Lubiąż Abbey

Lubiąż Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery in Lubiąż, in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship of southwestern Poland, located about 54 km (34 mi) northwest of Wrocław. With a main facade measuring 223 metres (732 ft), Lubiąż is one of the largest abbeys ever constructed. The monastery was founded by the Silesian Duke Bolesław I the Tall, who had the foundation charter drawn up in 1175. Monks from the Cistercian Abbey of Pforta founded the new monastery on the then-densely wooded bank of the Oder. Lubiąż developed into the most important monastery in Silesia and played a significant role in the settlement and development of Silesia. It founded six daughter houses and owned dozens of villages and manors, making the abbey wealthy and able to withstand several wars and crises. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was rebuilt as one of the largest and most representative examples of Baroque architecture in Silesia. It was disestablished after the First Silesian War and used by the Prussian state until the end of World War II, after which it was plundered and fell into disrepair.