On Christmas Eve, it was especially important for us to visit the City of Olsztyn (until 1945 Allenstein (German: Allenstein (inf.)), the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in Poland. For almost 7 centuries of its existence in this city various ethnic, cultural and religious influence and traditions have been blurred and intertwined.
The architectural ensemble of the old city keeps the pace of past events, and the Christmas decorations and smiles on the faces of passers-by create a truly charming and festive atmosphere.
The best way to enter the Old Town of Olsztyn is through the High Gate (Wysoka Brama) – the only surviving fence of three city gates. Next to the High Gate is the Fish Market Square.
From 1858 to 1895 the city prison was located in the gate building. Here, in one of the wards , Wojciech Ketzinski, convicted of supplying weapons for the January Uprising, was waiting for the verdict. Later, when the prison was moved, the building housed the police department and the city’s fire department.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the High Gate was converted into an apartment house . The last reconstruction of the building was carried out in 2003. On the Gate opening day, right before the celebration of the 650th anniversary of Olsztyn, Pope John Paul II made a gift to the city – a mural , depicting Our Lady Queen of Peace, which became the decoration of the facade of building.
The Olsztyn Castle (1346-1353 years of construction) is one of the earliest local structures. Initially, it was used as a defensive structure, but after 1466, when Warmia was annexed to Poland, the original purpose was lost. In the second half of the 16th century, the building was converted into the summer residence of the bishops.
As the personality of Immanuel Kant is substantially linked to Kaliningrad, the name of W. A. Mozart is capitally linked with Vienna, so Olsztyn is associated with the great discoveries of the famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Not far from the center there is a bench of N. Copernicus, which was opened in 2003 also on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the city. Five centuries ago (1516) he arrived in this city as a canon and administrator of the Warmia Chapter, and his astronomical table for determining the spring and autumn equinoxes is still preserved on the wall of the internal gallery of the castle.
Song of Solomon 8:6
Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.
Finally we are coming to the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is a Gothic church built in Olsztyn at the beginning of the 20th century. At the end of the nineteenth century, more than 15,000 Catholics lived in the city. The committee for the construction of a second Catholic church in Olsztyn was established in 1895. The land for the church was purchased in 1898. The construction was financed mainly from donations from Polish residents. The local newspaper was engaged in collecting funds from the population. Construction work was carried out by Albert Scholz. Work began in June 1901, and already in the autumn of 1903 the church was consecrated by Bishop Edward Herrmann.
The temple is a building with three towers, the highest of which rises to 83 meters. The church consists of three naves and six halls. In one of them is the chapel of the Mother of God, in the other – the chapel of St. Joseph, which adjoins the south nave. Above the entrance there is a mosaic depicting Christ with a flaming heart. The Latin inscription “Положи́ мѧ ѩ҆́кѡ печа́ть на се́рдцы твое́мъ, ѩ҆́кѡ печа́ть на мы́шцѣ твое́й” made by P. Gostekhizdat from Koenigsberg fills the entire length of the arch and crowns the portal. Below this inscription are the symbols of the four evangelists.
There is also a reminder of the visit of John Paul II to these lands in this temple…
“A person cannot fully understand himself without Christ, cannot understand who is he , or what his real dignity is, or what his vocation and final destiny are. He cannot understand all this without Christ.” J. Paul II
Having dedicated his life to serving God and canonized in 2014, the pontiff also served mankind, showing by his own example that we are all brothers and sisters on this planet. Throughout his life, the head of the Catholics did not forget about his homeland – he remained Pole to the marrow of his bones and showed his patriotism in deeds until his last breath.
Text and images I.Reeves
