Discover Górka Pabianicka: Church and Cemetery

The parish church: a Neo-Gothic building with older furnishings

The present-day brick parish church was built from 1872 to 1875 to a design by architect Tadeusz Mankiewicz. At that time, Józef Bazyli Nowicki was the parish priest. The building has a single nave and a square tower at the front. Its location on a hill formed during the Ice Age connects the architecture with a distinctive landscape feature. The late 19th-century construction date and the medieval-looking Neo-Gothic design provide a clear framework for viewing the building.

Inside, however, Baroque and Rococo styles dominate. The furnishings include three altars, a 19th-century painting of the Crucifixion, a Rococo feretory with an image of Saint Mary Magdalene, a Rococo crucifix and Stations of the Cross. These different elements make the church interesting even if your trip is focused particularly on religious art and historic furnishings. Three bells dating from 1946 add a more recent date to the architectural and artistic details.

Cemetery and chapel: traces of different eras

The Roman Catholic parish cemetery lies on a small hill and was established at the beginning of the 19th century. It is listed in the Łódź Voivodeship register of monuments. The grounds contain a simple wooden cemetery chapel dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene. It was built in the second half of the 19th century on the initiative of the parish priest at the time, Ignacy Papiewski.

The chapel is linked to a turning point in the history of the parish church: after the old church burned down in 1858, services were held there for several years, until the present-day brick church was completed. The functions of the two buildings are therefore clearly distinct: the chapel represents a transitional period, while the Neo-Gothic building is the later parish church. Beside the chapel is the historic tomb of the Smulski family, who owned an estate in Świątniki. The cemetery is also home to the grave of Tomasz Błociszewski, owner of an estate in Wymysłów. These connections lead from individual graves to historic estate owners and the names of neighbouring places.

Part of the educational trail

As the fifth stop on the “Historia blisko Ciebie” educational trail, Górka Pabianicka can also be viewed as part of a broader series of historic stops. The local history remains tangible: the church, chapel and cemetery tell of construction periods, a fire and changing uses of sacred buildings. When planning your trip, you can distinguish this place-specific focus from the other cultural themes in the wider Pabianicki destination.

Pabianicki: more cultural highlights in Pabianice

The wider Pabianicki destination includes other independent historic attractions in Pabianice. The Renaissance manor house known as “Zamkowy,” dating from the 16th century, stands in the Dobrzynka Valley; the former manor house of the canons of the Kraków Chapter has housed the Museum of the City of Pabianice since the period after the Second World War. The eclectic Ender Palace, built in 1883 for Karol and Teodor Ender, represents another era. The two-storey wooden weaver’s house from the first half of the 19th century also makes its own architectural statement with its timber-frame construction, typical of German Saxony.

For a change of pace from architectural history to landscape, consider the four-hectare park at the castle in Juliusza Słowackiego Park: its left-bank area is designed in the English style, while the right bank is French in style. Those more interested in walking routes around Pabianice will find a range of thematic options. “Śladami wielokulturowości Pabianic” leads to surviving traces of German and Jewish cultures and religions; “Pabianice zapisane na taśmie filmowej” is just under 6 km long and is described as suitable for walks or orienteering events for groups of students. The second stage of the “Warto zobaczyć” route is a 9 km urban trail taking in places of interest. Thus, alongside Górka Pabianicka’s focus on church and cemetery history, Pabianice offers urban architecture, park design and themed routes.

More places for planning your trip

Borowa, Rzgów, Koluszki, Brójce, Dobryszyce, Andrespol, Leśne Odpadki, Pławno

To the wider travel overview: Lodz.