The Cistercian Abbey in Rudy is a fascinating place with a rich history dating back to the 13th century. The monastery and palace complex impresses with its architecture, combining Gothic and Baroque elements. During the tour, it is worth paying attention to the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the picturesque cloister. For cyclists, the Rudy area offers numerous routes through the Cistercian Landscape Compositions of Rudy Wielkie Landscape Park, ideal for trekking and gravel trips. Remember to wear comfortable shoes if you plan a longer walk in the park.
The monastery and palace complex in Rudy consists of a church that is a three-nave basilica, a quadrangle of a medieval post-Cistercian monastery and later added wings of a Baroque palace residence. The church part was restored in the years 1994-1996. On the other hand, the monastery and palace part, owned by the State Treasury since the post-war period, gradually fell into ruin. On August 15, 1998, it was transferred to the ownership of the Gliwice diocese. Since then, gradual work has been carried out there to rehabilitate and adapt the complex to the needs of the new utility functions that the facility is to fulfill. The former monastery part consists of wings in the form of a quadrangle adjacent to the church with an internal courtyard and cloisters creating a cloister.
on Lake Min - Rudy Abbey
These buildings are two-storey, with basements in the western and northern parts. The former palace residence consists of the north-west and north-east wings. They form an external courtyard, partially open on the north side, from which entrances lead to individual parts of the building. In the opening between these wings, there is an entrance to the courtyard and two external routes, from which there is a view of the adjacent park pond.
The west wing passes into the north wing, at the connection of which there is a corner tower. A staircase was added to the eastern wall of the west wing from the courtyard side. These buildings are three-storey. A passage leads through the west wing, constituting another entrance to the courtyard, this time from Cysterska Street. On the other hand, the east wing is two-storey, with a basement in the northern part. On the east side, there is an exit from the building to the garden area via a terrace. The east wing passes into the three-storey north-east wing, at the connection of which there is a tower, formerly serving as vertical communication. Although the buildings of the monastery-palace complex have a different number of storeys, the external walls reach the same height, ending with a common cornice. This was achieved by differentiating the levels of the foundations as well as different heights of the storeys in the individual wings. The elevations of the building have a Baroque decor, although they are very damaged and mostly devoid of plaster. Only a few fragments with remains of Baroque decorations have survived.