History of the structure

The first stronghold in the place of Odolanów probably existed already in the 12th century. The first location of the town was probably carried out arbitrarily by Bartosz Wezenborg of the Nałęcz family in 1373. In 1629, by virtue of a privilege granted by King Sigismund III Vasa, Nowe Miasto was established on the eastern side of the town (at present it is a part of Odolanów known as Górka). In the 17th century the town was inhabited by 75% Catholics, 15% Protestants and 10% Jews. Odolanów retained its Polish character throughout the partitions, as evidenced by the fact that in 1890 92.9% of Poles lived in the town (in 1912 - 91.2%).

The Evangelical church in Odolanów was built in years 1777-1780 as a wooden frame church with a brick filling, with a significant support of August Sułkowski from Rydzyna, the owner of Odolanów estates at that time. The works on the interior design were carried out until 1782. At the beginning of the 19th century, the church was in poor condition. In 1818 the building inspector Schneider in Ostrów Wielkopolski was informed about the necessity of renovation works. The Evangelical community turned for help to the von Thurn und Taxis family, the owner of the Krotoszyn and Odolanów estates at that time. The roof was the first to be repaired in 1826, and two years later the interior of the church was painted. Under Pastor Bertold Harhausen, the frame wall construction was replaced with brick during renovations in 1875-1876 and 1892-1893. Moreover, the wooden sacristy was demolished and a new one was erected in its place, with two cylindrical towers topped with bulbous cupolas added. After Pastor Wiele took over the parish in 1896, a bell tower was erected and the church itself was equipped with electricity and water and surrounded by a stone fence. In 1912, Berlin painters Belling and Zabel created new interior decorations using elements of the original polychrome they had discovered. After 1945, the church remained unused until 1954, when it reopened briefly. In 1980 the temple was taken over by the Town and Commune Office in Odolanów.

In 1987-1988, a number of renovation and clean-up works were carried out, including scraping off plaster, installing a dehumidification system, and removing trees and bushes from the immediate vicinity of the church. In 1989-1990 the roof structure was repaired and its covering replaced; in addition, the windows were glazed with reinforced glass. In 2002-2003 conservation works were carried out, among others, of the polychrome.

Description of the structure

The Evangelical church in Odolanów is located in the centre of the town, at Tadeusz Kościuszko square, northwest of the main square.

It was erected in the form of a central temple on an octagon, on a stone and brick foundation, originally with a timber-frame structure, later replaced with a brick one. The two-storey main body is covered with an eight-slope, Polish mansard roof topped with a two-part bulbous cupola. The main body is adjoined by a vestibule with the main entrance from the north, a vestibule with an auxiliary entrance from the northeast, and from the southeast a one-storey sacristy on a square floor plan, covered with a triple-pitched roof, with two stair towers adjoining its sides, built on a circular plan and covered with bulbous cupolas. The central interior is covered with a high mirrored ceiling and surrounded by wooden galleries, under which there is an ambulatory of the church. In the western part there is a pipe organ casing instead of galleries. There is an interior wall-mounted staircase adjacent to the east wall. The preserved interior furnishings include a partially destroyed pipe organ casing fragments of pews, stoves used for heating, and a cupboard for liturgical equipment in the sacristy.

Visitor access: The church is open to visitors from the outside.

Author of the note: Tomasz Łuczak, 27.09.2017

Bibliography

• Wielkopolska. Słownik krajoznawczy, ed. Łęcki Włodzimierz, Poznań 2002, pp. 234-235.
• Odolanów – zbór poewangelicki, Record sheet of monuments of architecture and construction, compiled by B. Matusiak, D. Stoces, 1998, Archive of the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship Heritage Protection Officer in Poznań.