Wroclaw - Kościół Najświętszej Marii Panny na Piasku

The history of Wroclaw dates back more than a thousand years. At various times, it has been part of the Kingdom of Poland, the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria, the Kingdom of Prussia, and Germany. Wrocław became part of Poland again in 1945 as part of the result of extensive border changes and expulsions after WWII.

In 990 Mieszko I of Poland conquered Silesia and Wrocław. The town became a commercial center. In the 12th century Polish, Bohemian, Jewish, Walloon, and German communities existed here.

Wroclaw was devastated in 1241 during the first Mongol invasion of Poland. In the 13th century due to migration from Saxony and Bavaria, Wroclaw got germanised. The population adopted the German language and culture and the name changed to Breslau.

Between 1342 and 1344 two fires destroyed large parts of the city, which was a part of the Bohemian Kingdom at that time. Charles IV`s , successors Wenceslaus and Sigismund became involved in a long-lasting feud with the city and its magistrate, culminating in the revolt in 1418 when local craftsmen killed seven councilors.

After the city had defeated the Bohemian Hussites the city was besieged by a combined Polish-Czech force in 1474, however, a ceasefire was signed, according to which the city remained under Hungarian rule.

The Reformation reached Breslau already in 1518, and in 1523 the town council unanimously appointed a new pastor and thus introduced the Reformation in Breslau.

In 1526, the Habsburg monarchy of Austria inherited Bohemia, Silesia, and the city of Breslau. In 1609 German emperor Rudolf II granted the free exercise of church services to all Bohemian and Silesian Protestants. In the following Thirty Years' War, the city suffered badly. It was occupied by Saxon and Swedish troops and lost 18,000 of its 40,000 residents to the plague.

The Counter-Reformation had started with Rudolf II who encouraged Catholic orders to settle in Breslau. The dominance of the German population under the Habsburg rule in the city became more visible, while the Polish population diminished in numbers.

After Frederick the Great besieged the city for a year, it surrendered in 1741. In 1742, Queen Maria Theresa handed over Silesia to the Prussian king.
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At the end of the 12th century, the family of the governor Peter Włast (Piotr Włostowic) funded the construction of a Romanesque church on this small island, hence its name on the Sand.

The Romanesque church was demolished in the 14th century to make way for a larger Gothic church, built in brick between 1334 and 1430 according to the plans of the architect Master Peschel. The nave, lit by huge windows, is 78 meters long. The Gothic vaults rise to 24 meters high. The church was sacked by Swedish troops in 1632 during the Thirty Years' War. During the Seven Years' War, the Prussians used the church as an ammunition depot.

When at the end of WWII the Soviet troops advanced in 1945, the Sandkirche and the buildings served as headquarters for the German army, which was conscious of fighting a dead-end battle. During the fighting, most of Breslau's historical monuments were destroyed or severely damaged. The Sandkirche also burned down, only the walls were still standing.

The German population was expelled after the war and replaced by Polish refugees from the east. In 1946, the reconstruction began, which was based on the old Gothic plans and also reconstructed the ceiling vaults in their old form.

The interior furnishing of the church is composed of surviving elements from other destroyed churches in the city and the diocesan museum.

Two crocodile-mouthed monsters hold the ring on the old door.