The Skull Chapel of Czermna – A Place of Bones and Remembrance
From the outside, it looks very inconspicuous, one could even be tempted to describe it as “idyllic.” A yellow chapel in the Baroque style against the backdrop of a clear sky… It was built in Czermna, Poland, just over a kilometer from the center of Kudowa-Zdrój. It is over 200 years old, but that is not what distinguishes it. Whoever decides to go inside will find themselves among… thousands of human skulls
In Poland, there is one such place, and in all of Europe, there are nine. The construction of the Chapel of Skulls took 18 years. It was built at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. The entire building is essentially a large ossuary (a container for bones or ashes) for thousands of the dead. About 3,000 human skulls and bones are placed on the walls. The exact number of remains in the crypt below the floor has never been determined – it is estimated to be between 20,000 and 30,000.
The creator of this extraordinary chapel is Father Wacław Tomaszek, a German of Czech descent. He served as the parish priest of St. Bartholomew for 40 years. He was troubled by the mass graves, both on the cemetery and scattered around the surrounding fields and forests. These were the victims of epidemics caused by the two Silesian Wars (1740-1742; 1744-1745) and the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763).
He made a visit to the Roman catacombs in 1775. The subterranean necropolis of the Holy See left a profound impression on him. Months later, coming across human bones beneath the church bell tower, he determined to repurpose them.
Whether protruding from the slope or unearthed by a local legend’s dog, the parish priest, upon encountering skulls, summoned gravedigger Langer and caretaker Schmidt to extract the unexpectedly abundant skeletons. With backing from magnate Leopold von Leslie, they transformed the bones into a site of remembrance and contemplation – a collective grave signifying final farewells and a stark reminder of judgment and eternal life.
The building, virtually unchanged for over 200 years, held thousands of vacant eye sockets, shinbones embedded in the walls, and a modest altar with inscriptions in Latin. A later addition was a monument bearing a slogan in three languages: “In memory of war victims, a warning to the living, 1914.” For tourist attraction, the altar displayed the most intriguing bones.
Once a year, at midnight on August 14-15, a mass is held in the Chapel of Skulls in Czermna for all those who rest in it, but also for all those who died as a result of incurable diseases or accidents. With the consent of the families of the deceased, the priests read the names of the people from the memorial cards.
The 18th-century Skull Chapel in Czermna is located at 8a Stanisława Moniuszki Street in Kudowa-Zdrój, less than 5 kilometers as the crow flies from Szczeliniec Wielki. The Skull Chapel is open to visitors from Tuesday to Sunday. The chapel’s opening hours are as follows:
- April: 10:00-16:00
- May and June: 9:00-17:30
- July to September: 9:30-17:00
- October: 10:00-17:00
- November to April: 10:00-16:00
On Mondays, the Skull Chapel is closed.
Skull Chapel – 2023 ticket prices:
- Adults: 10 PLN
- Seniors and retirees: 8 PLN (with proof of ID)
- Children and youth: 5 PLN (ages 6-18)
There is free parking near the Skull Chapel.
The funds raised from visiting the Skull Chapel in Czermna are used for:
- Repairs
- Conservation
- Maintenance of the parish’s religious buildings
Priests announce that there is no possibility of pre-booking visits to the Chapel, and entry is based on the order in which groups arrive. The last entry to the chapel is possible 15 minutes before closing. Visitors are asked to behave respectfully and wear appropriate clothing. Photography and filming are prohibited in the Chapel.
This chapel of bones stands as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the inevitability of death. It is a place where the living can come to contemplate their own mortality and seek solace in the face of loss. The skulls and bones that adorn the walls serve as a reminder that we are all dust in the wind, and that our time on this earth is fleeting. Yet, amidst this somber reminder of death, there is also a glimmer of hope. The chapel’s Baroque architecture and serene setting offer a sense of peace and tranquility, and the annual mass held there provides an opportunity for the living to honor the dead and find comfort in their shared humanity.
