In our project we want to look back into the past as well as forward into the future. We are trying to find the balance between what once was and that what will be. We are of course saving the priceless heritage of the Baroque. At the same time however, we are keeping future generations in mind through our plans to “modernize” and adapt the church to our times, which are constantly evolving and becoming more and more rooted in virtual reality and technology.
That is why our book collection, which is one of the largest Lutheran collections in Poland, shall be digitalized and made available on the Internet. Scholars, students, and all other visitors will be able to see the books and prints in the reconstructed parish, where the Lower-Silesian Evangelical Instituteis to be founded. The institute will be equipped with all the facilities needed to hold a collection of such value. We would also like to organize museum classes, which would offer the participants an opportunity to see various historic copies of the Bible and other old prints, or to learn about the history of books and writing.
Similar classes and educational trails will be organized in the restored cemetery, which is the resting place of many famous people from the town and the entire region. It is to be an intriguing place, where visitors can commune with the history of Silesia and art. There will also be a cultural park on site that is ideal for thematic tours or events involving families with children, who can solve tasks along the trail and find “treasure”. In such events the youngest (pre-schoolers), can use the map titled “The Treasures of the Square and Church of Peace”.
The renovation of the large organs will not only expand the opportunities of the International Bach Festivals, but also allow us to bring back the tradition of concerts held in the Church of Peace, during which both large and small organs were played (the last concert was held in the 1960s). We would also like to organize concerts for tourists and the inhabitants of Świdnica, where pupils from various music schools in Lower Silesia can show their skills. Another event, the annual Young Organists Festival, would be organized for talented young musicians from all over the country. Our cultural programme will create a sensory space, which will activate all of one’s senses.
To influence the sense of touch, the oldest trees and stone epitaphs will be exposed, and a path will be made from the surfaces on which Świdnica’s 17th century inhabitants walked barefoot (grass, clay, sand, cobblestones, stones, wooden boards). Another educational trail will be prepared for the blind and visually impaired. For the sense of hearing, there will be two audio devices in the Baptism Hall, which will allow visitors to listen to music played in the Church of Peace. The sense of sight will be stimulated by the visit to the church alone, as well as by the computer stand in the parish, which will allow users to take a virtual tour. On top of that, classes in artistic calligraphy and art workshops will feature. Our lavender garden meanwhile, situated next to the Bell-ringer’s House, refers to the sense of smell. Last but not least, the café in the Gatekeeper’s House, which promotes regional cuisine and old Silesian dishes, will activate the sense of taste.
