, and were sent to become new settlers in the recently-claimed former German territories granted to Poland at the end of the war. Thus the village of Równia lost its Greek-Catholic population, and the church was converted for use as a Roman Catholic church when Catholic Poles were resettled in the village.

This is one of the most unique wooden churches in the region of Małopolska (Little Poland), though the interior is much less remarkable than the exterior. - in: http://carpathianwoodenchurches.blogspot.pt/2010/12/rownia-poland.html