Gilów: Churches, Palace and Hiking Trail

Gilów combines several architectural histories within the village with a hiking route that passes through it. These include the branch church of St. Jadwiga, the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the palace; the hillfort site lies nearby, east of the village. For planning your trip, it helps to distinguish between the local buildings and the longer hiking route: you can focus on the history within the village or factor in a full day to walk the route.

Churches and Palace in the Village

The branch church of St. Jadwiga in Gilów is a listed historic building dating from the 16th to the 18th century. The church complex includes a perimeter wall and a gate at the parish church. The Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus dates from the mid-19th century; its tower was built in 1939. The church’s Neo-Renaissance altar originally came from the former convent of the Grey Sisters in Gilów. The dates indicate distinct building phases: the dating of St. Jadwiga spans several centuries, while the Church of the Sacred Heart has a construction date and a later tower date.

The palace is in the eastern part of Gilów. It was originally built for the Tschirsky family around the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries; in the mid-19th century, the Nitschke family gave it a neoclassical design. Features include a columned portico and a garden pavilion accessible from the park. The palace is a two-storey, rectangular building with a hipped roof and dormer windows. An unkempt park adjoins it to the east. This makes it possible to consider the original construction, later design and adjoining park as distinct aspects of the complex.

The Nearby Hillfort Site

East of Gilów, near the road from Gilów to Niemcza, the hillfort site is located on a partly rocky hill at an elevation of 281 metres. It covers approximately 4.5 hectares; the surviving ramparts are up to 8 metres high and up to 12 metres wide at the base. The area figure refers to the site, while the height and width measurements refer to the ramparts. This distinguishes the extent of the site from the dimensions of its fortifications. The large fortified complex was built by a group of people who came from the Great Moravian Empire into territories controlled by the Ślężans. The hillfort site was used for only a short time. Its history therefore encompasses both the construction of the fortifications and a limited period of use.

The Yellow Hiking Trail Through Gilów

The yellow hiking trail from Bielawa to Gromnik passes through Myśliszów, Owiesno, Piława Dolna, Marianówek, Gilów, Niemcza, Wojsławice and Piotrówek. It connects the Owl Mountains with the Niemczańsko-Strzelińskie Hills. The route is long but easy; walking the entire route takes a full day. This time estimate applies to the whole route, not just the section through Gilów. This full-day hike differs from a trip focused on the village’s buildings: it passes through several places and connects two landscapes. If you are planning your hotel stay around the entire route, allow for a full day.

Discover more destinations: Niemcza, Pieszyce, Mościsko, Dzierżoniów, Bielawa

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