The ruined chapel of the former Bethanien hospital complex on Żabia Ścieżka Street in Wrocław is a sad example of the fate of many Protestant churches in Poland. Despite its good location and rich history, it remains the most neglected monument in this part of the city. However, there is hope that everything may change. OKRE Development has submitted an application for work on the abandoned building.
Securing the damaged chapel
After many years of inactivity, the first formal step announcing changes has been taken regarding the ruins of the 19th-century chapel. OKRE Traugutta has submitted an application for a permit to rebuild the former Evangelical Lutheran church. The procedure is currently underway, and the scope of work at this stage is limited to strengthening and stabilising the deteriorating structure of the monument. This means that the investor is trying to stop further degradation of the building and finally save it.
OKRE saves the chapel on Żabia Ścieżka Street
OKRE is known in Wrocław primarily for the Sudea project on the site of a former railway hospital in the area of Wiśniowa, Sztabowa and Sudecka avenues. The company is also responsible for the Witolda 38-40 investment, located in the historic building of the former Customs Office from the early 20th century. OKRE’s previous projects clearly indicate its interest in historic buildings and restoring them to life. In the case of the chapel in Przedmieście Oławskie, the investor is currently focusing on rescue measures, and further plans have not yet been officially presented.
Neo-Gothic chapel in the “Bethanien” complex
The building was constructed in the second half of the 19th century as a single-nave chapel in the Neo-Gothic style, with tall, soaring windows being its most recognisable feature. The place of worship was located on the first floor of a compact building on Żabia Ścieżka and was part of the extensive complex of the “Bethanien” deaconess hospital, consisting of many buildings. Around 1870, a chancel was added to the chapel, and after a fire in 1915, the building was restored to use. Protestants used it for decades until the catastrophe of World War II.
The history of the chapel on Żabia Ścieżka Street
After 1945, the building ceased to serve its sacred function and was used as a detention centre by the Internal Security Corps, and then abandoned. In the 1980s, it came into the hands of the Church of Christ, which undertook efforts to renovate the chapel, but the work was never started. Shortly afterwards, the disaster of 17 June 1991 occurred, when the roof of the temple collapsed. Since then, the building has remained unprotected from the weather. Despite such significant degradation, fragments of polychrome with floral motifs and elements of neo-Gothic decorations have been preserved inside, testifying to the former grandeur of the building. Will OKRE restore it? Let’s hope so!
Source: OKRE, gazetawroclawska.pl
Read also:Wrocław | Sacred architecture | History|Facade|whiteMAD on Instagram
