Tuesday 27 October 2015

The Peace of Westphalia (Germany, Poland)

The Peace of Westphalia contains various peace treaty closed in the Town Halls of Münster and Osnabrück in 1648. It ended the Thirty Years' War and the Dutch War of Independence. The previous peace congress was the first congress where nearly all European powers were involved. Owing to the Peace of Westphalia various borders in Europe were shifted, the independence of the Netherlands and Switzerland were recognised and the Catholic and Evangelical confessions were equated.

Due to this event Osnabrück and Münster got the European Heritage Label in 2014.




After the Peace of Westphalia the Protestants of Silesia were also allowed to built three Churches of Peace.

The Church of Peace in Świdnica was constructed between August 1656 and June 1657. It is a timber-framed building as only wood, clay and straw were allowed be used for the construction and not bricks. It also had to be built within one year. Today it is one of the largest timber-framed religious buildings in Europe.

The other two churches were built in Głogów and Jawor. The Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica are since 2001 on the UNESCO World Heritage List, while the one in Głogów burned down in 1758.



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