The Pearl of Żeliszów has become a true showcase for this village near Bolesławiec. Visitors say it is a beautiful place. It is therefore no surprise that it is currently experiencing a renaissance in popularity. Tourists come to Żeliszów every day, not only from Poland but also from abroad. The historic building delights TV series producers, photographers, rock artists who have shot music videos here, and even… BMX fans. Concerts are held here.
What is more, the building also proved to be a great surprise and discovery for some Bolesławiec residents, who heard about it relatively recently. Recently, residents under the care of the Dziennego Domu Senior+ in Bolesławiec visited the site.
Much of the credit goes to Olga Burdyna, the village head of Żeliszów, who as soon as she became head of her village in 2007 took steps to restore the deteriorating building, even though some residents then responded by pointedly tapping their foreheads. Now the village head leads numerous tours around the Pearl.
Renovation of the church is still under way. The historic building is currently being looked after by Fundacja Twoje Dziedzictwo. Money is being collected for this purpose all the time. (The work was indeed supposed to be completed in 2019, but key grants were suspended.) Nevertheless, progress is visible: the roof has been secured, as have some of the windows and the tower.
Fundacja Twoje Dziedzictwo on the Pearl of Żeliszów:
A historic building from the early Classicist period, deteriorating since 1945 as a former Protestant church, is today rising from the ruins as a multifunctional cultural arena. It gained new life thanks to photographers and the talented director Patryk Kizny.
The Pearl is located in Żeliszów (formerly Giersdorf), in Bolesławiec County. It was erected according to a design attributed to the renowned architect Carl Gotthard Langhans, creator of, among other works, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. Some art historians, however, attribute it to the builder Grundmann or to Carl Gotthard Langhans Jr. The building was constructed in 1796–1797 on an elliptical plan measuring approximately 20 × 30 m. In 1872, a bell tower made of Bolesławiec sandstone was added according to a design by local architect Peter Gansel.