The chapel contains the remains of over 24,000 people in total when accounting for those in the crypt.
Priest Wacław Tomaszek gathered the bones over 18 years while observing the remains being unearthed in the local area.
The skulls of the founder, Wacław Tomaszek, and the gravedigger J. Langer are placed on the altar as a sign of respect.
The site was once a cemetery chapel for the village of Czermna.
Among the skeletal remains are skulls displaying signs of bullet holes and other trauma consistent with 17th and 18th-century warfare.
The structure is built at the junction of three former war fronts, explaining the high density of casualties in the area.
The ceiling is decorated with murals that complement the grim aesthetic of the bone-lined walls.
The Skull Chapel (Kaplica Czaszek) in Kudowa-Zdrój is the only monument of its kind in Poland and one of three in Europe, featuring interior walls and ceilings lined with approximately 3,000 human skulls and thousands of tibia bones. Located in the Czermna district, the structure was built in 1776 by the local parish priest Wacław Tomaszek. The bones used for the installation were unearthed from mass graves of victims of the Thirty Years' War, three Silesian Wars, and local epidemics like cholera. The altar contains an additional 21,000 bones buried in the crypt beneath the floorboards. The interior is decorated in a folk-baroque style, with skulls arranged in intricate patterns including rows, triangles, and crosses. The chapel serves as a physical memorial and a memento mori, intended to remind visitors of the transience of life. The building is a small, whitewashed baroque structure that stands out due to its unusual, macabre collection of remains. It remains a significant historical site reflecting the history of the Silesia region during the 17th and 18th centuries.
The exterior whitewashed facade provides the best opportunity for photography, as the interior is restricted.
Visit during the shoulder season to avoid crowded conditions in the narrow, small interior.
The interior is extremely small, meaning only a limited number of visitors are allowed inside at once.
The temperature inside is significantly cooler than outside; bring an extra layer even in summer.
Do not attempt to touch the exposed bones or display disrespectful behavior in this memorial site.
Open seasonally; typically closed on Mondays and during the winter months.
Photography is strictly prohibited inside the chapel; maintain a quiet, respectful demeanor.
