Fading Landscapes of Rural Cemeteries around Wooden Churches on the Polish–Czech Border in Lower Silesia (Poland)

The aim of the article was to compare the landscape and cultural value of cemeteries located around wooden churches on the Polish–Czech border in the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. Research regarding the history of the villages was undertaken, describing their development and the construction of the churches and the cemeteries so as to compare changes in cemetery spatial layout, architecture, and landscape. The villages involved were Grzmiąca, Kamieńczyk, Międzygórze, Nowa Bystrzyca, Rybnica Leśna, and Zalesie. The following analyses were conducted: assessment of the visual aspects of the landscape, evaluation of the architectural value, and assessment of land use. In the landscape of Lower Silesia, churchyard cemeteries, which bear witness to the rich past of this region, are gradually but remorselessly deteriorating. Adverse changes are occurring to their spatial layout, to church buildings, as well as in architecture and greenery. The article presents a new approach to the subject of sacred sites through multi-faceted research aimed at protecting the fragile and changing religious landscape.