The Churches of Peace in Swidnica and Jawor in Poland.

Think of an impossible assignment and look at the two remaining churches. It is the impossible made reality. These churches date back to the mid 17th century and are located in the south west of Poland in Silesia. 

After the peace of Westphalia the Lutherans were allowed by the catholics to build 3 churches in the area with some rigid constraints. The building materials, the materials allowed were straw, wood and loam. Steepels and bells were forbidden. Furthermore the construction period was restricted to one year. Just compare this with building times of hundreds of years of some of the great cathedrals in France/England/Spain/Italy etc.

Two of the three churches have survived the centuries and are world heritage sites since 2001.

The churches are relatively dark and both have extensive paintwork and beautifully detailed woodwork. The construction of both churches is in Timber Framing. 

I have visited the churches in the summer with all the trees in the gardens full of green. As all these trees are relatively close to the churches this also means that the churches don't really stand out in the environment. 

As these buildings are really something special and it is hard to find a similar building in the world, visiting these churches is highly recommended.