Anyone who would like to lift the veil of history should take a walk along Piła's monuments. Some churches stood the test of time and are well preserved till our times, among them a neogothic The St Stanisław Kostka’s church from the end of the 19th century, neobaroque The Holy Family church on the western bank of the Gwda River, as well as a very interesting as regards the architecture The St Antoni Padewski’s church. It is also worth walking down the old streets and have a look at tenement houses from the term of the 19th and 20th century. Guests must also obligatorily pay a visit to the house of Stanisław Staszic, a museum now.
The St Stanisław Kostka’s church (13, Browarna street) – situated in the centre of the town, on the east side of the River Gwda, is the oldest preserved sacred object in Piła. The church was built in neo-Gothic style in 1895-96, by the efforts of an evangelical community. In the upper parts of its windows the distinctive stained-glass rosettes are preserved.
The St Antoni Padewski’s church (10, Ludowa street) – built in 1929-1930 according to the Hans Herkommer’s project, the architect from the Bauhaus School. The building resembles the early Romanesque style because of the catacomb inside and the simplified inventive architecture form. It refers to the leading avant-garde style of the sacred architecture in the 1930s. The church is famous for having the biggest wooden crucifix in Europe, made of one piece of wood, seven metres high. The inside walls are decorated with interesting paintings presenting the Stations of the Way of the Cross. There is a plaque in the vestibule which commemorates Polish people who died in the Second World War. A spacious presbytery of the Monastic House and a stylish gallery with courtyard make up an interesting architectonically complex of the monastic buildings.
The Holy Family church (1, St. John Bosko street) – neobaroque, built in years 1912-15, three-aisled, with barrel vaults decorated with baroque-style paintings depicting scenes from the life of the Holy Family. The two towers topping with domes with lanterns predominate over the façade of the church with an interesting portal.
District Museum (7, Browarna street) - collects items from the past of the town and its environs and organizes exhibitions. The items on permanent display include the furnishings and articles of middle-class households from the first half of the 17th century to the first half of the 20th century. It is also engaged in publishing and organization of archaeological work. It is located in the building of a pre-war consulate of the Polish Republic.
The Museum of Stanisław Staszic (18, Browarna street) a little house where probably the priest Stanisław Staszic, an outstanding statesman, politician, scholar, and scientist was born in 1755. The building, destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt after it, got its current silhouette resembling original shape in 1986. There is an exhibition of mementoes connected with his life and public activity, a collection of his books and their translation and a collection of the authentic period furniture and paintings. The Museum conducts an intense scientific, educational, and exhibition activity.
